Was a pamphlet that Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration mailed to city residents earlier this year a political effort to thwart the recall attempt against her, or was it an update on the administration's accomplishments?
That was what the New Orleans City Council tried to learn during a hearing at City Hall Thursday morning.
Council members grilled Cantrell Administration officials about the controversial pamphlet that went out to voters during the recall campaign. Members of the council questioned if that pamphlet was political in nature. If the pamphlet was indeed political, it and the administration would be in violation of laws prohibiting officials from spending public money for political purposes.
Cantrell's communications director, Gregory Joseph, said that wasn't the case.
"I know that when I read this piece and when other people read this piece that it doesn't run afoul of any of the political, partisan language laws on the books," Joseph testified. "I don't know how else to say, but our intention with this piece was to provide education and information for the people of the city of New Orleans. That was our intention. I believe we hit our goal with that."
Joseph, who was subpoenaed to testify, said the timing of the mailer had nothing to do with the recall effort to remove Cantrell from office. However, the council presented documents that showed the contract with the company in charge of making the mailer ended on the same day as the deadline for recall leaders to turn in signatures to elections officials.
"I'm here to tell you that from my position as the director of communications for our office that I never, ever, ever, ever considered the recall to be a threat to this office," Joseph said. "Never."
Council members also subpoenaed the city's chief procurement officer, Julien Meyer. He testified that when he was approached about the flyer, he was told that it was indeed about the recall effort.
