Hedge-Morrell doesn't want mayor to issue temporary permits
Though frequently debated in Washington -- particularly during this week's Supreme Court hearings on the 2010 federal health care law -- the democratic balance of power rarely gets much airing by New Orleans' municipal leaders. Not so during Tuesday's contentious City Council committee meeting, which drew hundreds of taxi drivers dismayed by a slate of proposals that would impose sweeping changes, some of them costly, on their industry.
Taxi drivers gather Tuesday at City Hall for a contentious discussion of proposed changes to city laws that govern their industry.In discussing one of the less controversial draft ordinances, Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell defended a current law that gives the council sole authority to issue temporary taxi permits during periods of peak demand, such as when the city hosts the Super Bowl. The proposed law would extend that power to the mayor.
"What was the problem with the mayor doing it 'by request' to the council?" Hedge-Morrell asked, referring to a common procedure in which the mayor asks a council member to sponsor a legal change he desires.
"I believe in the separation between the administration and the City Council, and I'm not really willing to give up any privilege that the City Council has," she said.
Deputy Mayor Michelle Thomas said the change was not requested by Mayor Mitch Landrieu but by representatives of the limousine industry, who have found it difficult to secure additional permits in a pinch.
Hedge-Morrell countered that limo officials "probably didn't understand how easy it is to come to the council."
Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, who authored the legislation, said all parties need to come up with a more clear application process for temporary permits.
When the topic came up again near the close of the 3 1/2-hour meeting, though, Hedge-Morrell made clear she wouldn't waver.
"As a City Council person, I don't want to give up any power that the council has," she said.