During a heated exchange Wednesday in the New Orleans City Council chambers one councilman suggested settling his differences with the council president with a physical fight.
Councilman Oliver Thomas told Council President JP Morrell that he would fight him "anytime, anytime, now."
It came after a disagreement about the next NOPD Chief and the role the past interim chief should play.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't raised that way," Morrell replied to the suggestion of a fist fight to settle things. "I resolve my problems the legal way."
Thomas fired back, "You resolve your problems picking on people, bullying people."
New Orleans Metro Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche told WWL's Tommy Tucker that what he called "let's step outside and settle this" rhetoric sent the meeting off the rails.
The MCC leader also said that the entire discussion of the council considering making former Interim Chief Michelle Woodfork a three star deputy chief and retaining her $188,000 salary in Anne Kirkpatrick's administration was problematic.
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Goyeneche insisted the idea was counter to having a police chief who was independent of city government and not micromanaged.
"I was really stunned... when the council tried to dictate who the deputy chiefs would be and try and pin or limit the superintendent's ability to surround herself with the people that she believes are most qualified to execute her plan and vision for the police department."
Councilman Freddie King led the charge to dictate Woodfork's role in the next administration after Council Vice President Helena Moreno said she and others wished the nominee had been Woodfork, not Kirkpatrick.
Goyeneche said the presentation Kirkpatrick gave the committee deciding if her nomination should go before the council showed "her experience was shining through."
He told Tucker, "She knows her stuff... she hit it out of the park."
Goyeneche applauded her plan to reduce crime and rebuild the police department.
Kirkpatrick said, "I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my qualifications, experience and ideas for leading the New Orleans Police Department and moving the Department forward, building on the progress that has been made in creating a safer city for the citizens of New Orleans."
When it comes to employee morale, she and the council discussed many topics including reassessing the work schedule of NOPD officers, that currently includes 12 hour shifts; working to comply with and end the consent decree; and actively recruiting more qualified officers.
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