News & Politics
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
NOLA tourism leaders call for Hospitality Zone legislation to be pulled
Posted by Kevin Allman on Tue, May 22, 2012 at 7:55 PM
As amended by Peterson, Senate Bill 767 (the former SB 573) would have made the hospitality zone board subject to the same laws that govern public meetings and would have reduced the percentage of funds allotted to some of the major backers. Under Peterson's plan, 40 percent of monies raised would have gone to the city for infrastructure improvements, while the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Board and the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Board would have each received 20 percent. The remaining 20 percent would have been split between the French Quarter Management District and the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network.
Abandonment of the plan, which had been criticized fiercely by neighborhood associations that tagged it "The Ho Zone," was expected after the changes were made. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who had been a fervent supporter of the original bill, made no mention of it in his annual State of the City address this afternoon.
In its statement, the Hospitality Coalition PAC referred to "unpalatable amendments" placed on the bill and called the original version a "very unselfish effort to tax ourselves and generate significant dollars." The statement also said the funds would have been paired with "a $30 million dollar allocation from the [Ernest N. Morial] Convention Center. Those components are suspended as well."
Dear Friends of Tourism,On behalf of the Chairs and Executive Committee members of the major tourism organizations, we wish to inform you that the industry leadership has asked that the hospitality zone legislation proposed in this legislative session be pulled down for this year.
This decision came after serious consideration and much discussion among a broad-based coalition of New Orleans legislators, business leaders, tourism workers, neighborhood partners and leadership of the hospitality industry.
We are extremely sad that this very unselfish effort to tax ourselves and generate significant dollars for marketing, job creation and revenue growth for our businesses and the city, has come to an end because of unpalatable amendments placed on the bill. Though the bill could likely have been passed in its new form, the amendments made it off target to the private sector coalition which originated the bill in partnership with the Mayor.
Landrieu's 2012 State of the City address
Posted by Kevin Allman on Tue, May 22, 2012 at 10:51 AM
Mayor Mitch Landrieu is scheduled to deliver his midterm 2012 State of the City address at 2 pm this afternoon at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in Armstrong Park. Last year's SOTC was held against the backdrop of the traffic-camera controversy and a soaring murder rate. This year's speech is expected to have more details on new plans to reduce the murder rate — and, of course, there's also the question of whether the New Orleans City Council will be there in toto.
We'll be liveblogging here from around 1:30-1:45 pm until the end of the mayor's speech. Join us.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Civil Service meeting: NOPD loses request for full-time public information officer
Posted by Charles Maldonado on Mon, May 21, 2012 at 2:55 PM
The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) was not able to convince the city Civil Service Commission to approve the creation of a new, unclassified position for its currently contracted public information officer, Remi Braden, at today's commission meeting.
Researchers in the city personnel department found that there was no reason for creating a new position since the job primarily involves the dissemination of information produced entirely by classified police officers rather than independent policy making. Furthermore, there is already an equivalent classified Civil Service position, researchers found — marketing development coordinator — currently in use by one other city agency — the French Market Corporation.
The maximum salary for the marketing development coordinator position, however, is just over $83,000. NOPD hoped to pay Braden $83,000.
"To equate a public safety public information officer with the French Market Corporation is ludicrous," said Lt. Col. Jerry Sneed, deputy mayor of public safety.
(Continued after jump)
Friday, May 18, 2012
WDSU: Hedge-Morrell will return for next Council meeting
Posted by Charles Maldonado on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 2:43 PM
Which, oh by the way, is scheduled for June 7, nearly one week after the interim appointment of the now-vacant District B seat gets kicked to the Mayor's office.
WDSU reports that Hedge-Morrell notified city officials in an email earlier this week that she did not plan to attend any meetings until July. Then, today...
But two days after the email was received by more than a dozen people connected to the Council, Pugh sent a second message:Please be advised Councilmember Morrell will be in attendance at the June 7th and 21st Council meeting since the dates of the conferences has (sic) changed.
Update: Hedge-Morrell, Johnson met with mayor before boycotting Wednesday and Thursday meetings
Posted by Charles Maldonado on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 10:35 AM
According to Cynthia Hedge-Morrell's personal calendar, which was obtained by Gambit through a public records request, she and fellow absentee Council member Jon Johnson were scheduled to meet with Mayor Mitch Landrieu on Tuesday May 15, the day before City Council was scheduled to meet to wrap up its unfinished May 3 agenda.
Lena Stewart, Hedge-Morrell's chief of staff, confirmed that the meeting with Landrieu did, indeed, take place as scheduled. However, she added, she could comment on what was discussed as she was not present for the meeting and neither Council member discussed it with her.
