Kenner Leadership Shake: Newton Named CAO Amid Legal Dispute

Natalie Newton will now oversee daily operations for the City of Kenner, a change that places her at the center of an ongoing legal dispute with city council members. Mayor Michael Glaser announced the promotion in an email sent to staff and councilmembers on Thursday, October 29. The memo confirms that Newton, who served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, will assume the role of Chief Administrative Officer immediately.

The reorganization also alters the reporting structure for several key departments. Jose Gonzalez, the previous Chief Administrative Officer, will transition to a part-time position as executive coordinator of capital projects. Elizabeth Herring will take on the role of deputy chief administrative officer while continuing to serve as operations and communications director and chief financial officer. Aimee Vallot will remain the deputy chief administrative officer for development and compliance and will continue as the city’s public works director.

Glaser stated in the email that the changes are designed to ensure continuity in executive leadership and maintain efficient service delivery. The memo further specifies that the director of the Pontchartrain Center will now report directly to Newton. This structural shift occurs less than a week after Newton and her husband, Richard Newton, filed a lawsuit against Kenner city council members.

The Newtons filed the suit in the 24th Judicial District Court in Jefferson Parish as private citizens. They allege that council members violated the law by sending a letter to New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno regarding a potential appointment to the New Orleans Aviation Board. The Newtons claim the letter was crafted and sent outside of a public meeting, without public notice, comment, or a recorded vote. The couple is seeking a $500 civil penalty from each of the four council members who signed the letter.

Joe Rochelle, the Newtons’ attorney, said in a statement on Wednesday that the lawsuit aims to ensure elected officials follow the laws they are sworn to uphold. "When elected officials circumvent the public process, citizens have every right to hold them accountable and demand transparency," Rochelle wrote. The letter concerns the appointment of a Kenner representative to the board that oversees Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Council members Joey LaHatte and Danny Riehm pushed back against the lawsuit in interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday. LaHatte said he first learned of the filing early Tuesday and called it "absolutely shocking," particularly because the plaintiff was the deputy chief administrative officer for the mayor’s office. He compared the letter to voting at a meeting and then posting the results on social media.

Riehm described the filing as an "absurdity" and a "frivolous" joke. He argued that the mayor’s office does not understand a 1985 airport expansion agreement that he and LaHatte say they followed exactly. Glaser’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing active litigation.