Ringside Politics With A Punch

In an unusual public e-mail exchange, New Orleans council members Arnie Fielkow and Cynthia Morrell publicly disagreed over whether to report the issue of Nagin administration credit card use to the new Inspector General of New Orleans Robert Cerasoli. According to Fielkow, “This is exactly the type of issue the inspector general should be looking at as it goes to one of the primary objectives of his office, namely the efficiencies of government.” Yet, Morrell strongly disagreed, “Arnie the Budget Committee will address the protocol for executive and legislative branches. It is inappropriate for the Council to direct the Inspector General.”

Fielkow was not swayed and on Monday officially requested that the Inspector General investigate the use of expense accounts by the Nagin administration. Recently, it has been reported that top Nagin administration officials spent over $150,000 on city owned credit cards in a several month period. Expenses included entertaining politicians at pricey local restaurants. Fielkow wants there to be a “formal protocol” involving city employee expenses. Cerasoli will add this request to his already large list of city government policies that his office will investigate.