Note: After this op-ed was submitted, Gov. Jeff Landry removed his chosen board chair, Roy Carubba, and replaced him with Peter Vicari, who Landry appointed to the board just last month. The writer hopes that the new chair does not go down the same path as his predecessor.

At several board meetings,  a governor-appointed chair of the board has emphasized how much time he’s spending getting to know the staff.

“I’m involved from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. nights and weekends … and I do it willingly and I do it humbly.” pronounced Roy Carubba, chair of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East (SLFPA-E), at around 1:27:50 on this video, of a recent board meeting.

After making inquiries into the situation, I felt compelled to write this. It was critical, I believe,  that Chairman Carubba “know his place” and not meddle with the staff, because the SLFPA-E is responsible for the largest flood-protection system in the United States.

To many New Orleanians—especially those unfamiliar with how public boards operate—this involvement might sound like a positive development. It’s not.

Board members have an important but limited role: they provide oversight, monitor finances, and set overall direction. They are not supposed to get involved in day-to-day operations. That work is for the professionals hired to do the job.

Often, the bridge between the board and staff is an executive director. At the SLFPA-E, this position is known as the Regional Director, and it is a singularly critical one.

When Roy Carubba was appointed chair by the governor, his first official act was to vacate the position of Regional Director—and then not find a replacement person for the position.  The position remains vacant to this day. 

Over the subsequent eight months, Carubba effectively assumed the duties of the Regional Director himself, while continuing to serve as board chair. That’s inappropriate, unsustainable, and demoralizing for staff.

This kind of arrangement inevitably drives away capable professionals. Indeed, four board members and six high-level staffpersons have resigned, in addition to the Regional Director. The exit of so many staff represents a massive loss of institutional knowledge in this relatively small organization.

Framing Chairman Carubba’s level of involvement as simply “getting to know the staff” misses the point. It blurs essential lines of responsibility and undermines the structure that allows public institutions to function effectively.

If the SLFPA-E fails to properly maintain and operate its flood-protection system, the Army Corps of Engineers can assign a grade of “unacceptable” to the levees and floodwalls, which ultimately could lead to FEMA decertifying the structures . 

That would mean that no one could get flood insurance.

Because of the Flood Authority’s crucial purpose, the public cannot afford to have it run by a board chair who acts recklessly.

Chairman Carubba should have allowed the board to select and hire a Regional Director and then step back — like other board chairs do — and allow the person hired to do their job.

At the February 2025 board meeting, Carubba announced that he was saving the SLFPA-E $300,000 by eliminating contracts for grasscutting, a task that would hence be performed by Levee Board staff, he said. Everyone can appreciate a leader with an eye to fiscal responsibility. But clearly, this shift of duties was not well-planned.

As someone who has walked regularly on the levees for 20 years, I have never seen the levee grass anywhere near as high as it is now. 

That goes beyond aesthetics: the overgrown grass does not meet Army Corps of Engineers’ specifications. We are approaching the height of hurricane season and the grass is too high for effective levee inspections.   

Routine maintenance can fall through the cracks when leaders micromanage according to their own whims. The board is there to provide strategic guidance, oversight and accountability for the organization. The board chair’s role is to provide leadership to ensure the board fulfills this role effectively —no more, no less.

Good governance depends on knowing where the lines are. And respecting them.

Sandy Rosenthal is the founder and president of Levees.org