Nagin’s relocation plan surprises council

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

When Mayor Nagin announced at his final “State of the City” address this week that he wants to relocate City Hall to the former headquarters of Chevron, it was news to more than just the general public.

Some members of the City Council said they had no idea of Nagin’s plans, according to media reports.

Here’s an excerpt from a Times-Picayune story:

Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, chairwoman of the Budget Committee, said she recently toured the Chevron buildings with top administration officials. But she said she thought the building was being considered as a way to save money by centralizing city offices now housed in private buildings, including the Amoco Building.

During her tour, Hedge-Morrell said, someone mentioned the idea of relocating all of city government, but she added she was surprised to hear Nagin pitch it as a serious plan.

Council President Jackie Clarkson said she also has toured the Chevron site.

“It is a great building at a great price,” said Clarkson, a Realtor. But although she said she was aware of the idea of uprooting municipal functions to the new location, she did not realize plans were progressing so quickly.

The council’s other at-large member, Arnie Fielkow, and Councilwoman Stacy Head, whose district includes the current City Hall campus and the Chevron buildings, said they had no idea the purchase was being considered.

According to the story, members of the City Council would have to sign off on the purchase.•

White council members criticized after leaving meeting

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The exit of the New Orleans City Council’s four white members from a meeting yesterday did not leave a good taste in the mouths of the public in attendance who lashed out against the members after they departed.

The criticism of the members’ exit was another sign of what seems to be growing dissatisfaction of some in the community with the council, which has upset black residents who have concerns about the council’s call for more transparency in the awarding of professional services contracts. Some in the black community see it as an attempt by white council members to take power away from Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who is black.

Nagin vetoed an ordinance, authored by Councilman Arnie Fielkow, who is white, to open the selection of contractors to the state’s open meetings law. Nagin also this year eliminated a panel involving a public representative to select contractors. Nagin created the panel using his executive powers. The mayor, in eliminating the panel, said he is within his legal rights provided by the city’s charter, which would require a vote of the public to be amended. On the other hand, Nagin could use his executive powers to put the panel in effect again, which would not require a public vote to change the charter.

Yesterday, members of the black community showed up in council chambers to see whether the council would override Nagin’s veto. But no vote was taken. Instead, the white council members left the meeting early, some citing reasons such as doctor’s appointments, according to news reports.

After the white council members left, members of the public voiced their complaints to the three black council members who stuck around.

Here’s an excerpt from a Times-Picayune story:

The Rev. Joseph Recasner offered this sarcastic take: “If I had known this was doctor-scheduling day, I would have made an appointment for myself.”

Recasner then referenced the “power grab” allegations that some supporters of Mayor Ray Nagin have leveled against council members who pushed for the open-meetings ordinance that prompted the debate. The ordinance would require committees that rank prospective city vendors to meet in public.

“Stop trying for what the mayor’s got!” he said. “If you want what the mayor’s got, run for mayor.”

Fielkow returned to the meeting more than half an hour into the discussion to hear the remaining speakers, according to news reports.•

Council’s plans seen as racist

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Earlier this month, the New Orleans City Council adopted an ordinance to make transparent the awarding of professional services contracts. Mayor C. Ray Nagin vetoed the ordinance, making the council have to decide whether to override his veto.

In the meantime, the issue is seen by some in the black community as an attempt by white council members to take power away from a black mayor.

Here’s how the issue evolved: Nagin, early in his administration, created a panel that involved a public representative to award the contracts, which total $150,000 or more. On Feb 5, the council decided it wanted the awarding process to be totally open to the public, and it adopted an ordinance to make the process adhere to the state’s open meetings law.

Some in the black community worry that what is being marketed as a way to make City Hall more transparent is actually an attempt by white council members to water down Nagin’s authority. (The council is made of three black and four white members.)

The concerns are being aired on the radio, such as 1230 AM, a station that discusses issues important to the black community in New Orleans.

