NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The city with a reputation for political corruption now has a watchdog. Permanently.
Voters last weekend overwhelmingly approved changing the City Charter to require New Orleans to have an inspector general, who is tasked with weeding out fraud, waste and mismanagement within city government. The office also will have a dedicated portion of the city’s budget each year, and an independent police monitor.
The vote comes more than a year after New Orleans’ first inspector general, Robert Cerasoli, began work and nearly two years after the office was created with the intent of instilling public confidence in the city’s ability to spend federal rebuilding aid following 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
Council member Shelley Midura called the vote “one for the history books.”
“I think it’s really the beginning of a real, true commitment to change by the citizens of this community,” she said.
So far, Cerasoli has hired 12 people, about half the number he hopes to eventually employ, and he’s still trying to get the office fully operational. There have been challenges, including snags in getting the office’s computer system up and running and having long-distance service briefly disconnected. It’s also been tough finding qualified people willing to take jobs for the salaries offered, Cerasoli said.
Cerasoli expects the computer system to be hooked up soon, and said the disconnected phone occurred because a bill payment was sent to a wrong address.
The city has designated a staffer to act as a liaison between the administration and Cerasoli to speed the process of getting the office up and running.
Mayor Ray Nagin, who ran for office pledging greater transparency in government, said he supports the office.
The level of funding for the fledgling office was a touchy issue between Nagin and the council last year, with Nagin proposing a lower level than what Cerasoli eventually got. Nagin said the decision to dedicate a specific funding stream to the office was an important one.
Cerasoli is charged with weeding out any fraud, waste or mismanagement within city government and recommending ways to make government more efficient.
Cerasoli said he feels pressure to get things rolling but wants to make sure things are done right.
Midura, the council member, sees the vote as support for local reform efforts.
“These are crucial years as this office gets up and running, and we’re there to make sure it succeeds,” she said.
 
—-
Contact The Daily Reveille news staff at [email protected]