Stacy Head - Recall Drive

Recall Drive

Head faced a recall petition in late 2008 continuing into 2009, ostensibly for not representing the African American community and then for her support of Republican candidate Anh "Joseph" Cao, in his successful 2008 challenge to incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative William J. Jefferson, considered Gill Pratt's ally or even mentor. Two days (on 2009 December 8) after Cao's victory, WDSU-TV carried a statement by Mayor Nagin that Head had made "race-baiting" comments. The vitriolic quality of the environment had already been evident in allegations on a left-wing web site dubbing Head a "notorious racist and poor people hater" as well as a "partner in evil" with fellow Council member James Carter, an African American. The recall petition officially began on 2008 November 3, when recall leader Malcolm Suber formed, for the purpose, an organization calling itself Citizens for Accountability and Transparency in Government (CATG). On 2009 March 9, a week after the petition garnered the support of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Suber claimed to have collected over half the requisite signatures, despite protests from African American constituents who defended Head on WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC). James Gill, Times-Picayune essayist, lampooned the situation with a column titled "Of all the accusations against Stacy Head, only one sticks—she's white" (Suber is black; Cao is Vietnamese American). Head dismissed the leaders of the petition to recall her as "poverty pimps" pursuing their own agendas. Political scientist Ed Chervenak described the recall effort as the "opening shot in an anybody-but-Head councilmanic campaign" to emerge in Summer 2009. Head at first declined to indicate her reelection plans or lack of them but soon, and generally, indicated to WDSU-TV and WIST-Radio New Orleans AM 690 (Fox News Radio) her intention to be a candidate for 2010 reelection. The recall drive failed to produce the required 18,000 signatures within 180 days. Head had this to say about the leaders of the recall:

Given the momentum that reform and progressive politics has had recently, they are, I'm sure, having trouble dealing with their obsolescence. . . . This is a last-ditch effort to maintain relevance.

As of 2009 July 23, no challenger had "stepped up" explicitly. Head was reelected on 2010 February 6 with 67 percent (10132 votes) to 33 percent (5021) for Corey Watson, an electrical engineer and minister whose father had founded New Orleans' Watson Memorial United Ministries.

Head subsequently endorsed Cao in his 2010 reelection campaign in which he was challenged by Democrat Cedric Richmond.