Gov. Bobby Jindal took office in 2008 promising the most transparent administration in Louisiana history, and he quickly began to deliver. He got the state Legislature to approve one measure that requires elected and appointed officials to disclose their personal finances and another that provides greater public disclosure of government contracts. But over the past […]
Category: Government & Politics
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Morrell: Legislature set criminal clerk's staffing; city must fund it
Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal District Court Arthur Morrell didn’t waste any time Friday morning telling the New Orleans City Council that the proposed $3.7 million budget for his office next year would cause a “drastic layoff of people at my office.” The 90-person clerk’s office handles all court services, including maintaining and processing court […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Rants under yet another alias sound a lot like Perricone
Sock puppets—Internet lingo for pseudonymous commenters—seem to have abounded in the federal prosecutor’s office. graphic: Matt Buck Former assistant U.S. attorney Sal Perricone retired in March after businessman Fred Heebe filed a defamation lawsuit claiming Perricone authored anonymous online rants about targets of federal investigations, politicians, attorneys, judges, among other topics. In August, Perricone spoke […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
BESE tackles OneApp and Lycee issues, delays governance choice
State education officials held their quarterly meeting Wednesday night in New Orleans. photo: Jessica Williams As proponents of the Recovery School District’s unified enrollment process contend, parents should be able to fill out one application to enroll their kids in any of the city’s numerous charter schools. It eases their burden and ensures equity across […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Bridge toll renewal issue was excluded from provisional ballots
Bridge tolls might well have been removed if 1,450 provisional ballots included the issue. Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Opponents of extending tolls on the Crescent City Connection have been asking “What if”? after learning they lost by a scant 16 votes in last week’s election. What if they had registered more people […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Angry council member declares $7M for decree monitor a ‘ripoff’
With cops looking on, Deputy Mayor Andy Kopplin defends the city’s police budget at Wednesday’s council meeting. Photo by Tom Gogola City Council Member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell told the city administration and New Orleans Police Department Wednesday afternoon that $7 million included in 2013’s budget to implement federally-mandated changes at NOPD was a “ripoff” financing “foolish […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Meeting tonight on extending deadline for governance switch
Under the state’s original timeline, 13 charter schools would have been faced with a decision on Dec. 1—little more than two weeks from now—on whether to switch to Orleans Parish School Board governance. That’s after finding out only last month that the decision was theirs to make. But under a new timeline, to be debated […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Moral of the story: Even Letten’s office wasn’t ‘untouchable’
Not long ago Jim Letten was our local Eliot Ness, here portrayed by Kevin Kostner, in “The Untouchables.” Foolish underlings have cost him that reputation. photo: Paramount file. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office is embroiled in controversy over online comments made by his top lieutenants. The team he has long-trusted has let him down during […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Squabble over pre-trial program erupts as hearings plow forward
Hum-dee-dum. Discussion over Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s proposed 2013 budget proceeded in routine fashion for much of Tuesday, with New Orleans City Council members questioning the mayor’s senior aides on ways to squeeze small savings from various programs. Things heated up in the afternoon, however, when the mayor’s office presented its plan to spend $184,000 on […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Gusman seeks 60% increase; Criminal Court faces major cut
Agreeing that he wants an alternative to the oft-derided price-per-prisoner amount he collects from the city, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman submitted a fixed-cost budget to the City Council today. Gusman is asking for $37 million for 2013. That’s not going to happen, city officials said. The Sheriff’s Office is budgeted for $22.4 million, about […]