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“Further, I will seek the assistance and advice of respected civic groups like the Bureau of Governmental Research, Public Affairs Research Council, Council for a Better Louisiana, etc., to form a watch committee, similar to Court Watch. This committee will have full access to the methods used and the information obtained by the Assessor’s Office and will have my full cooperation in answering any questions regarding the performance of my office.”

Capella’s resolution calls for the crime commission, the Jefferson Business Council, the Bureau of Governmental Research and the East Jefferson and West Jefferson civic coalitions each to appoint one person to an advisory committee. It would help define the job of inspector general and recommend a source of money to run the office.

Capella’s resolution will call for a five-member committee to select the IG. The committee will be comprised of civic and business leaders, the Metropolitan Crime Commission and the Bureau of Governmental Research.

The resolution calls for the creation of a 5 member committee. The panel members would be chosen by 5 different organizations, including one that keeps a close eye on how taxpayer dollars are spent, the Bureau of Governmental Research.

“Let’s face it, whether it be the Metropolitan Crime Commission, whether it be the BGR (Bureau of Governmental Research), whether it be the public-private Horizon Initiative to outsource (the economic development) element of government, whether it be outsourcing an element of NORD (the city’s Recreation Department), all of a sudden what the plan appears to be is that they want to in essence neuter African-American (political) power and then have economic leadership stay in the hands of the minority as opposed to the majority, the minority in this case being the white community,” Henry said. “We have to do better than that.”

Gressett explained that if elected assessor, he’ll structure the staff, and make other changes, along the recommendations of the city’s most prominent good government group. “I believe the Bureau of Governmental Research has outlined in their December report ‘In All Fairness’, a blueprint for the organizational structure of the new office into three main offices: appraisal, administration and technology.”

Bishop Paul Morton of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church was angry with Nagin’s pledge to sign contract reform proposed by the Bureau of Governmental Research. Morton publicly called it a “slave contract” and sent the mayor-elect a letter claiming “that the majority of the African-Americans in this city are disappointed because our candidate of choice did not win.”

Forward New Orleans, a coalition of 30 civic and business groups, has released the results of its push to get all of the candidates for City Council to sign onto its seven-part reform agenda for the city.

Persuading candidates, especially front-runners, to sign a pledge vowing to undertake a particular reform can be an uphill battle. Getting the winner to live up his or her commitment can be even harder.

City workers could face a possible 12-day, unpaid furlough as part of a way to bridge an expected $68 million budget deficit in the upcoming year, according to sources.

The office produced few results under Mr. Cerasoli and even less under Mr. Odom, and New Orleanians expect and need a more active office in the future. For example, the Bureau of Governmental Research, a non-profit private watchdog, has been more productive uncovering government waste and inefficiencies — even though BGR has fewer than a third the staffers and budget of the inspector general’s office.

In his first full day on the job, New Orleans Inspector General Edouard Quatrevaux on Friday vowed to build on the “good foundation” laid by his predecessor, with his first order of business to lay out a plan of attack for improving the efficiency of city government and rooting out corruption.

The Armstrong Ballroom at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel was the site of the Bureau of Governmental Research 2009 Excellence in Government Awards, an annual event that rewards local government employees for outstanding performance and creative problem-solving and for their effective use of public resources.

Tim Whitmer, chief administrative officer for Jefferson Parish government since 1998, received a lifetime achievement award from the Bureau of Governmental Research last week.

Eyewitness News found that a Gentilly home owned by one of the city’s most powerful political families, the Morrells, is also on the city of New Orleans’ list for delinquent property taxes.

The City Council voted unanimously in favor of 100 percent transparency in city contracting, approving council Vice President Arnie Fielkow’s ordinance to open the city’s professional services contract selection process to the state’s open meetings law with a 7-0 vote.

This newspaper makes the following recommendations for the Nov. 4 ballot.

New Orleans voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to amend the City Charter to give the city’s forthcoming master plan the force of law, meaning that all zoning and land-use decisions would have to conform to the plan.

New Orleans City Council members and government watchdogs continue to search for greater transparency in professional services contracts in spite of Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s most recent and comprehensive executive order on the process issued in April.