Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday announced the latest addition to her team of top deputies for her second term, naming a political communications veteran as the new public face of New Orleans City Hall.
Gregory Joseph is Cantrell’s new Director of the Mayor's Office of Communications. He replaces Beau Tidwell, who had served since the start of Cantrell’s first term and announced his departure in April.
Though Joseph’s appointment was announced Friday, his first day was May 16. He has already gone to the mat defending the administration as the City Council and Office of Inspector General investigate the aborted “smart city” solicitation, in which officials involved in conceiving the project held undisclosed relationships with the winning bidders.
Amid a court battle over the council’s subpoenas to Cantrell’s chief of staff, Joseph on Thursday issued a statement calling out Council President Helena Moreno and Vice President JP Morrell, accusing them of practicing “the worst and most destructive type of politics.”
Moreno and Morrell had sharp words of their own, with Moreno saying there is “a plague” of secrecy within the administration.
In a prepared statement issued Friday, the city said Joseph has 25 years of experience in the communications field, including work with political campaigns, public agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Prior to joining the administration, Joseph served as communications director for Massachusetts-based American Promise, a nonprofit focused on countering the political influence of special interests.
"I'm elated to have Gregory join my team," Cantrell said, adding that he "will be a vital part of my senior leadership."
Tidwell, Joseph’s predecessor, is one of several high-profile Cantrell deputies to depart as she begins her second term. Ramsey Green, who oversaw infrastructure, stepped down last month and was replaced by Joseph Threat.
City Attorney Sunni LeBoeuf resigned at the end of 2021, as did Terry Ebbert, Cantrell's former head of public safety and homeland security.
Peter Bowen, who oversaw the city's Office of Business and External Services, was fired in January.