Inspector General's office up and running
From Sunshine Review
24 June 2008
New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli has finally got his office up and running after nine months on the job. Although he began work back in September, Cerasoli had to work alone out of an office at the Loyola University library, with his personal cell phone.[1] He has recently been upgraded to his own office and phone system, but has yet to be supplied with computers.
Cerasoli held a news conference, "You know, I have to be honest. It has taken a long time for me to get the basic things."[2] He hopes to have nine of the 30 staff members hired within a month. While progress has been slow, Mayor Nagin says he fully supports the work Cerasoli is doing.
[edit] First Report
The first report issued by the Inspector General's office was done in conjunction with the city's Ethics Review Board, and mainly pertains to the rules governing the IG's office and ERB. Cerasoli briefly mentioned the first investigation underway has to do with the use of city vehicles, auditing how many people have been issued cars and gasoline.
While most continue to focus on the use of credit cards by city employees, Cerasoli says this investigation is even more important. He stated, "The amount of money in those automobiles transcends the [amount on the] credit cards so much that it's incomprehensible. It's millions of dollars rather than thousands."[3] The report should be out sometime this fall.
The office of Inspector General was originally created by the city council in 2006
