End of July Notes

END OF JULY NOTES FOR VOTERS IN NEW ORLEANS

As we account for ourselves to ourselves as voting citizens of New Orleans, we might keep in mind that the history of our location is a tale of two cities, one richly seasoned with poverty and the other flavored with degrees of wealth.  Who we vote for or against entails many considerations.  We have to think about power from angles of class, heritage, ecology, race, religion, gender, and some abstractions that defy precise language.  Or language fit to print.  As Mayor Landrieu recently reminded us, our city is the music capital of the USA.  Joy and pain are the parents of music.  But enough of fantasy and culinary dreams.  Take up the practical burden of making "good" decisions when we vote on October 14, 2017.

Sponsored by EngageNOLA on July 27, 2017, "A Talk with the Mayor: A Civic Engagement Social" at Peoples' Health New Orleans Jazz Market was a necessary learning moment.  I thought it was a bit anti-democratic for EngageNOLA to force those who attended to agree that "When you enter an EngageNOLA event or program, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur," to waive all rights we might have " to any claims for payment or royalties" or "any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by EngageNOLA," and to acknowledge "you have been fully informed of your consent, waiver of liability, and release before entering the event."  Of course, what is legal is not always democratic, and the young professionals who run EngageNOLA seem to know a great deal about the rule of law and capitalism.  They gave us an incentive for  voting.

During the program, Mayor Landrieu reminded the audience that every day, every calendar day counts in measuring success and failure.  He remarked that since 2010 reorganization of city affairs has been determined by the principle of "less not more."  The mayor was as transparent as a human being can be in narrating what has been done by way of laying a foundation for a future during his watch.  He supplied the audience with a handsomely printed report on 7 years of progress regarding public safety, government reform, recreation, jobs and economic development, streets and infrastructure, housing, education, and health.  Yes, there is hyperbole in the sentence "Under Mayor Landrieu, New Orleans has become America's best comeback story."  Nevertheless, the sentence contains more than one grain of truth.

New Orleans is a city shrouded in paradox.  As the mayor warned the woman or the man who would be his successor, how one governs such a city is complicated.  You have to play offense and defense simultaneously.  You have a few genuine friends and many genuine enemies.  You have to deal with the Federal government, the Louisiana legislature, and the local lobbies.  A mayor has to herd cats.  She or he must "spin in place" and try to deal honestly with a spectrum of crime and punishment and poverty as well as the fact that the pathway to jobs for high school graduates is still a big problem.  The poverty that breeds crime is an exquisite combination of poor schools, poor housing, and poor health care.  Thus, the future mayor must partner with all citizens to build a better ecosystem, a better cemetery for the living.

Much that Mayor Landrieu said has been analyzed well in the editorial "Confidence and Conviction: May Mitch Landrieu Defines His Legacy," New Orleans Tribune 33.7 (July 2017): 8-10.  But three points the mayor made before he answered questions  EngageNOLA selected from the audience deserve special notice.

ONE: AFFORDABLE HOUSING ---Housing is a class and caste issue, and there are several options for dealing with it: rent-control, purposed gentrification, or a master zoning plan.  Regarding the latter, voters may want to read The Community Guide to the Master Plan Amendments published by the Committee for a Better New Orleans. The master plan and its more than 300 proposed amendments "must remain a document of, by, and for the people of New Orleans."  Voters who have vested interest in gentrification and its consequences will also want to read the CBNO's Blight Resource Guide 2017 before October 14.

TWO: JOBS ---Income inequity and inequality are big problems for the approximately 385,000 people who live in New Orleans.  Mayor Landrieu carefully discriminated between economic development (a mayor's efforts to secure funds) and economic growth (the responsibility of citizens to create their own business enterprises).  He was talking about real money and mezzanine lenders, the money that is missing in the city.  Unfortunately, he did not have sufficient time to instruct the audience to access http://www.investopedia.com to find out what mezzanine financing actually entails.

THREE: PRODUCTION OF CULTURE ---The major creators of culture in New Orleans, according to the mayor, have not mastered the business side of the game.  This needs to be improved.  Here the mayor dropped a nice hot potato.  His observation might be attested by such exceptionally articulate musicians as Dr. Michael White,  Brice Miller and Jesse McBride and dozens of  Mardi Gras Indians who know too well what being exploited by the guardians of tourism in our city involves.

As we arm our minds to make history on October 14, we must be cold and ruthless in demanding that candidates present thoughtfully written and understandable plans rather than storms of political nonsense.  We expect to hear wisdom rather than ignorance at the Mayoral Candidate Forum hosted by the Youth Voices Council on August 19, 2017, 10:00 a.m. to noon ---First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans, 5401 S. Claiborne Avenue, NOLA 70125.

