New Orleans City Council members vow to turn down Entergy campaign donations

New Orleans City Council members won't accept political donations from Entergy New Orleans or other public contractors under a resolution a council committee approved Tuesday. 

The resolution, which was backed unanimously by the Utility Committee but has no force of law, states that current members shouldn't take contributions from Entergy's political action committee or from any of the consultants the council pays to help it regulate Entergy. It also encourages candidates running in the Oct. 9 council elections to deny similar campaign contributions.

In addition to forswearing donations from the local utility's PAC, members also wouldn't take money from employees of Entergy or its affiliates, or any firm vying for a contract with the council until the contract is awarded.

City Councilmember Helena Moreno, who chairs the utility committee and who sponsored the resolution, said the move is aimed at building public confidence in the council's ability to objectively manage public utilities and the firms that it employs. The council serves as the regulatory body for Entergy New Orleans, a private utility that provides electricity and gas services to city residents.

"It's especially important that the public have confidence in their voice, which is us, the public regulatory board," Moreno said. The council "should be free from influence by those regulated." 

It's not the first time council members have pledged to stop taking Entergy's money. Previous resolutions also renounced donations from Entergy's PAC and from the council's utility consultants; the first one was passed in 2007. 

Read the full article here: https://www.nola.com/news/politics/article_11083560-d903-11eb-848c-f778c59d339a.html