“They’re polling at fourteen percent. Fourteen percent. Fourteen percent... Fourteen percent... Lower than the previous sheriff after the jailbreak,” said JP Morrell of the Sewerage and Waterboard on WWL Friday afternoon.
The New Orleans City Council, along with Mayor Helena Moreno, is in the midst of a clash with the Sewerage and Water Board over House Bill 573, a measure striving to grant the city greater authority over the mostly-autonomous agency, allowing them to reset the board and hold more control over critical decisions, like rate-setting.
“There is tremendous support from the delegation,” said Morrell of HB 573. “There is tremendous support from the legislature across the state, who are tired of dealing with the incompetence of a pseudo-state board that can’t seem to get its act together. Really, for the life of me, the fact that the S&WB continuously spends time and resources defending its bad outcomes versus making better outcomes, it’s frustrating. It’s very frustrating.”
Earlier this week, S&WB officials issued a long letter opposing the bill, claiming its passage would handcuff the agency to “shifting political priorities.”
The city council and mayor haven't bought into the reasoning.
“Not only do they oppose it,” Morrell expressed, “but they want to use ratepayers' dollars — exasperated, pissed-off rate payers — to hire their own lobbyists to protect themselves.”
Morrell explains that, at its core, the S&WB is being steered afoul by a small group of higher-ups, dead set on protecting their power, whatever the cost. The letter, Morrell says, reflects this, given its drafters excluded many who sit on the board, including the board’s president: New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno.
“The full board did not vote to send this letter. A governance board, which is a much smaller committee — because, as you know, the mayor of the city of New Orleans is the president of the board — this little group inside the S&WB sent this letter,” Morrell explains.
“It was obviously an effort by the people who support the current executive director to protect his position,” Morrell continues. “The executive director of the Sewerage and Water Board is the highest-paid public official in the state of Louisiana who is not a sports coach. He makes $450,000 a year, including perks.”
As it stands, the board is largely comprised of members selected under the Cantrell Administration, which Morrell says enhances accountability issues.
“When the previous director left, it was right at the end of Mayor Cantrell's term,” Morrell explains. “Several board members said we should appoint an interim executive director because there will be a new council and a new mayor who might want to weigh in on the selection process. The board rushed to appoint the current executive director instead of waiting. Several board members actually resigned in protest.”
HB 573 now hangs in the balance and is expected to go to committee next week and emerge with final amendments to offer more fully formed oversight specifics.
“There will be some version of an S&WB that will be subject to direct oversight by the mayor and council, and that was part of the amendment I worked out,” Morrell says.
Morrell also points out that, given the agency has a 14% approval rating and is up for a millage renewal, the S&WB should be anxious to work with the council and mayor to help them improve favorability with the voting public.
“They believe the Sewerage and Water Board is infallible,” Morrell says, “and that if all of us would just turn our eyes and look away, they would make everything work. When I fought them over billing — when people were getting $10,000 bills — I cannot tell you how many times board members told me, ‘Well, if someone has a 10k bill, they can just get on a payment plan.’ Not that the bill was wrong, but that they should just pay it.”
“They do not realize that the fate of the organization of the S&WB relies on voters deciding to renew a millage,” Morrell states. “And they do not want to wrap their heads around the fact that if we do nothing and the millage fails, the S&WB implodes. This little subcommittee is like the captains of the Titanic. Everyone is telling them: Iceberg ahead. They're saying, ‘Mind your business and get back in the lower hulls.’”New Orleans City Council President rips into S&WB in interview with Newell Normand over attempts to avoid accountability
New Orleans City Council President rips into S&WB in interview with Newell Normand over attempts to avoid accountability
