Render ‘null and void’

That is the action members of the New Orleans City Council, who were just sworn into office, should do to the now-tainted vote by the lame-duck Council that approved a new power plant in Eastern New Orleans.

That is the right thing to do.

Revelations that a contractor of Entergy New Orleans hired actors to deceive the lame-duck Council, and the community at-large, into believing they “were concerned residents,” suppressed and drowned out the voices of New Orleans citizens from being heard.

Citizens’ rights were denied. The entire process compromised.

Entergy has offered a “mea culpa” of sorts. Yes, they hired the contractor who hired the actors, but reportedly the contractor did not discuss with them their plan of action.

If this happened in a Court of Law, a mistrial would be declared, the verdict thrown out and a new trial scheduled.

This article originally published in the May 21, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.