Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Kevin or Clancy missed a rather obvious point
Whoever writes the commentary at Gambit Weekly is correct that it's risky for the city council to use $10M of CDL to meet ongoing expenses, but I can't help but wonder at the naiveté of whoever wrote:
I thought that Gambit had editorialized less about Nagin administration secrecy than the Picayune, City Business or The Louisiana Weekly. Now I wonder if the good folks at Gambit or even aware of the extent of the problem. Since when does Nagin work with anybody? His administration withholds information and even tells bald-faced lies until it gets what it wants.
Which brings me to the obvious point that I referred to. $1.2M is a large chunk of $10M. I was totally serious last month, the mayor's office does not have a communications department, and $1.2M for P.R. is outrageous. If the mayor is going to pretend to be responsible about $10M, somebody should ask him about that. Nobody knew about tiered re-entry, nobody can ever find out anything about demolitions, and the city council can't even find out what departments are being audited. A department that doesn't tell anybody jack shit about anything can't be called a communications department. The mayor requested $1.2M for public relations, but he wants to claim to be financially resposponsible. Somebody needs to ask him about that. Give me a press badge, I won't be afraid to ask him the goddamn question.
Stacy Head had the right idea
But $500,000 doesn't begin to cut it. I can think of a few other questions that I'd ask the mayor.
Nagin probably won't veto the entire budget, but he could use his line-item veto to strike the use of another $10 million from the disaster loan. If that happens, the council may muster the necessary votes to override his veto — but we think the better plan would be for the council and Nagin to work together to keep the last $10 million in CDL money out of the 2009 budget.
I thought that Gambit had editorialized less about Nagin administration secrecy than the Picayune, City Business or The Louisiana Weekly. Now I wonder if the good folks at Gambit or even aware of the extent of the problem. Since when does Nagin work with anybody? His administration withholds information and even tells bald-faced lies until it gets what it wants.
Which brings me to the obvious point that I referred to. $1.2M is a large chunk of $10M. I was totally serious last month, the mayor's office does not have a communications department, and $1.2M for P.R. is outrageous. If the mayor is going to pretend to be responsible about $10M, somebody should ask him about that. Nobody knew about tiered re-entry, nobody can ever find out anything about demolitions, and the city council can't even find out what departments are being audited. A department that doesn't tell anybody jack shit about anything can't be called a communications department. The mayor requested $1.2M for public relations, but he wants to claim to be financially resposponsible. Somebody needs to ask him about that. Give me a press badge, I won't be afraid to ask him the goddamn question.
Stacy Head had the right idea
She also proposed many other cuts, such as $500,000 from "excessive personnel expenses" in the mayor's office, $840,000 from the $5.6 million fund to fuel the city vehicles,
But $500,000 doesn't begin to cut it. I can think of a few other questions that I'd ask the mayor.
