I can’t begin to tell you how humbled I am to have received emails checking on my status. I appreciate your concern so much! The truth is…things are going so well that I don’t have time to blog. I’m spending so much time enjoying what New Orleans has to offer that my time is limited. I’m also pretty wiped out at the end of the day and I’m spending a lot of time watching TV with the family and going to bed early.
This IDA grant I’m writing is pretty demanding, but it’s also very rewarding. Even though I won’t be back at Xavier this fall, I’m sure that I’ll keep busy writing grants. More on that later…here are some thoughts on the New Orleans election.
I voted for Ray Nagin the first time he ran for Mayor of New Orleans. He did a lot to clean up the corruption that has always plagued our city government. Marc Morial’s administration was terribly corrupt, our school system was terrible and we needed a change. Nagin did a very good job combating corruption and leading our city toward a better future. Although I do believe that the city government also failed us during Katrina, I believe that Nagin did a good job educating the country about our plight during the storm. His impassioned pleas during the few days after the levee breaks demonstrated that he cares for the people of New Orleans and was as frustrated as any of us at the lack of response to the disaster. I think his post-Katrina efforts have been pretty good as well.
However, I did not vote for him this past weekend. Believe it or not, I forgave him for the “chocolate city” speech. We’re all pretty crazy here and I’ve said a few things I regret saying too. Three reasons stand out as to why I did not vote for him Saturday. One, the comments at the NAACP event in Houston. He told the audience that the in field of mayoral candidates “very few of them look like us.” Surprisingly, a mayor that had been supported by a large segment of white voters because he wasn’t perceived as a politician began to look more and more like a politician pandering for votes.
Second, one of the reasons Nagin had been elected was that he promised to run the city like a business instead of the old political corruption that discouraged honest business folks from coming to New Orleans. Then we heard about a company that got the contract to remove cars from the city. Not only was it the company that submitted the highest bid, there was actually a company that wanted to pay us to take away our abandoned cars!
Third, in times like these when we need federal and state support, we need a politician. Mitch Landrieu is a politician. His families’ record of social justice and care for the poor also make him the right person for the job. We need someone who is not a national joke (I forgave Nagin, but I’m a nice guy.) and can work with others to secure the funds we need to help our city recover.
Sorry Ray. I really like you. You’re funny, smart, and really nice looking. It’s not you, honest, it’s me. I’m selfish and I need to move on. I know I’m selfish and only care about my needs, but it’s really a tough time for me right now. You deserve better. Find someone who really appreciates you, someone who’s more faithful and less selfish. Find someone who appreciates you for you, not what you can do for them. Good luck my friend. There will always be a soft spot in my heart for you. You’ll be better off.
Here is what a few of my friends have to say: B and Michael.
Update—Sorry reason #2 wasn’t clear. Here’s a paragraph from a recent article:
Almost seven months after Hurricane Katrina, the Nagin administration still dickers over details of a contract that would gradually rid the cityscape of these vehicular eyesores — at a cost of $23 million over another six months.
Which makes it of more than passing interest to discover that the largest car crusher east of the Rockies, K&L Auto Crushers of Tyler, Texas, offered in October to do the job in 15 weeks and actually pay the city for the privilege of hauling the junk away. How much? How about $100 per flooded car. With an estimated 50,000 vehicles on the street at that time, the city would have netted $5 million, rather than shelling out four times that sum, as it plans to do now.
Write a comment