The concerns are also being voiced in e-mails, such as one sent today by new@nola.tv. Here’s the e-mail, which in the subject line says “City Council’s Smoke Screen”:

URGENT!! COME OUT TO CITY COUNCIL 9AM TODAY
Some City Council Members Want To Change City’s Charter In The Name Of Transparency
It’s A Smoke Screen
TIE City Council Member’s VOTE  to Re-Election Bid
DON’T OVER-RIDE VETO

Yesterday, Vincent Sylvain of The New Orleans Agenda, in another column that’s being e-mailed around the city, wrote that Councilman James Carter “has reportedly received pressure from both sides of the issue; hate e-mails for his failure to vote for the override largely from the white community, pleas from his Black constituents to remain firm and vote against the measure. This sentiment has been echoed on WBOK 1230-AM Talk Radio with a majority of the listeners and bloggers supporting a no vote. “

Here’s another excerpt from Sylvain’s column:

Others have pointed out that the forced resignation of former District Attorney Eddie Jordan; the refusal of any charges against the Gretna Police Department for the blockage that kept hundreds of evacuees from crossing the Mississippi River bridge after Hurricane Katrina; the lack of a conviction in the Levon Jones case, the Georgia college student who died after a clash with Bourbon Street bouncers on New Year’s Eve 2004; the acquitted of the officers who participated in the beating of retired 66 year-old teacher Robert Davis; the dropping of all charges against the officers involved in the Danziger Bridge shooting of Ronald Madison and others; the lack of a formal investigation of the alleged vigilante shooting in Algiers Point during hurricane Katrina as uncovered in A.C. Thompson’s Katrina’s Hidden Race War documentary; frequent clashes between NOPD and cultural organizations are all examples of why Black view many of the proposed revisions to the governmental make-up of New Orleans with a suspicious eye.

Readers, do you see the move for more transparency as racism or reform?•

Nagin critic sells bumper stickers

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Drivers might notice a new anti-Mayor C. Ray Nagin bumper sticker in New Orleans soon.

Today, someone using the nickname Super Ray sent e-mails announcing that the stickers were for sale.

The e-mail was sent the day after the City Council failed to override a Nagin veto of an ordinance that would have opened to the public the process of awarding professional services contracts.

Here’s what was in the e-mail:

Nagin becomes the decider

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

In a move that critics say represents a step backward for City Hall transparency, Mayor C. Ray Nagin has proposed giving himself total control over the city’s awarding of professional services contracts — just when you thought things could not get more strained between the mayor and City Council.

Nagin was scheduled to hold a press conference on the issue at noon today.

His plans are not being well received by some, including Councilman Arnie Fielkow, who, in a CityBusiness story yesterday, called removing a review panel from the selection process a “scorched earth policy.”

Nagin’s move comes after the council voted unanimously to open the contracting of professional services to full transparency. Nagin vetoed that ordinance last week, even though two opinions from state Attorney General Buddy Caldwell support more openess in the process of awarding the contracts.

Under Nagin’s new executive order, a public representative would not be part of the selection process for the contracts. Instead, city Chief Administrative Officer Brenda Hatfield, City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields or recovery director Ed Blakely will suggest to Nagin who should get the contracts.

Nagin created the panel to improve transparency at City Hall. So why is he now apparently going to destroy it?

Is it just a game of one-upmanship with the council, with which Nagin has been at odds? It’s clear the council and Nagin administration are having a tough time getting along, as evidenced by the recent dispute over enhanced cleaning services in the French Quarter.

According to news reports, Nagin thinks the council’s call for more openess violates his authority.

Here are some excerpts from a Times-Picayune story today:

Nagin, meanwhile, has leaned on a legal opinion from his in-house attorney in calling the requirement an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers, as well as a nuisance. He has said the City Charter is not subservient to state law and that if the council wants contract panels’ meetings to be public, voters must amend the charter to require it.

He maintains the council-backed ordinance would “cause serious delay to the city’s recovery efforts.”

Nagin spokesman James Ross said Tuesday that based on the city’s experience last year entering into more than 800 contracts and other legal agreements, “it is impossible to have public meetings for each of those and keep with the pace of the recovery.”

