The New Orleans City Council today will discuss whether it should force out Mayor LaToya Cantrell's communications director for "incompetence, neglect of duty, and gross misconduct." It is fallout from a city-funded mailer promoting Mayor Cantrell as a recall petition was underway.
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New Orleans City Council President J.P. Morrell told WWL's Newell Normand that their investigation led to conflicting testimony from Communications Director Gregory Joseph and New Orleans Procurement Officer Julien Meyer on the purpose of the mailer.
Morrell said when council members asked Meyer, "'What was the context of the conversation?' He said, 'Well the context was we were talking about the recall.' And everyone went deathly silent."
Morrell called it a "mic-drop moment," as Meyer's revelation came after 90 minutes of testimony from Joseph denying that the campaign-style mailer was because of the recall petition.
Morrell says Section 3-125 of the city charter gives the council the power to remove administration officials.
"I think this is a power the council has had that has not been exercised in a very, very long time," said Morrell. "I think people are still struggling around the idea that the council has the ability to fire someone."
Mayor Cantrell says this is just another instance of some members of the council out to get her.
"Their actions, again, have been personal, and have been harmful," Cantrell said last week.
Morrell says it's not personal, and the fact that their investigation cleared Cantrell herself of involvement proves it.
"If we've already come to a conclusion where you are not personally at fault, how could it be personal?" Morell posed.
Election laws also prohibit the use of public funds to promote a politician.
Public bid laws, meanwhile, require allowing multiple vendors to compete for larger contracts. Joseph stands accused of breaking the contract into multiple payments to skirt those laws.