Posted on 08/11/2017 6:48:29 PM PDT by BBell
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu had become so distrustful of the Sewerage & Water Board, that he resorted early Thursday (Aug. 10) to visiting the utility's infrastructure in person because he didn't have confidence in information he was receiving.
It had been six days since neighborhoods flooded across New Orleans, leaving the mayor scrambling to contain the fallout from a crisis that swamped hundreds of cars in feet-deep floodwaters and left residents stranded with no warning. But what started as an apparent communication breakdown between the agency and the mayor over pumping stations escalated Thursday to a full-blown crisis of confidence, as Landrieu began openly challenging the credibility of the agency.
That Landrieu serves as the Sewerage & Water Board's president makes his response to the crisis all the more remarkable. Landrieu on Tuesday moved to strike the board's leadership, with the pending retirement of the board's executive director -- and Landrieu's own pick to lead the board -- Cedric Grant, and the mayor's demand that two other key managers be fired. Not satisfied, Landrieu on Thursday called for a third-party management firm to temporarily take over the utility.
Until this week, Landrieu appeared to be spending his final months in office burnishing his legacy as the mayor who finally fixed New Orleans' decrepit infrastructure, and in restoring confidence in local government after his predecessor was sent to prison on federal corruption charges. Yet in calling for a third-party firm to manage a large public agency, Landrieu seemed to be acknowledging that public trust in New Orleans-based governance at the board had reached rock-bottom.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
I love when liberal Dems eat their own
The city has improved in the last 10 years, but the Sewerage & Water Board is the most corrupt and incompetent organization I have ever seen.
Wasn’t this the same problem with Katrina ? Just asking .
Like the Kentuckians, the New Orleans people will always believe in their Mitch!
Pumps and levees breaking were the problem. If the levees had held the pumps could have eventually pumped the water out.
At least they found the money to get those confederate monuments out.
Trouble in Chocolate Town.
Moon, Mary, Mitch. See the pattern.
NOLA is way over due to be drained
AGAIN !
You gotta have your priorities in order.
For the Katrina flooding, you can put the blame on the Corps of Engineers.
“Moon, Mary, Mitch. See the pattern.
NOLA is way over due to be drained
AGAIN !”
NOLA has been here 300 years and has withstood more disasters, more epidemics and more political corruption than any city in America.
NOLA will stand.
It’s been a week, how come it has not occurred to the Democrats to just fix the damn pumps? Is it really that hard for them to actually do their freaking job?
Did ripping out those horrible statues make a hole in the water table? Thank God those statues are gone and with them, all the troubles of the city. Well done Mr Mayor!
NOLA will stand? I hope not.
This is an over the top story of continued incompetence by bureaucrats who know full well they live at or below sea level and are situated square in the middle of hurricane alley. Remember Katrina. Help! help! help us!!
Mitch don’t know jack bout chiniery; like most Dem pols.
Jacobs is a typical political parasite. He served on the SWB board and cashed every paycheck related to same. Now the smelly stuff hits the fan, and suddenly he enlightens the public regarding every thing wrong at the SWB. Why didn’t he do so years ago?
Mayor Mitch spent over 8000 hours of police time removing Confederate monuments to a safe place and out of public sight. The flooded residents of NOLA can take great comfort in knowing that none of those monuments got wet when the SWB pumps failed.
Wait. Stop. Liberal Flag on the Play.
How is this NOT the fault of George Bush?
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