Who’s side are you on? Is Nagin right, or is the council right?•

Council trash meeting heats up

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Across New Orleans today, many people are surely talking about Tuesday’s City Council sanitation meeting, which involved some tense moments between city officials, particularly councilwomen Stacy Head and Cynthia Willard-Lewis.

TV news stations Tuesday night aired the exchange between Head and Willard-Lewis, who chastised Head for holding up a large, handmade sign that contrasted the amount unincorporated Jefferson Parish and New Orleans pays for garbage services. Jefferson, with a population of 442,000, pays $14.9 million. Orleans Parish, with a population of 288,000, pays $31.2 million, according to Head’s sign.

Willard-Lewis told Head she was out of order.

“Sit down with your prop,” she told Head.

Anyway, readers, what do you think of Tuesday’s meeting? Are you happy to see your leaders worked up about something, or do you wish the theatrics would just go away?•

Nagin: City services to be reduced

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The future of city services in New Orleans just got a lot grimmer.

Today, Mayor C. Ray Nagin said he has ordered a hiring freeze for all departments, including public safety, a reduction in sanitation services to “basic garbage pickup” and a spending cut of all departments except for public safety.

The cuts are needed in order to close a budget gap of $18 million budget in 2009, Nagin said. (To read a CityBusiness story about Nagin’s announcement, click here.)

Nagin said he has not choice but to make the cuts. He also said: “We expect that there may be future cuts … in the very near future.”

Residents can expect to see a loss of services, the mayor said. Two things residents — and tourists, for that matter — can say good-bye to: street sweeping and power-washing in the French Quarter and downtown.

“The majority of these cuts bring with them a reduction in services to be provided by the city,” Nagin said. “However, we are taking the actions necessary to live within our means and to ensure that our city remains in the best position for today and the future.”

The City Council can still override Nagin’s budget actions. But it’s unclear what the council will do.

If Nagin’s cuts prevail, and city services decline, what do you think will happen to the city’s recovery from Katrina?•

Nagin could use veto pen for budget

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Mayor Ray Nagin is considering using his veto powers in the wake of the City Council’s approval of changes to his 2009 budget proposal, according to news reports.

Nagin wanted the council to roll forward the millage rate by 10 mills, a request he said was needed to prop up the $486 million general fund. But the council rejected raising property taxes, because, they said, the city is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Rolling forward the millage rate would have generated nearly $25 million for the city, according to reports.

Nagin is upset by other changes the council made to his budget proposal, including council decisions to spend the last $10 million of $240 million in federal Community Disaster Loans and to slash more than $1 million for the city’s much-criticized crime camera program. Nagin is also displeased that the council moved to place about $50 million for the sanitation department and housing and blight fighting in reserve.

The council’s budget changes would result in deterioration of city services, Nagin said.

“We won’t be able to sustain the current level of services,” Nagin said, according to a story on wwltv.com. “2009 will be a challenge. 2010 will be a train wreck.”

At one point, tempers flared between Nagin and Councilman Arnie Fielkow over the budget. To view video of that exchange, click here.

Here’s what someone named katnipkat had to say on nola.com:

Nagin said:
“Most likely we’re looking at services in the city that will deteriorate, ” he said.

Now, this is something that I want to see–as I don’t possibly see how services in the city could deteriorate. What services do we currently receive?

Nothing from nothing is nothing.

Then there was this nola.com comment by xman20002000:

Citzens in NO generally don’t want to pay for public services. The property tax issue is a budget balancing request.•

Nagin’s proposed tax hike under fire

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

It’s budget time in the city of New Orleans, and perhaps the most controversial issue is whether the city should increase its property tax collections.

Mayor C. Ray Nagin is pushing for higher property tax collections. But it’s an idea members of the City Council do not agree with, according to news reports.

Nagin is suggesting that the city reverse a millage reduction approved by council last year. The council approved the reduction after the total value of taxable properties in the city spiked. Nagin wants to raise the property tax rate by 10 mills next year.

