The New Orleans City Council has voted to hire a corruption watchdog to send a message that the US city of New Orleans — with its long and colorful reputation for mishandling money and thievery — can be trusted with the billions of dollars in federal aid pouring in to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
"We have a moral obligation to lead with integrity,'' said City Councilwoman Shelley Midura, who is among those who pushed for the creation of the office of inspector general. "This is something the people are crying for.''
All seven of the council members voted for the proposal on Nov. 2.
PHOTO: AP
The proposal still needs to be approved by Mayor Ray Nagin, and money will be a factor here too. The new office will likely cost this cash-strapped city around US$400,000 (NT$13,167,000) per year.
Harry Connick, a former New Orleans Parish district attorney and father of American actor and singer Harry Connick, Jr said that creating the office of inspector general was like telling policemen and other law enforcers that they are not doing their jobs. He said that the council was basically creating someone who would make matters worse, not better, within the New Orleans goverment.
New Orleans has been burdened for years by many forms of corruption. At least two people have pleaded guilty to being part of a federal investigation of corruption at the city transit authority under Nagin's predecessor, Mayor Marc Morial.
The idea is to have a politically independent office. Anyone employed by the city within the past five years will not be allowed to do the job. (AP)
美國紐奧良市議會一致投票通過將雇用反貪腐監督員，以昭告天下紐奧良市將善用聯邦支援的數十億美元來進行卡崔娜颶風後重建工作。紐奧良市長久以來因濫用金錢與中飽私囊而聲名狼藉。
「我們有清廉領導的道德責任，」推動成立檢察長辦公室的女市議員雪莉．米度拉說︰「這是人們要求之事。」
七位市議員在十一月二日都投票贊成這項提案。
這項提案還有待紐奧良市長雷．納金核准，金錢也是一項考量因素。新的檢察長辦公室每年可能要花上財源短缺的紐奧良市四十萬美元左右（新台幣一千三百六十七萬元）。
前紐奧良地方檢察官亨利．康尼克表示，成立檢察長辦公室就像是告訴警方與其他執法者他們並未善盡職責。他也是身兼演員及歌手的小亨利．康尼克的父親。他說市議會根本就是在紐奧良政府中增加一個非但不會讓事情更好、反而更糟的人。
紐奧良多年來受多種貪污案纏身。聯邦調查的前市長馬克．默立爾任內的交通局貪污案中，至少就有兩人坦承罪行。
這項提案的目的是成立獨立於政治之外的檢察長辦公室。過去五年來紐奧良市府曾雇用的員工都無資格從事這項工作。
（法新社/翻譯：賴美君）
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