Mayor Nagin and the New Orleans' recovery

New Orleans City Business:

A variation on the insolent “It’s the economy, stupid” rallying cry that accompanied George Bush Sr. along the way to becoming a one-term president is serenading Mayor C. Ray Nagin during these final few mayoral campaign days.

It’s the recovery, mayor. Or, more specifically, the lack thereof.

New Orleanians have waited for the mayor to work closely with the state and federal government to shift this recovery into a higher gear. It hasn’t happened. In listening to the mayoral campaign, there’s no sense of the urgency many of us feel about how slowly the recovery is progressing.

CityBusiness called for visible actions from city government following Katrina, which would have encouraged citizens and instilled confidence in federal decision-makers. It has not happened.

Our mayor’s poor planning capability, illustrated most recently by his incomplete evacuation ideas undeveloped beyond the brainstorming stage nine months after Katrina, have betrayed this city and robbed it of opportunities.

For example, New Orleans remains littered with cars that should have and could have been hauled away long ago. The performance by Waste Management Inc. in terms of its garbage collections is a disgrace yet the city continues to tolerate its finicky pickup policies.

City finances, shredded by the loss of business sales tax receipts and property taxes from citizens, remain a puzzling question mark. The only plan the mayor seems to have is to rely on federal largesse.

The city should be marketing New Orleans fiercely with all the financial incentives the Gulf Opportunity Zone and other programs have to offer. This is not happening in any appreciable way. If it is, the mayor has not communicated that message.

The mayor also has remained mum on the intensifying crime rates that continue to erode the feeling of safety in the city. Murder rates have already returned to the unacceptable levels that existed pre-Katrina.

Worst of all, and to his great discredit, the mayor has divided the city by his campaign remarks rather than trying to mend its splintered spirit. His Chocolate City comments remain the most obvious reminder of his inability to speak to the coalescing and unity needed to further our recovery.

The next mayor must make it clear that government is not going to save New Orleans. He must call on citizens to volunteer time and effort, much like the Katrina Krewe has done, to augment insufficient city services. We must start taking care of ourselves.

In return, we deserve active and urgent leadership intent on showing the entire world that New Orleans will recover. The recovery will not just happen. It takes careful planning, aggressive lobbying, constant monitoring and the ability to prioritize.

It takes a thoughtful unifying presence in City Hall. United, we can stand again. Divided, we’ll continue to fail.

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