Here’s an excerpt from a story Thursday by The Times-Picayune:

He (Nagin) said the 10-mill increase would be “a modest amount.” It would cost the owner of a $150,000 house an extra $75 a year in taxes, while the owner of a $250,000 house would pay an extra $175 a year. Nagin said the increase would cost the owner of a $250,000 business property $350 a year and the owner of a $1 million business $1,400 a year.

According to an Oct. 28 CityBusiness story, Nagin said that, under a worst-case scenario, the city would be forced to pay $26 million a year in additional debt service from pension bonds beginning in 2010 if the property tax rate is not raised to 10 mills.

Here’s more from that story:

The debt stems from stocks, purchased on credit via the firefighters’ pension fund, that have since fallen significantly and now the debt is being recalled, said District B Councilwoman Stacy Head.

“It’s worth noting we have had to do a lot of cleaning up from bad political decisions in the past and now we are having to make hard decisions related to the pensions — a very bad political decision 10 years ago,” said District A Councilwoman Shelley Midura. “We’re grappling with something that was ducked in the past. It’s not about C. Ray Nagin or this council.”

The additional revenue from the millage roll forward would also help replenish the emergency fund balance.

According to the Times-Picayune story, Council President Jackie Clarkson said the council will pass a balanced budget but “we will not raise taxes to do it.”

Some council members don’t think now is a good time to raise property tax collections, according to the T-P story. “With the national economy perhaps going into recession, members said a tax increase is no more appropriate now than a year ago,” the story says.•

NAACP, public raise concerns about N.O. planning

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Three years after Hurricane Katrina flipped New Orleans on its back, the city is moving ahead with a master plan to direct future growth. But not everyone is happy about it.

The New Orleans chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is concerned about a ballot item that will go before New Orleans voters Tuesday. If that ballot item is passed, it would put the force of law behind the master plan before the plan is even written. By giving the plan the force of law, it reportedly would be more difficult for the City Council to make land-use decisions, such as changing zoning rules and granting exceptions.

The council still has to approve the master plan, which is being developed now with public input. The plan is expected to be finished by the end of next year.

CityBusiness reporter Ariella Cohen wrote about the NAACP’s concerns in a story Thursday. Here’s an excerpt:

The NAACP statement blasted the proposed charter change as an attempt by elites to redraw neighborhoods and potentially “turn our neighborhoods into ‘green spaces’ and prevent our families, friends and neighbors from returning to our city.”

“In addition to the possibility that the plan could reduce the footprint our neighborhoods, the ramification of the proposal has not been adequately discussed with members of the community. Therefore, the community cannot make an informed vote,” said New Orleans NAACP President Danatus King, an attorney.

In response to NAACP’s concerns, the Rev. Marshall Truehill Jr., who is black and a former chairman of the New Orleans City Planning Commission, blasted the NAACP.

“It is beyond belief that the some of the leadership of the African-American community are misinformed, spreading misinformation and putting gross ignorance of the planning process on display by making (such) claims,” Truehill said.

But the NAACP is not the only one concerned about the proposed charter change. Comments on nola.com show that others are against it, although others are for it.

Here’s what bayoustjohn wrote on Monday:

Vote NO!!!! At a time when New Orleans specifically needs flexibility to deal with rebuilding up from our 30 years of economic and population decline we shouldn’t be enshrining the best ideas of RIGHT NOW to guide us for the next 20 years. Since restrictive zoning has done so much damage to our commercial sector, driving out thousands of businesses, tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of thousands of residents and the proponents of this measure don’t care. They want to stop business and economic development even further.

Clefable49 wrote this:

I concur with bayoustjohn: Zoning in New Orleans is about as gerrymandered as anyone can imagine. Consistency is lacking. Variances seem to be available “for a song”. Just by way of one example, look at the various interpretations of the widths of setbacks around newly-built, multi-story houses. The city has to get a handle on this.

Nolalou is among the supporters of the charter change:

The charter change would shift power away from the city council and towards the citizens. It would create a predictable, transparent, and clear set of rules for everyone – neighborhoods, developers, and citizens – to follow. It would mandate citizen participation in the creation and modification of the plan. And it would instill confidence in us all that our efforts to determine the shape and form of our city would not be in vain.

