Mayor Mitch Landrieu Seeks Sole Authority To Determine Its Makeup

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has turned to a civil court in the city in an effort to be given sole authority to appoint members to the board governing Louis Armstrong International Airport. The St. Charles Parish Council has been attempting to have someone of its choosing seated on the board for nearly a year.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Mayor Landrieu has asked the judge to issue a declarative judgment giving him sole authority over the board's makeup. The Parish Council argues that a 1985 agreement gives them the right to select the Parish's representative to the board. Their choice is businessman Neal Clulee, who has twice been the nominee of the council. The first time, the nomination went down on a 3-3 split, and Parish President V. J. St. Pierre Jr. vetoed the second nomination, saying he had not been confirmed by the council on the first attempt. St. Pierre said there should be more than one person in the nomination process.

The council overrode St. Pierre's veto 7-2, which precipitated the lawsuit. Landrieu argues that the 1985 agreement allowed the Parish to select a board member at that time, and appoint a successor once that person had completed his or her term. Henry Smith, Jr. had been that successor. He died in 2011 before competing his time on the board. Landrieu also says a state Supreme Court ruling in 1984 restricts other entities from appointing board members as a violation of the city's charter and the sole appointing power of the mayor.

FMI: http://new.nola.gov/mayor, www.stcharlesgov.net