Quiett declined to comment
Posted by schroeder915 on January 29, 2007
Good work Gordon Russell:
As former Mayor Marc Morial’s communications director, Denise Estopinal earned $47,460. Her counterpart in the Nagin administration, Ceeon Quiett, makes $122,025 — the same salary as Nagin.
Whether the pay increases Nagin implemented have resulted in a stampede of new talent at City Hall is hard to say. Quiett declined to comment for this story.
I’m all for giving city workers raises up to the value of their work, but I’m also all for holding them accountable for doing their jobs. Has there been a 100 percent increase in the CAO’s performance since 1999 — an effective doubling of value and productivity? A 157 percent increase in communications? What about Mayor no-C Ray Nagin? He ought to be docked 100 percent of his pay!
I should also mention that the city is critically impaired in its ability to recruit and retain professionals, because other than highly-paid people in the mayor’s immediate circle, there have been no significant changes in payscales and job descriptions which are over thirty years old. Visit the Civil Service office sometime and see what they have to offer. If you’re a programmer who’s been to school for four years or more, and you’re holding a lot of debt, you’re not going to take a job working for the city. The same goes for other professional services needed in a city bureaucracy, plus the additional burdens of the disaster New Orleans is trying to recover from. I’d have to say an electrical inspector right now is worth more than that piece of crap mayor.
Don’t all scream at the same time! Quiett down!
10 Responses to “Quiett declined to comment”
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People Get Ready 
E.J. said
The man has got to go. It’s Recall time.
Adrastos said
Quiett has gotta be the…uh…quietest press secretary ever. We saw more of Ron Ziegler during Watergate.
Brent Trosclair said
Watch the video to see how wealth is transfered in this economy. From poor to rich. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA1f2MefsMM
bayoustjohndavid said
I said this on Adrastos’ blog, but I got a kick out of Nagin defending the salaries by talking about the number of Phd’s and JD’s. Yep, if we hadn’t given her a raise from $155K to $170K, we might have lost Hatfield and her doctorate in education.
A couple of those six figure positions are new ones, Addkison, chief Technology, yet to be named base realignmnet director and much of the actual work has been contracted out. If you have much less need for a department, you certainly have less need for a highly paid department head. Especially with an IG to go over the privatized contracts.
KamaAina said
What do I have to do to get in on this? I’d be more than happy to serve as the city’s Chief Visionary Officer for half, nay, a third of the figures quoted. True, I have no Ph. D., but I could order one up from this prestigious university I found in my bulk email folder…
ashley said
I have a PhD. The money looks good. Competence evidently isn’t required. Do I still qualify?
FP said
Vets Group Proves G O P Does Not Support Troops
Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director and founder of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the country’s first and largest Iraq Veterans group, announced on Friday that IAVA has made available a web site giving the results of their analysis of who in Congress truly backs up their words on supporting the troops.
“Sure, politicians say they support the troops. But whose votes back up their rhetoric, and who’s just wearing an American flag lapel pin?” asked Rieckhoff in a Huffington Post column last week. “Now there’s an easy way to know for sure. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s Action Fund has tallied up every Congressional vote cast on troops’ and veterans’ issues for the last five years. We’ve crunched the numbers, and given every legislator a letter grade – the IAVA Congressional Rating.”
Notice who really supports the troups. Most of the A grades are Democrats and I believe all of the F’s are Republicans.
William Jefferson is the only one from louisiana to get an A. Vitter got an F.
FP said
here is the site, you can find links to the Grades from there: http://iava.org/
tara brown said
My mouth is hanging open in complete disbelief and utter disgust. I am so, so sorry, everyone.
That man has got to go…Can the people demand a recall?
Shocked 357 miles up the road. I am trying to figure out how to move back and the money/job front is the biggest detriment. Yes, the crime rate is a factor too, I won’t lie. But there is crime everywhere, so that wouldn’t stop me from moving back.
To see city officials, who are part of a mostly ineffectual administration, earning that sort of money is disheartening to me. I can only imagine how you locals and natives feel. Again, my sympathy, empathy, and general angst over the whole situation is with you all.
Cliff said
The most puzzling one on that list is the Mosquito Control Director. I can’t believe he makes 128,000.00 dollars Judging by the swarm that greets me outside of my door every morning he is vastly overpaid. That has to be Nagin’s cousin.