Hard Rock Building Collapse-What was City Hall's Responsibility?

I find it interesting to note that the Mayor of New Orleans has skirted the issues about the actual involvement of the city in the recent Hard Rock building disaster.  While it is difficult for the general public to get accurate information regarding the construction process of the building, it does appear that there was some city involvement with it.


Apparently some structural changes were made along the way that required approval by the appropriate department at City Hall.  It would also seem logical, that during the construction of such a massive building in the downtown historical section of the city, that city building inspectors would make random on-site inspections to insure the construction plans were being followed and up to code.


Yet, to date, the only information we have is that the actual workers in the building questioned some of its construction.


What was City Hall’s actual involvement in this ongoing construction?  Did they have any responsibility at all, or were they simply paper pushers blindly issuing permits and approving change orders?  Is this how ALL major construction is handled in downtown New Orleans?


It would seem prudent to get all the facts surrounding every entity’s involvement in this tragedy, including City Hall’s.