Jerry W. Ward, Jr.            July 29, 2017

END OF JULY NOTES FOR VOTERS IN NEW ORLEANS

As we account for ourselves to ourselves as voting citizens of New Orleans, we might keep in mind that the history of our location is a tale of two cities, one richly seasoned with poverty and the other flavored with degrees of wealth.  Who we vote for or against entails many considerations.  We have to think about power from angles of class, heritage, ecology, race, religion, gender, and some abstractions that defy precise language.  Or language fit to print.  As Mayor Landrieu recently reminded us, our city is the music capital of the USA.  Joy and pain are the parents of music.  But enough of fantasy and culinary dreams.  Take up the practical burden of making "good" decisions when we vote on October 14, 2017.

Sponsored by EngageNOLA on July 27, 2017, "A Talk with the Mayor: A Civic Engagement Social" at Peoples' Health New Orleans Jazz Market was a necessary learning moment.  I thought it was a bit anti-democratic for EngageNOLA to force those who attended to agree that "When you enter an EngageNOLA event or program, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur," to waive all rights we might have " to any claims for payment or royalties" or "any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by EngageNOLA," and to acknowledge "you have been fully informed of your consent, waiver of liability, and release before entering the event."  Of course, what is legal is not always democratic, and the young professionals who run EngageNOLA seem to know a great deal about the rule of law and capitalism.  They gave us an incentive for  voting.

During the program, Mayor Landrieu reminded the audience that every day, every calendar day counts in measuring success and failure.  He remarked that since 2010 reorganization of city affairs has been determined by the principle of "less not more."  The mayor was as transparent as a human being can be in narrating what has been done by way of laying a foundation for a future during his watch.  He supplied the audience with a handsomely printed report on 7 years of progress regarding public safety, government reform, recreation, jobs and economic development, streets and infrastructure, housing, education, and health.  Yes, there is hyperbole in the sentence "Under Mayor Landrieu, New Orleans has become America's best comeback story."  Nevertheless, the sentence contains more than one grain of truth.

New Orleans is a city shrouded in paradox.  As the mayor warned the woman or the man who would be his successor, how one governs such a city is complicated.  You have to play offense and defense simultaneously.  You have a few genuine friends and many genuine enemies.  You have to deal with the Federal government, the Louisiana legislature, and the local lobbies.  A mayor has to herd cats.  She or he must "spin in place" and try to deal honestly with a spectrum of crime and punishment and poverty as well as the fact that the pathway to jobs for high school graduates is still a big problem.  The poverty that breeds crime is an exquisite combination of poor schools, poor housing, and poor health care.  Thus, the future mayor must partner with all citizens to build a better ecosystem, a better cemetery for the living.

Much that Mayor Landrieu said has been analyzed well in the editorial "Confidence and Conviction: May Mitch Landrieu Defines His Legacy," New Orleans Tribune 33.7 (July 2017): 8-10.  But three points the mayor made before he answered questions  EngageNOLA selected from the audience deserve special notice.

ONE: AFFORDABLE HOUSING ---Housing is a class and caste issue, and there are several options for dealing with it: rent-control, purposed gentrification, or a master zoning plan.  Regarding the latter, voters may want to read The Community Guide to the Master Plan Amendments published by the Committee for a Better New Orleans. The master plan and its more than 300 proposed amendments "must remain a document of, by, and for the people of New Orleans."  Voters who have vested interest in gentrification and its consequences will also want to read the CBNO's Blight Resource Guide 2017 before October 14.

TWO: JOBS ---Income inequity and inequality are big problems for the approximately 385,000 people who live in New Orleans.  Mayor Landrieu carefully discriminated between economic development (a mayor's efforts to secure funds) and economic growth (the responsibility of citizens to create their own business enterprises).  He was talking about real money and mezzanine lenders, the money that is missing in the city.  Unfortunately, he did not have sufficient time to instruct the audience to access http://www.investopedia.com to find out what mezzanine financing actually entails.

THREE: PRODUCTION OF CULTURE ---The major creators of culture in New Orleans, according to the mayor, have not mastered the business side of the game.  This needs to be improved.  Here the mayor dropped a nice hot potato.  His observation might be attested by such exceptionally articulate musicians as Dr. Michael White,  Brice Miller and Jesse McBride and dozens of  Mardi Gras Indians who know too well what being exploited by the guardians of tourism in our city involves.

As we arm our minds to make history on October 14, we must be cold and ruthless in demanding that candidates present thoughtfully written and understandable plans rather than storms of political nonsense.  We expect to hear wisdom rather than ignorance at the Mayoral Candidate Forum hosted by the Youth Voices Council on August 19, 2017, 10:00 a.m. to noon ---First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans, 5401 S. Claiborne Avenue, NOLA 70125.

Jerry W. Ward, Jr.            July 29, 2017