With barely more than a week left before taking office, Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu sent letters Thursday notifying top officials in the administration of Mayor Ray Nagin that their services would no longer be needed come May 3.
Transition team spokesman Todd Ragusa would not say who received the pink slips, saying only that the notified employees “serve at the pleasure of the mayor.”
“As with any mayoral transition, Mayor-elect Landrieu will bring a new leadership team to City Hall on May 3,”he said.
About 250 unclassified city employees serve at the discretion of the mayor and are not protected by Civil Service provisions. The number includes all mayoral staffers, including the city’s communication department, and all department heads.
Among these are familiar names from the past eight years, including Sanitation Director Veronica White, City Attorney Cynthia Sylvain-Lear, Technology Director Harrison Boyd, City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields, Office of Community Development Director Kenya Smith and mayoral spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett.
Not all unclassified employees will be replaced. A story published late Thursday, citing unnamed sources, counted Emergency Services Director Dr. Julette Saussy, Public Works Director Robert Mendoza and Emergency Preparedness Director Col. Jerry Sneed among those kept on.
Ragusa said that we could expect to hear who will be serving in the incoming administration “sometime very soon.”
I wanted to make a little joke, but I think the accompanying photo says it all!
I wish I could have a few of these pink slips framed and hung in my bathroom.
~Editilla Hotellas~ Stacy Mendoza is part of that team of PR Succubi that we have been paying Millions of Tax Dollars to Sanitize the Corps Media Face.
That is about as blunt as I can put it. Nepotism has its place but it is more effective when everyone is on the same One Team.
OPP’s PR Media Contract is Up this Fall, and we are wondering how the scene will shake out with the Next PR Firm the Corps prostitutes out to slim down their excess baggage.
For example, after nearly a full Year Of Stone’floodwalling, the Corps has NOT come-off of the bulk of the FOIRs valiantly filed by Levees.org –regarding Stacy Mendoza’s PR Firm OPP Optimal Process Partners.
Stacy’s husband Robert, as Director of Public Works, will be the point man to implement (or not) the Mayor’s new Flood Protection Mandate. I have no idea what Mitch’mo has in mind for his Vice-Mayors or Cabinets or whatever, but it seems like he has the ball in play for New Orleans future flood protection in the way he is handling his Task Force on that score.
He ain’t even gotten the keys to his office, and yet Mitch’mo has Plans On The Table.
It just freaks me out that this gabby little PR’haint Stacy Mendoza might end up getting a better look at (and even pillow’talkin over) those plans before the public will.
I will look to The Lens to keep The Eye on Mrs Mendoza, her cohorts and for whom her bell be’tollin professionally speaking.
OK, perhaps it isn’t nice to name names on my previous unposted comments, so I will just ask y’all this:
{Not all unclassified employees will be replaced. A story published late Thursday, citing unnamed sources, counted Emergency Services Director Dr. Julette Saussy, [Public Works Director Robert Mendoza] and Emergency Preparedness Director Col. Jerry Sneed among those kept on.}
doesn’t Mendoza need to go?
Doesn’t his wife who shall remain nameless work for the unnamed (prison-sounding:) PR firm that works for the Corps of Engineers? Rhetorical question.
I look forward to The Lens keeping The Eye on this professional arrangement.
Carville and Matlin are about all the pillow talk I can stand in this city right now haa!