Kenner has a new Chief Administrative Officer. In an email to city staff and councilmembers on Thursday, Oct. 29, Mayor Michael Glaser said Natalie Newton, who had been deputy chief administrative officer, will now lead the post.
Jose Gonzalez, who held the CAO job before the change, will stay on with the city part-time. According to the email, he will serve as executive coordinator of capital projects.
The memo also outlined other moves. Elizabeth Herring will take on a deputy chief administrative officer role while continuing as the city's operations and communications officer and its chief financial officer. Aimee Vallot will remain deputy chief administrative officer for development and compliance, and will keep her job as director of public works. In addition, the director of the Pontchartrain Center will now report to Newton.
"These changes are intended to ensure continuity in executive leadership and maintain the efficient delivery of city services," Glaser wrote in the email.
The announcement came in the same week that Newton and her husband, Richard Newton, filed a lawsuit against Kenner city councilmembers. The couple filed as private citizens in the 24th Judicial District Court in Jefferson Parish. The suit concerns a letter council members sent to New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno months ago about the potential appointment of a new Kenner representative to the New Orleans Aviation Board, which oversees the administration and strategic development of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The Newtons allege the letter was "not lawful" because it was written and sent outside a public meeting and "without public notice, comment or a recorded public vote." They are seeking a $500 civil penalty for each of the four council members who sent it.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Newtons' attorney, Joe Rochelle, said: "This lawsuit is about ensuring that elected officials follow the same laws they are entrusted to uphold. When elected officials circumvent the public process, citizens have every right to hold them accountable and demand transparency."
Councilmembers Joey LaHatte and Danny Riehm disputed the claims in interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday. They said the council had already voted publicly and that the letter simply informed Moreno of the outcome. "The letter was basically like me voting at the meeting .. and then putting on Facebook, 'Hey, this is how we voted today!'" LaHatte said. He added that he first heard about the suit early Tuesday and called it "absolutely shocking," particularly because it was filed by the deputy chief administrative officer in the mayor's office.
Riehm called the filing an "absurdity" and "a total joke," describing it as "frivolous." He said he believes the mayor's office does not understand a 1985 airport expansion agreement, which he and LaHatte say they followed exactly. Glaser's office declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing active litigation.
