Onto matters of the city. For the next few days, posts will center on Orleans Parish elections, state leadership, levees and other aspects of our area’s path forward. First, who wants to be a contender or just a bum?
Fasten your seatbelts for this goat rodeo. Katrina postponed our elections for key city spots, but that did not help hasten the process. It’s politics as usual and every Tom, Dick and Kimberly has his name in the hat for the April 22nd primary. It has almost become this ridiculous:
Even this two-year-old unknown is running for mayor
Jokes aside, unlike Jim Fitzmorris, I agree with Louisiana’s primary-followed-by-runoff system in which “everyone runs in the same primary. If anyone gets fifty-one percent first time around, they win. If not, the top two vote getters, regardless of party, make the runoff.” Today’s nola.com rues that “116 candidates [have] signed up for 20 offices, leaving no sitting official without opposition [and] runoff won’t be until May 20.” This is democracy in action, in my opinion, unlike separate party primaries and the first person to the post declared the winner. But …
This process is ideal in a city or state which is not a cauldron of conflicting priorities associated with reconstruction after a major natural disaster. A tremendous opportunity to rebuild southern Lousiana right awaits us, and the buildup to this election reflects its current state: confusion. Many passionate and objective citizen stances on what a rebuild means clamor to be heard by passionate and power-hungry politicians with their own ideas and agendas. Confusion, especially that of the political variety, can be a good thing and has often generated criticial discussion and satisfactory outcomes. Somehow, the Louisianan combination of money, power, political cattiness, and now a piece of the rebuild doesn’t inspire healing at this time. All said, the rodeo … I mean … process must go on.
Here are some thinking points for the confused voter:
- Levees, levees, levees! Attracting business and tourism to this city is a forward-thinking goal, but puts the cart before the horse. This cannot be accomplished without a reliable system of levees, utilities and civic services. I’m not sure large businesses or visitors will give New Orleans a second chance if their operations are interrupted for fiscal quarters at a time once again.
- The issue of “We want everyone back.” In order for people to come back, they need the assurance of a livelihood and a place to live. Currently, the area has many jobs associated with cleaning and building. After that, what? Again, at this difficult time for New Orleans, it requires a citizen-city symbiosis, not a circle back to the ethos of “take” – the government takes, the businesses take, the citizenry takes. Who gives?
- Where will people live? One of my biggest fears is the haphazard reoccupation of badly-flooded neighborhoods. Coastal erosion is a fact; soon, we will be the buffer. Rebuilding is possible with a strong respect for where we live in the scheme of nature. Additionally, our people can use more than those dinky FEMA trailers.
- Demand a better Orleans Parish school system. Young people returning to New Orleans deserve a better education – one that attracts and keeps them in school all day. Who would want to leave schools around the nation to come back to some of the worst in America? Before the storm, the parish had 117 public schools; only 17 are open now. Also, a mere 16 of the former 74 private schools have re-opened.
- May the best candidate win. Look beyond the two-party system. Both of them failed us when the hurricane hit and at all levels of our government. This is not the time to talk about “liberal freaks” and “right-wing nutsos.” Not to mention that there is a little bit of each extreme in all of us.
The bullets above are mere suggestions and starters. As the hurricane affected everyone and every home differently, opinions will differ. However, I strongly believe that the aforementioned problems are parish-wide and need primary attention before each individual little woe. Thoughts?
