Bitchy Mitch

Just a pattern I'm noticing in the Landrieu Administration's temperament whenever they feel like they've lost control of the script.

The Lens April 14, 2011: *

The mayor opened with a snark-filled aside to preservationists who were present, asking if they had “any money.” Later on, he said one in the group, Sandra Stokes, lived in Baton Rouge. Stokes, who used to live in Baton Rouge, now lives in downtown New Orleans. He asked the others where they lived, his tone implying that they did not live in areas that share Central City’s blight problem. “People show up at the last minute and say ‘Please don’t,’ well, we are moving on in the city of New Orleans,” the mayor said later. “The day is over that we are going to have discussions about air.”

Gambit May 17, 2011:

Gambit asked Landrieu about Serpas' August 2010 "65-point report," which the chief issued as a benchmark for promised reforms. Among its claims were two items relating to paid details. Item No. 52 read, "The NOPD, by October 1, 2010, will implement procedures that will track and document every off-duty paid detail hour worked by every officer, ensuring compliance with existing and future regulations." The item was marked "In Place," which seemed to indicate Serpas had cleaned up the paid detail system almost two months ahead of schedule.

"That's not what it said," Landrieu said when asked why the paid detail reform seemed to have been checked off the list. Nevertheless, Maj. Edwin Hosli, the 8th District commander who ran Anytime Solutions LLC, a company that managed the traffic-cam details, was clearly violating written departmental policy by doing so. Furthermore, Anytime Solutions received the paid-detail work in September — one month after the NOPD had written that "compliance with existing and future regulations" was "in place."

The Lens May 25 2011:

Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s new Criminal Justice Coordinator was unaware of the district’s meeting this afternoon. Former councilman James Carter addressed the committee, saying his focus is on reducing the murder rate among young African American men. Landrieu spokeswoman Devona Dolliole forbade Carter from speaking directly to The Lens after Carter had delivered his address. Standing between Carter and a reporter, Dolliole said, “He is not taking questions.”

“Why are you being so rude?” Dolliole said, when the reporter attempted to ask Carter directly if he knew about the meeting, and if he planned on attending. “He does not know about the meeting. Let him find out more information and get back to you.”

Much has famously been made of Nagin's and his deputies' penchant for arrogance and snippiness in the face of friction. How long will it take before we recognize these people aren't any better?

* Actually in this case, I'd say the Mayor probably had a point. But he was clearly being a dick about it.