Among the items leftover from May 3 — and subsequently placed on the May 16 and May 17 agendas — was the confirmation of Errol George as an interim appointment to the now-vacant District B seat. Neither Hedge-Morrell nor Johnson attended that meeting. They were again absent from a May 17 regular Council meeting.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Grand jury indicts teabagging suspect
Posted by Kandace Graves on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 1:24 PM
An Orleans Parish grand jury today (May 17) indicted Alabama football fan Brian H. Downing — accused of putting his testicles on an unconscious LSU fan in a Krystal hamburger restaurant on Bourbon Street following the BCS Championship game Jan. 9 — on one count of sexual battery and one count of obscenity. A judge set Downing's bail at $50,000, but an arraignment date has not been set.
A video of the January incident hit YouTube immediately, and Downing was identified as the suspect. He surrendered to New Orleans police Jan. 19, and his bail was set at $10,000.
If convicted, Downing could face a maximum of 10 years in prison on the sexual battery charge and a fine of no less than $1,000 and no more than $2,500 and six months to three years in prison on the obscenity charge.
Hedge-Morrell, Johnson again absent from City Council meeting
Posted by Charles Maldonado on Thu, May 17, 2012 at 1:17 PM
Once again, no quorum today, as only four members, one short of quorum, were present in City Council Chambers for what was supposed to be the May 17 regular meeting.
However... "We can't conduct any of the city's business," said Clerk of Council Peggy Lewis following today's predictable roll call (Cynthia Hedge-Morrell: Absent, Jon Johnson: Absent).
What followed was basically more of the same. Instead of the 42-page agenda, which included a number of items from the unfinished May 3 regular meeting, we got a few presentations: a wrap-up of Navy Week, a proclamation honoring Unity GNO on the occasion of its 20th anniversary and lots of righteous indignation from the four Council members who decided to come to work. That last non-agenda item largely centered around City Council's continued inability to confirm the interim appointment of Errol George to the District B Council seat, which has been vacant since Stacy Head was sworn as an at-large Council member on May 2.
(More after the jump)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Guy who famously wanted to drown government in bathtub endorses Jindal for VP
Posted by Kevin Allman on Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM
- GAGE SKIDMORE
- Grover Norquist at the at Conservative Political Action Conference.
Politico has Norquist's essay:
Romney would do well to have a wing man who can astutely explain the flaws in President Barack Obama’s policies and lay out the GOP’s innovative, pro-growth alternatives. There are many attractive prospects out there, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal can do not just all that, he has already implemented the sort of bold reforms at the state level that are now desperately needed at the federal level.
Last week, the Associated Press reported Louisiana's budget deficit is now $220 million.
Press release: Tulane sues city
Posted by Charles Maldonado on Wed, May 16, 2012 at 12:07 PM
Tulane University has announced that it filed suit against the city of New Orleans today, in an attempt to block a proposed Interim Zoning District that could slow progress on the university's plan to build a stadium.
The news comes one day after Tulane and the city announced an agreement to hold a series of community forums on the stadium.
Here's the press release. We will post a copy of the complaint as soon as one of two things happens: (1) it arrives, as requested, via email or (2) it is heroically obtained in person at Civil District Court, all despite the harrowing weather. See below for the complaint.
Today Tulane University filed suit in Civil District Court against the City of New Orleans. The suit seeks to prevent the creation of the proposed Interim Zoning District (IZD), which the New Orleans City Council approved in a 4-2 vote at its May 3 meeting.Tulane filed suit to preserve its rights and the rights of other affected universities to challenge the IZD, which could put its new stadium and other large-scale projects in jeopardy, even though the projects are in compliance with current zoning laws.
"The May 3 motion could be treated as a final decision under the city’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, triggering the 15-day appeal period provided by the CZO. Tulane wanted to take no chances that it would be prevented from appealing the City Council’s motion to establish an IZD," said John Landis, of Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C, the law firm representing Tulane.
No quorum: Hedge-Morrell, Johnson absent at special City Council meeting
Posted by Charles Maldonado on Wed, May 16, 2012 at 10:11 AM
City Council members Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Jon Johnson were both no-shows today at a City Council meeting today, once again leaving the city's legislative branch with only four present members, one short of quorum, and unable to vote on any legislation. The four present members — at-large Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson, at-large Councilwoman Stacy Head, District C Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer and District A Councilwoman Susan Guidry — were, however, able to make the most of what quickly turned into, basically, a press event, shaming the two absent members for bringing city government to a standstill.
"There is a lot of city business at stake that's lying dormant, and that's disgraceful," Clarkson said.
Today's meeting was called in order to wrap Council's May 3 agenda, still unfinished after Hedge-Morrell and Johnson walked out in the middle of that meeting. Among those items was the confirmation of urban planning consultant Errol George as the interim District B Council member. That seat has been vacant since Head assumed the at-large seat.
(More after the jump)
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