TL;DR
The Moreno grand jury story keeps getting stranger. The mayor says she had nothing to do with the indictment of Attorney General Liz Murrill, but Murrill says she has texts showing the mayor and five council members testified. Councilmember Eugene Green is taking meetings with Gov. Landry, who calls him his conduit. And the mayor who promised bonds would fix the budget now wants a property tax hike, with a homeless shelter on the line.
Key Points
- The prosecutor picked to review Murrill’s indictment helped her carry out Louisiana’s first execution in 15 years.
- Mayor Moreno says the grand jury acted without her. Murrill says texts show otherwise.
- Councilmember Eugene Green met with Gov. Landry, who has refused to meet with the mayor and five council members.
- After a $125 million bond sale and a $110 million loan request it withdrew before a vote, the city still faces a $100 million deficit.
- The mayor is weighing a $26 million millage roll-forward while the low-barrier shelter faces closure.
After facing down an 80-year sentence, Attorney General Liz Murrill said she wanted an independent prosecutor to investigate her indictment. So the Louisiana Supreme Court appointed someone who helped her carry out the state’s first execution in 15 years. Because apparently that doesn’t count as grounds for bias.
Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge
Why is Councilmember Eugene Green meeting with Gov. Landry? What is he offering the governor? What is the governor offering him? Is Councilmember Green fine with the governor calling him his conduit? And why do we have to wait until November to find out any details?
The Mayor and Her Oyster Shell
As of this writing, Mayor Moreno has yet to pull her head out of the oyster shell she stuck it in. Perpetually ducking for cover, she insists she had nothing to do with the aforementioned indictment.
According to the mayor, the city’s grand jury just went ahead and indicted the attorney general without consulting her, the mayor of the city, despite the public statement she’d already made about the attorney general. Because apparently that kind of thing just happens.
We can also assume it just happened that the grand jury knew the political climate: how the governor had just laid waste to the city’s courts and funding during the legislative session, and how the mayor, the governor and the attorney general had beef because of it.
But knowing all that, the grand jury just issued an indictment on its own and left the city wide open to political payback?
Can we also assume something else? Either the mayor is lying, or she’s betraying how little respect she gets in her own city.
We’ve Got the Texts
Remember after Katrina, when Mayor Nagin was allegedly embarrassing the city at a mayors’ conference in D.C., and an irate Norman Robinson declared on air, “We’ve got the video!” Well, here we are again. Different mayor, similar scenario. Only this time, the attorney general says she’s got the texts.
The texts apparently show that Moreno and five City Council members testified before the same grand jury they claimed they knew nothing about.
If that’s the case, why isn’t the mayor standing up for the grand jury? How is that being “All In for New Orleans”?
Back in Baton Rouge
When Councilmember Green arrived at the Governor’s Mansion, did the governor have him patted down for a wire? Did the governor open the meeting by asking, “Who are you All In for, me or Helena?”
Councilmember Green’s leadership might cost his district. How will the mayor react to this visit? Will the streets in Councilmember Green’s district stop getting repaved? Will the grass on the neutral grounds go uncut?
Is Green meeting with a governor who refuses to talk to the mayor or the five council members just another example of the New Orleans delegation failing to stand united? Is it a signal that they can be played against each other? Or is Green a strong leader stepping in to help the city because the mayor and the group of five are completely shut out?
Somewhere, Murrill Is Saying “I Told You So”
Last November, then-Mayor-elect Moreno helped balance the budget by selling $125 million in bonds. We were told that unprecedented step would put the city’s finances in order.
Attorney General Murrill warned that if the sale were allowed, the city would be back asking to sell more bonds, because the budget still wasn’t properly balanced. The mayor-elect said not so.
But less than six months into her term, the mayor was back, asking the state to approve a $110 million loan. She pulled the request at the last minute, once it was clear the state would say no. Now, facing a $100 million budget deficit, she’s holding a homeless shelter hostage behind a $26 million tax hike, also known as rolling the millages forward. She claims it’s necessary to properly balance the budget. Somewhere, the attorney general is sitting back saying, “I told you so.”
And we’re left wondering: Is it possible Mayor Moreno is using the same calculator as Teedy? Can somebody call Norman Robinson? Surely there’s a video.
About the Author
Kenneth Cooper is a veteran New Orleans journalist and Black Source Media columnist. His column, Cooper’s Collage, covers Louisiana politics, Saints football and Black New Orleans culture, and he remains unimpressed by politicians of every party.
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