A defender of ‘Good Government’ has died

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Columnist

Vincent Bruno stood up for integrity in government. He was not afraid to cross figures of authority, allies or even the leaders of his own political party, if honorable leadership were at stake. His death last week of pneumonia at the age of 75 leaves Louisiana’s political process just a bit poorer.

To his last days, Vincent reveled in the moniker with which the daily paper once dubbed him, “The man who killed Mardi Gras!” As president of the Police Association of New Orleans, the union he helped found, he fought for pay raises for NOPD officers. Bruno was so dedicated to representing the members of PANO, that he took on public disdain by refusing to have police take to the streets for 1979’s Carnival, effectively canceling the holiday. But NOPD did get a long overdue pay raise as a result.

Later, as a union organizer of hotel workers, he attempted to stop a corrupt series of attempted bribery of judges. Angry judicial insiders retaliated with trumped up criminal charges. He endured prison for a few months before receiving total exoneration and commendations for his anti-corruption actions. In point of fact, Vincent Bruno is one of the few Louisianans to ever have had a criminal charge completely expunged, and to have federal authorities apologize for falsely making him a target. The experience emboldened him to never fail to stand up.

How many political appointees go to the press to complain that their job should not exist? Bruno did while serving as vice president of the Orleans Parish Levee District. He was fired for his critical comments contending that the board was misappropriating funds, and instead of fading into the background, became the primary source of this newspaper’s 2003 award-winning investigation of the corrupt state agency (prior to Hurricane Katrina). Perhaps Bruno’s most insightful comment came when he observed, “They keep talking about trying to privatize Lakefront Airport into the control of their own financial director, and never actually talk about levees… What happens if we have a big storm and they all collapse? Nobody has done any studies to see if they are secure.”

Vincent Bruno proved uniquely prophetic two years later. He was also equally prescient about the character of David Vitter. Bruno became his loudest critic in either party, despite Vincent’s own personal pro-life social conservatism. In point of fact, during the congressional race where his friend Dave Treen faced off against Vitter, Bruno met and interviewed Wendy Yow Ellis, who alleged that she had engaged in a 14-month tryst with the Old Metairie state representative as a paid prostitute.

Treen did not wish to use the explosive allegation, so Bruno kept quiet during the race – until Vitter attacked Treen after the former state representative was elected to Congress. Bruno came to The Louisiana Weekly with the testimony, and we published Wendy Yow’s allegations. The GOP blowback against Bruno was huge to say the least, virtually excommunicating him from the party.

Job opportunities were lost, and his state pension risked, but Vincent remained resolved. It took almost a decade, but he saw his opinion of Vitter vindicated by another prostitution scandal – and ultimately the voters of Louisiana.

In many ways, John Bel Edwards owed his election as governor to Bruno. That Vincent never weakened or faltered, he attested, came from his deep Christian faith. He never lost a chance to spread the “good news of Jesus Christ,” either on his long-running weekend political radio show – or just meeting someone on the street.

Vincent Bruno may have been my friend for 25 years, but he stood as the protector of good government in Louisiana for far longer. His funeral will be held Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. at Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 Canal Blvd. – with Burial to follow in Greenwood Cemetery.

This article originally published in the September 27, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.