The New Orleans City Council is preparing to take the unusual step of removing one of the mayor's top aides. The effort to oust communications director Gregory Joseph is likely unprecedented.
Political analyst Errol Laborde says a city council hearing to decide whether it should essentially fire an official in another branch of city government is a new one on him.
"No, I don't recall that ever happening," said Laborde.
Laborde said for most of the years since the current mayor-council system was set up in the 1950s, politicians typically came from political organizations.
"So the mayor might have come from a political organization, and maybe a few of the council members belonged to that same organization, so there was some support on the council," said Laborde. "Now we have people who are independently elected."
He says that has elected officials willing to flex their authority in ways we aren't used to seeing.
Council President J.P. Morrell says they have the authority under the home rule charter to remove an official, and said in a letter to the mayor that the investigation into a city-funded flyer that came across as a campaign ad indicates Joseph broke state law and city policy.
Laborde said Joseph probably didn't help himself when he blasted the city council for taking away the mayor's keys to the Pontalba apartment.
"So he really went after the council so his politics has not been very good," said Laborde.