So if you’re dissatisfied with the current system; if you want to see fair, transparent, predictable planning; if you want New Orleans to become more stable, economically viable and secure, vote YES for giving the Master Plan the Force of Law. This is our one chance!•

Entergy under fire

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Entergy Corp. has taken a beating this year.

First there were the hurricanes that destroyed the company’s infrastructure, followed by complaints from politicians and the public about the pace of power restoration.

Now, a New Orleans councilwoman is taking shots at the company.

The company found itself the subject of much criticism following Hurricane Gustav, which at one point knocked out power to 850,000 of the company’s customers. Entergy described it as the second-most damaging storm in the company’s 95-year history.

Then came Hurricane Ike. The two back-to-back storms in less than two weeks left nearly 1.7 million Entergy customers without electricity in four states.

Some were patient as the company restored power. Others weren’t.

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Sept. 3, two days after Gustav hit Louisiana, called the pace of power restoration “unacceptable.”

“There’s simply no excuse for it to take weeks or months to get the power back,” Jindal said.

The Internet is filled with comments about Entergy’s post-hurricane performance.

On Sept. 4, three days after Gustav, nola.com’s Web site lit up with remarks about Entergy:

“Bunch of whiny babies, you just had a hurricane and you expect to come home to instant electric. Here in Florida it is quite common to be without power for a week or two after a storm. It’s almost expected. Entergy is working as hard and fast to get the power back on in your area, with the help of out of state crews too,” wrote lamiamaya.

“My deepest thanks to all the Entergy people who are working long hours in undesirable conditions to get the power back on. May God be with you and also with your families – who have to deal with the same devastation from this hurricane as everyone else – except without you there,” wrote ernesttgirl.

On the other end of the spectrum were comments like these:

“We are getting solar panels on our roof. My last bill was $750.00. So screw energy! The entire house will be turned on by the SUN. We are getting an estimate next week probably 10-15k. It will be well worth it in the long run.,” wrote nola99.

“I am tired of hearing Entergy state they are assessing the situation. The have been assessing for 4 days. They should have had a plan to quickly do the assessment and begin the repair. Also, do not state all Entergy crews are working long/hard hours,” wrote DPB.

On Thursday, tensions rose in New Orleans City Council chambers between Councilwoman Shelley Midura and Entergy New Orleans CEO Rod West. Midura said Entergy wasn’t doing enough to keep rates low for its customers and that the company was withholding information from the council.

“I find it extremely irresponsible on the part of (Entergy New Orleans) not to take an aggressive approach to protect citizens, its customers,” said Midura. “If the company won’t, this regulatory body will.”

“There have been only a few times I’ve been embarrassed as a New Orleanian,” West said at the council meeting. “Do you actually believe we’re sitting around all day doing nothing for ratepayers?”

“I actually do believe you’re sitting around all day doing nothing for ratepayers,” Midura said.•

Midura: Nagin aide warned about NOAH

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s administration was warned months ago about potential problems with the nonprofit that ran a program to gut hurricane-damaged houses in New Orleans, Councilwoman Shelley Midura said.

Midura, during Thursday’s City Council meeting, which included an appearance by Nagin, said Councilwoman Stacy Head told Nagin staff in April about New Orleans Affordable Homeownership Corp. problems.

“I have no documentation on that,” Nagin said.

On Thursday, Head’s office provided the media with an April 1 e-mail to Tony Faciane, director of neighborhood stabilization for Nagin’s post-Katrina recovery division, according to media reports.

“NOAH appears to be a mess,” Head wrote in the e-mail.

Two months later, on July 1, Head e-mailed city Chief Administrative Officer Brenda Hatfield, asking her to stop payments to NOAH until there is an audit of the nonprofit.

It was clear from Thursday’s meeting that Nagin and the council are not on good terms thanks to the NOAH debacle. Nagin was defensive as the spoke to the council.

