Farewell Bob.

New Orleans first Inspector General resigned today and we are the worse for it.

Robert Cerasoli, Former Inspector General

I wish him well, and hope he overcomes his health problems.

Mr. Cerasoli was dedicated to establishing the Inspector General's office on an solid footing, independant of the incestuous relationships that infest New Orleans.

Like many people in New Orleans I had high hopes for the IG's office. I had a few personal contacts with Bob Cerasoli, socially, randomly and electronically, they gave me even more hope. He always seemed completely focused on his mission, perhaps a litle too focused.

I have always thought the most critical test of the Inspector General's office would be when Cerasoli moved on. If the ancien régime can control the sucession, they can effectively neutralize the Inspector General, much like the history of the State Inspector General or the now defunct Office of Municipal Inspection. I had hoped that Cerasoli would be around to hand pick his sucessor, sometime after the next mayoral election. That just didn't work out.

Our next challenge is to replace the irreplaceable. Perhaps it's a blessing that the people who hired Cerasoli are still in place and those he hired and trained are the nucleus of a professional staff. It will be hard to hire a political flunky to replace him, it will be harder to to find someone with his qualities.