NEW ORLEANS — In just a matter of days, the New Orleans City Council will report its findings in a months-long investigation into a promotional mailer. It was sent to voters in the waning days of a petition drive to recall Mayor Latoya Cantrell.
Friday, the council rescinded a subpoena to the remaining witness in the case.
“They seem to have come to conclusions in their investigation, that they have a number of findings, said UNO Political Science Professor Ed Chervenak.
Chervenak says council members have heard enough. City Chief Procurement Officer Julien Meyer dropped a bombshell during Thursday’s hearing before a council committee. He said that he was contacted by Cantrell's office about hiring a consultant to work on the mailer.
“I was just told it’s in the context of the recall," Meyer said when Councilmember Lesli Harris asked him if anyone described the purpose of the consultant to him.
Earlier, City Communications Director Gregory Joseph repeatedly denied the flyer was used to bolster the mayor’s image – one month before the recall deadline.
“We never talked about the recall,” Joseph said.
Councilmember Harris then reminded Joseph he was under oath.
“Yeah, I am the only one here under oath,” Joseph responded. “Just remind yourself that as well.”
It’s against state law to use public funds to push a political agenda. The council alleges Joseph directed the mailer be split into two separate $15,000 contracts to dodge city's rules. Something he also strongly denied.
Councilman Joe Giarrusso told WWL Radio, he doesn’t know if the investigation will lead to criminal charges.
“I think it has more to do with the ethics of what happened and sort of just baseline fair play,” Giarrusso said.
In the meantime, Professor Chervenak says taxpayers appear to be caught in the middle of a continuing battle between the council and administration.
"We just have a much more assertive city council, pushing against a mayor who doesn’t want the council butting into her business.”
City Council President J.P. Morrell is now expected to put some findings on the record next Tuesday.