Here’s part of Nagin’s address to the council:

“There’s been lots of stuff out there about where I was coming (to Thursday’s meeting) or not.  … I respect your schedule. And if you can’t meet at a certain time then we will work with you to make sure that your schedule is accommodated. I do not appreciate what has been going on today as it relates to my schedule. … To suggest a 98 percent error rate (regarding NOAH), and drive this story to the point where it is today, in my opinion is irresponsible. … If you want a team-based environment, we need to start acting like a team. … A team is a group of people working together. That’s a two-way street.”

Asking the IG to tip his hand

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

The city’s inspector general should let the city attorney know whenever he has initiated an investigation.

That’s according to City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields, who made the request in a letter Friday to Inspector General Robert Cerasoli.

The answer is “no,” Cerasoli said.

Moses-Fields’ request also did not sit well with some members of the City Council.

“The inspector general and the legislative branch is set up to be independent so there need not be prior notice of an investigation nor approval before speaking to the media,” Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow said.

“I think it is inappropriate for the city attorney to request notice of investigations that could potentially involve City Hall given the OIG’s independent authority,” District A Councilwoman Shelley Midura said. “The OIG by ordinance is expressly authorized to initiate any investigation, audit or review without prior notification. The council purposely structured the OIG in this way to shield it from political pressure of any kind.”

Cerasoli on Monday responded today to Moses-Fields’ letter, saying he “will not” communicate to the city’s law department the OIG’s intentions to initiate investigations. Cerasoli said his the office is “independent from the legislative and executive branches.”•

Buying your neighbor’s lot

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Pretty soon, it seems, some New Orleans residents will be able to buy the properties immediately next to them, thanks to a program that aims to redevelop unused lots.

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, through the Lot Next Door program, is trying to find takers for abandoned properties and those sold to The Road Home program. The City Council created the program in April 2007 to speed up the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Today, NORA said in a news release that more than 2,000 residents should receive letters this week notifying them of their eligibility to buy Lot Next Door properties.

Those interested in the program will be expected to pay fair-market value for the lots, plus legal fees and costs.

So, these properties apparently won’t be discounted. But for those who can afford it, their backyards will be a lot bigger.•

Debate emerges over N.O. contract transparency

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

In New Orleans, the mayor’s administration can award “professional services” contracts of $150,000 or more apiece, but the contract-awarding process is coming under fire.

City Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow wants the process to be more open to the public, and he is looking into an ordinance to accomplish that. Fielkow wants every aspect of the professional services contract-selection process to be subject to Louisiana’s public-meetings law, according to a story in this week’s CityBusiness by reporter Jaime Guillet. That means everything, from bid-request notices and selection review panel meetings to the grading of proposals by companies, would be “open, in the light of day and in total transparency,” Fielkow said.

He may have a fight on his hands, though, as City Attorney Penya Moses-Fields seems poised to challenge the ordinance.

Last week, at a meeting of the council’s Governmental Affairs Committee, Moses-Fields and former city attorneys spoke against the call for more transparency, saying it would slow down the contracting process and infringe on the executive branch’s power.

“Our main reason for being here today is to make sure you’re well aware you’re encroaching on powers,” Moses-Fields told council members at the committee meeting.

If Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s administration doesn’t allow more transparency into the professional services contract-awarding process, it apparently will be going against the recommendations of the mayor’s own Bring New Orleans Back commission, according to the CityBusiness story.

After Katrina, the BNOB commission was formed to help the city recover from the 2005 hurricane. On Jan. 19, 2006, the BNOB’s Governmental Effectiveness Committee recommended the city “create a transparent, standard, competitive professional services selection process,” the CityBusiness story says.

BNOB was not the only voice crying for more transparency. In its Forward New Orleans initiative in May 2006, the New Orleans Business Council also called for more transparency, according to the story.

Further, New Orleans would not be the first place to open its contract-selection process to the public. Robert Abbott, East Baton Rouge assistant parish attorney, said his parish’s competitive-selection process involves contracts worth $50,000 or more, all the meetings of two selection boards are open to the public and meetings are recorded.

