Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Mitch Landrieu
Mitch
Landrieu
By
Phil
LaMancusa
What can you say about Mitchell Landrieu? Politician and
lawyer; son of a mayor, brother of a senator, one time deputy Governor and
State representative; present mayor of New Orleans. First ran for mayor in
1994, narrowly lost in 2006 and took two thirds of the vote to win it in 2010.
The city was left with a hundred million dollar shortfall
thanks to the previous administration (C. Ray Nagin). He placed a hiring freeze
on the police department and crime rates rose as police ranks dwindled. He did things to beautify the city that our
visitors will notice and left other parts to wither. He over saw the removal of
city monuments (statues) that represented personages that were pro slavery and
a minority of radicals on both sides of the argument disrupted the city with
protests that took an additional portion of our police department from other
duties. His infrastructure projects have cost money and have inconvenienced
citizens. He is very adept at using federal monies for city projects and one of
his gaffs is known as the ‘streetcar to nowhere’ on Rampart Street.
Landrieu is a career politician and is a staunch advocate
for juvenile justice system reforms; he also is a fiscal conservative actively
working on and repealing an Orleans parish ‘amusement tax’ (2% of gross sales)
and as a career politician is widely regarded as someone who has his eye on
Washington D.C.
He has reached term limits as a mayor and leaves the city
with mixed viewpoints of his legacy. As mayor, he has done nothing wrong.
C. Ray Nagin
C. Ray
Nagin
By
Phil
laMancusa
He
came on like gangbusters. Native son of the seventh ward and Treme who went to
college on a baseball scholarship, took a BS in accounting and became a CPA. He
took jobs around the country and landed with COX communications where he rose, at
thirty three years of age, to Vice President and General Manager in 1989 with a
pay of $400.00.00 a year.
He
was active in city, state and national politics as a lobbyer and functioned
well at the local level, performing with many civic organizations; he also had irons
in the fire in many local business deals, a shrewd operator. At forty-six years
old entered the New Orleans political scene by announcing his candidacy for
mayor. He touted himself as a poor son, born amongst us in Charity Hospital and
as a business leader would take the city to a new level. He was elected mayor
in 2002.
Katrina
came in 2005 and the mayor lost his effectiveness. He holed up at City Hall and
rarely ventured out to see to his constituents well being. He did make a
forceful rant against the Federal Government on WWL radio with an impassioned
plea for help and a demand for assistance.
He
narrowly won a second term with two thirds of voters still displaced and helped
to contribute to the city’s slow progress on a path of recovery. However, it
appears that he was working both sides of the street; wire fraud, conspiracy,
bribery and money laundering got him a trial and a sentence in the slammer
where you’ll find him today. He remains a lesson in greed, ineptness and
showmanship bravado. His release is scheduled for May 25, 2023
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