Stacy Head For New Orleans Mayor?
by Jeff Crouere - Ringside Politics (excerpt)

The residents of New Orleans are lucky to have a watchdog on the City Council like Stacy Head. In the past few years, the councilwoman has been a relentless fighter for the taxpayers of New Orleans. She has incredible courage and is not bashful to criticize incompetence and take on corruption.

At a city council hearing this week, Head tangled with the uncooperative Sanitation Director of New Orleans Veronica White. Head complained that White was withholding information and giving contradictory testimony to the Council. After months of stonewalling, White testified on Tuesday that her department services 106,500 households in New Orleans. This is precisely what Head had been trying to uncover from White for months. Head fumed that White should be dismissed and the matter turned over to the Inspector General. Hopefully, the Inspector General will investigate this situation and add it to his ever growing list of cases.

At the meeting, White refused to answer questions and acted in a surly, arrogant and disrespectful manner. It was an atrocious display of a public servant with a very bad attitude. In fact, she stormed out of the meeting, prompting Council President Jackie Clarkson to protest that she “was out of order.” Based on her uncooperative behavior, it is clear that White does not deserve the lucrative salary that she is paid.

Head is trying to determine how the city’s $31 million sanitation budget is spent. It is much bigger than the budget in Jefferson Parish, which has more people, but a budget of only $18.5 million.

It seems pretty obvious that something is seriously wrong with the department and a full scale investigation needs to be launched. Thanks to Stacy Head to making this a major issue.