In New Orleans, by contrast, the Nagin administration keeps the meetings private and no minutes are kept. But New Orleans’ contract-selection process does include some community representatives.

Survey shows Nagin’s image needs work

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

On Tuesday, the University of New Orleans released the results of a survey that doesn’t bode well for Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

According to the survey, Nagin’s approval rating has plummeted since the 2006 version of the study. This year’s study shows 31 percent of those surveyed approve or strongly approve of Nagin, compared with 40 percent in October 2006.

Meanwhile, the City Council’s approval rating is much higher than Nagin’s. A total of 70 percent of those surveyed approve or strongly approve of the council.

The telephone survey was based on 300 registered voters in the two parishes from June 25-28. The margin of error is plus or minus 5.7 percent.

Why do you think Nagin’s approval rating has fallen? Why is the council’s rating so much higher?

Hedge-Morrell’s office challenges press release

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Today, a group of advocates for the homeless living under the Interstate 10 overpass at Canal and Claiborne issued a press release announcing a rally at 4:30 p.m.

 

The press release attacked Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, saying that at a recent meeting of the council’s housing committee she “expressed concern that the homeless encampment … might still be in existence come Mardi Gras. The sordid record of Councilmember Morrell regarding the issue of affordable housing strongly suggests that what troubles her most about the shantytown at the I-10 overpass is that it might disturb Mardi Gras revelers.”

 

Hedge-Morrell’s office said the press release is inaccurate. For one, the councilwoman is not even on the housing committee, said her spokesman, Jared Brossett.

 

Second, as to the Mardi Gras comments, “she never said that,” Brossett said.  

All aboard the ethics train

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

Ethics and New Orleans government are not terms generally associated with each other, unless of course you’re talking about a lack of ethics.

 

The City Council, it seems, is trying to change the city’s image of corruption. Yesterday, the council said that it supports not only the upcoming special session on ethics in the Legislature but also the extension of the ethics policies from the session to New Orleans.

 

It’s a nice thought. But I’ll be surprised if the council adopts the recommendations from the Jindal session without adding some changes to them. Do you think the council will wholeheartedly adopt the ethics changes without any debate or alterations?

Next council meeting could be interesting

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

 

The next New Orleans City Council meeting is shaping up to be interesting.

 

The council apparently will get to vote Thursday on whether to tear down a handful of public housing complexes in New Orleans. Here’s why:

 

Today, the day before some New Orleans public housing was planned to be torn down, demolition was put on hold. The Housing Authority of New Orleans agreed to postpone the razing so that the New Orleans City Council can review the matter.

 

The federal government wants to tear down the C.J. Peete, Lafitte and St. Bernard complexes and build mixed-income, mixed-use developments at the sites.

 

HANO’s decision to put the razing on pause comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by those opposed to demolishing the city’s public housing. Demolition opponents said the city charter requires the council to approve demolitions.

 

But demolition at B.W. Cooper apparently can continue because the council approved tearing down that complex four years ago, lawyers said, The Associated Press reported. Cooper demolition began Wednesday.

 

Thursday’s meeting is bound to be interesting. Demolition opponents protested at a recent council meeting, where one man was handcuffed.

I expect a packed house and, of course, disorder.

Who deserves credit for moving N.O. forward?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

In our online Question of the Week last week, CityBusiness asked people which New Orleans department has been the most effective since Hurricane Katrina.

We gave people options to choose from: City Council, Sewerage and Water Board, Office of Recovery Management, Public Works Department, New Orleans Police Department, district attorney and the office of Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

These are powerful departments, which made them obvious choices for the poll.

But it turns out the most popular choice was “Other,” meaning most people were not impressed with the post-K performance of any of the offices we listed.

Our poll also allows people to leave comments. Several people wrote “none of the above.” In the comments section, people suggested nonprofits and grassroots groups have been more successful in helping the city recover.

But it’s not all bad news for public agencies. The City Council did receive the second-largest number of votes, which means some folks are pleased with the performance of some people in city government.

