"There's no action to take relative to Gregory Joseph other than great job." Those were the words New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell spoke in her undying support of her communications director who has been under investigation for breaking state law when he orchestrated a mailer that appeared to be political in nature to voters. At the height of the effort to recall Cantrell, Joseph produced and sent out the mailer that was political, but the mayor and Joseph continue to say the mailer was educational.
Today the city council voted to use their power to remove Joseph from his position in City Hall. The formal charges against Cantrell's communication director include participating in a "publicly funded advertising campaign attempt to garner public support for Mayor Cantrell and to sway the outcome of the recall effort in direct violation of state law."
Council President J.P. Morrell said Joseph's actions "constitute incompetence, neglect of duty, and gross misconduct."
Gergory Joseph is also guilty of intentionally providing "false testimony under oath before the governmental affairs committee."
Today was the first step in kicking Joseph out of his position and further action is scheduled for October 3. If Mayor Cantrell continues to support Gregory Joseph and if he refuses to resign his position then he will have the opportunity to present a defense with his lawyer at the October 3 hearing.
Cantrell's support of Joseph shows her disregard for the legislative process of city government - which is congruent with the arrogance she has shown in the past for any entity or any individual disagreeing with her.
And let us not forget that Mayor Cantrell embraced musician Irvin Mayfield as a "true son of the city" after it was known that mayfield stole over $1 million from the New Orleans Library fund.
Every boss establishes the mentality of their staff. For Gregory Joseph to feel comfortable breaking the law while acting in the mayor's best interest - Cantrell may be telling us exactly what the expectations are in her administration.
And the negative news from the Cantrell Administration continues to project a negative image of the great city of New Orleans.