Clarkson sees Council opportunity

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor 

The race to fill the City Council at-large seat left empty by Oliver Thomas could result in former Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson filling a Council chair again. 

According to CityBusiness’ online poll, as of 1 p.m. today Clarkson is in the lead with 53 percent of the vote. 

Clarkson has a history of serving on the Council, taking a break and getting elected again. 

Her first term ran from 1990 to 1994. From 1994 to 2002, she served in the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 102. Following her stint in the Legislature, she was voted again to the Council, serving from 2002 to 2006.  

Clarkson tried to remain on the Council. She ran for a Council at-large seat in 2006 but lost in a runoff to Arnie Fielkow.  

When Thomas stepped down in August after he admitted he accepted bribes, Clarkson saw an opportunity to get back into politics. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if this race has a runoff. Some longtime politicians are also running, including state Sen. Diana Bajoie, former Criminal District Court Clerk Kimberly Williamson Butler and City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis, who represents eastern New Orleans. 

Other potentially strong contender is one-time New Orleans mayoral candidate Virginia Boulet, who, according to the CityBusiness poll, has 31 percent of the vote.

Higher property assessments can sting

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Property assessments.

Just mention those two words in New Orleans and it can spark hours of conversation or even shouting matches.

That’s because after decades of inequitable assessments, things are supposed to be changing in New Orleans.

And boy are the higher bills making eyes pop.

This month, the higher property tax bills starting hitting people’s mailboxes.

The rising assessments come on the heels of intense pressure for the city’s seven assessors to be more accurate and fair. For decades, some assessors have kept assessments low for some homeowners but not others, critics say. Further, the Louisiana Tax Commission is breathing down the assessors’ necks, telling them to make appraisals fairer.

Now that the higher property assessments are kicking in, some people are freaking out at the size of their bills. The City Council, trying to quell citizens’ concerns, said it plans to cut certain property-based taxes so that property owners aren’t slammed with massive bills.

The City Council hopes to scale back the collection of city-controlled millages – a fancy word for taxes based on property values – to prevent the higher property assessments from resulting in a massive tax hike.

“It is important that the taxpaying citizens of New Orleans have confidence that this reassessment should result in a lowering of the millage, which will place New Orleans’ tax rates at a more competitive level to those in surrounding parishes, thereby encouraging investment in the city,” Council President Arnie Fielkow said.

Residents will likely appreciate the Council’s rolling back of millages to lessen the impact of the higher assessments.

After all, with rising homeowners insurance post-Katrina, the cost of living is already squeezing some people to death.

City services leave something to be desired

By Mark Singletary, Publisher

It’s time for the city of New Orleans to figure out how to take care of day-to-day business.

While it’s easy to sympathize with the administration – there are way too many projects and not enough money – the city must figure out how to provide adequate service for the residents who are here now.

As you drive around the city, it’s obvious that too many of our streets are falling apart, and I’m talking about the main thoroughfares that drivers must use. Carrollton Avenue, for example, is dangerous. The fault lines and pits that have developed cause bone-jarring and dangerous surprises for drivers as they move from the Interstate 10 corridor toward Uptown or Mid-City.

Side streets all over the city are crumbling, too. Take a ride through any neighborhood and you can see what I mean.

The city is way too proud of a machine they call “the pothole killer”. While it’s true that that machine and its operators do a fine job of filling and smoothing over potholes, it’s not the long-term solution to our road problems.

There has to be a systematic program of work to repave and redesign our city streets. Long- and short-term projects must be laid out, and the public must be kept up to date on the status and cost of the projects.

Property owners and consumers are paying for the right to live and work in the city. Property and sales taxes are being generated and a sizable portion of those revenues must find their way to ongoing maintenance projects.

There is a sensible expectation of services rendered from our tax payments, and it’s the responsibility of the mayor and the City Council to address these problems.

I often wonder how often, or if, the district City Council members demand action, and then how their demands are dealt with. I’d like to know. Wouldn’t you?

Publisher Mark Singletary can be reached at 293-9214 or mark.singletary@nopg.com.