As many of you know, a group comprising French Quarter and Marigny business and neighborhood representatives was formed after the storm.  Its name is the French Quarter Marigny Historic Area Management District (FQMHAMD).  The idea was to have a group dedicated to improving the safety and infrastructure of one of the city’s – and state’s – most important economic resources.  The initial plans envisioned state funding to carry out this agenda, but the appropriations never materialized. 


Only registered voters in the District will cast votes, although all property owners would be taxed.  There is a gradation of fees, covering individual residences, apartment buildings, and several sizes of commercial establishments.  To see details of the plan, click here.

VCPORA has not taken a position on this important issue yet because we want to get feedback from you, our members.  This meeting will be both informational, with positions both pro and con explored, and will offer opportunities for comment from the public.  We hope to see many of you there.

If you'd like to familiarize yourself with the plan, click here to read it. 

In response to the recent efforts to enforce the numerous quality of life ordinances on the books, VCPORA issues the following statement:

VCPORA members enjoy music and support street musicians as contributors to New Orleans's rich cultural scene. To preserve the livability of the historic French Quarter, we also support the long-standing ordinance that permits outdoor music only between 6Am and 8PM.  We have long encouraged NOPD to enforce all ordinances that contribute to the enhancement of both residential and visitor experiences.    

Recently, covenants or good neighbor agreements have been proposed to address or mitigate concerns or potential impacts associated with specific projects. Specifically, the applicants for 528 Bienville have been directed to enter into “covenant” against inhabiting the penthouse they propose to construct and the owners of 943-945 Chartres have promised an agreement with neighbors to limit occupancy to a restaurant and mitigate the impact by restricting hours, noise, and trash. FQC and VCPORA recently wrote to members of the City Council setting out some thoughts on the legality, purpose, enforceability, and feasibility of covenants and good neighbor agreements.

 

Legally, a covenant, is a type of contract in which a covenantor makes a promise to a covenantee to do or not do some action. A good neighbor agreement is legally ambiguous but usually refers to a unilateral undertaking not to engage in certain behavior or a promise to do or not do some action.

 

Thinking about covenants or good neighbor agreements has to take into account what the undertaking is supposed to do. Undertakings that promise only to obey existing law and regulation may underline the applicant’s good intentions, but add nothing to enforceability. Logically, a covenant should (1) address only project elements or behavior not regulated by law, and (2) identify and enlist a party willing and able to enforce it.

 

Enforceability and feasibility must also be considered. Can an undertaking realistically be enforced, and by whom?  Good neighbor agreements, even embodied in ordinance, are extremely difficult to enforce legally. Covenants are not self-enforcing but can be enforced in court by the signatory parties. Neither the city nor the NOPD enforce covenants between private parties. Few private organizations or individuals have the stake, financial resources, and administrative capability to monitor, evaluate, and, if necessary, bring legal action against the covenantor. Such legal action is hugely expensive and recovery uncertain. City agencies, such as the NOPD or VCC, have the power to enforce ordinances but often lack interest, resources, and/or expertise. The covenantor has every incentive to challenge, obfuscate, and prolong; tying up resources for years through the legal process.

 

At best, covenants and good neighbor agreements demonstrate an applicant’s good faith and desire to mitigate the impact of the proposed project. At worst, covenants and good neighbor agreements are cynical ploys designed to mollify perceived opponents, deceive the unperceptive, distract attention from key issues, and/or otherwise provide a pretext for supporting an otherwise questionable proposal.

 

FQC and VCPORA both have long experience with the administrative burden and cost of lengthy litigation; not surprisingly, neither organization favors covenants or good neighborhood agreements. We conclude that, in practice, covenants and good neighbor agreements cannot, or will not, be reliably enforced and that they should not be relied upon to make acceptable a proposal otherwise contrary to existing law or regulation.

 

With respect to 528 Bienville and 943-945 Chartres, we reach the following conclusions:

 

·        Both applicants largely promise not to engage in already-illegal behavior. Using the penthouse for living accommodations is illegal without a permit. Current city law and regulation address excessive noise and trash disposal; hours and tenant operations may be addressed in the context of alcoholic beverage licensing regulations.

 

·        Neither applicant identifies or calls for a specific enforcement mechanism or entity. The Council resolution on 528 Bienville did not specify who is to enforce the “covenant,” or how and according to what standards; thus, it seems to have more in common with a good neighbor agreement. 943-945 Chartres applicants propose vaguely an agreement with the “neighbors:” which neighbors, what actions, and what enforcement mechanism?

 

·        Neither applicant addresses the question of enforcement resources or capability. The Council resolution on 528 Bienville could be interpreted to place enforcement responsibility on the Vieux Carré Commission (VCC) but does not provide additional administrative and financial resources for enforcement. The burden of enforcing an undertaking on 943-945 Chartres would fall, presumably, on the neighbors.

 

·        Both proposals distract attention from the key issues: loosening “a Quarter restriction: Building gets waiver on height restriction” (Times-Picayune, May 21, 2010) in the case of 528 Bienville, spot zoning from residential to commercial in the case of 943-945 Chartres.

 

We will keep you informed of the response from members of the City Council. And we welcome comments from the membership.

   

VCPORA sent the following email to our members and friends after yesterday's City Council vote to allow an exception to the French Quarter's 50' height limit:

To VCPORA Members and Friends:

            It is with great disappointment that I report to you that the City Council yesterday approved the application for a rooftop addition at 528 Bienville Street, exceeding the height limitation for the historic French Quarter. 

            Led in discussion by District C Councilmember Kristin Palmer and Councilperson-at-large Jackie Clarkson, the council unanimously passed a motion to overturn the Vieux Carré Commission’s denial of this project.  Speaking against the project were Brian Furness, president of French Quarter Citizens, representatives of VCPORA, and Tony Marino, attorney on behalf of both organizations. 

            Some 50 emails had been sent to the council in opposition, and a number of residents were present in the Council chamber. Our opposition to this height variance extends back to the inception of the project in September 2009, and the particulars have been widely disseminated. 

            Speaking in favor of the project were the owners and their attorney Mr. Lloyd (Sonny) Shields, who presented the viewpoint that:

1.       The addition would not be seen from the street,
2.       The project would add seven residential units to the French Quarter,
3.       Granting approval would never be cited as a precedent by other owners with similar requests,
4.       The owners wished to have this recreational space, and
5.       The VCC vote would have gone differently had other commissioners been present.  (It is our position that the VCC meeting was duly constituted, that a quorum was present, and that it is impossible to say what might have been.)

            Especially unfortunate was a statement by Councilmember Palmer that the height limit does not apply to buildings already over 50 feet.  This implies that hotels and owners of other buildings over 50 feet throughout the Quarter will be able to gain whatever height they wish to add to their buildings.  This would obviously have a negative impact on the area we are working hard to protect.  We look forward to an opportunity to meet with Ms. Palmer on this point, which had not previously been raised in our meetings.  We are hopeful that Councilmember Palmer will give a context to her remark that will make it clear that she does indeed appreciate the value of scale in an historic neighborhood.
 
            Approval was predicated on two items:

1.       That the owners sign a covenant prohibiting residential use of the penthouse and
2.       That the project be approved by BZA.

           In January 2010, BZA denied the project, but we assume the owners will apply again, and this organization will oppose the application.  We call upon the members of the BZA as an independent body to exercise independent judgment and to vote based upon their established, published criteria, which would result in another denial, as it did in January.  The project has not changed.

            Thanks to each of you who participated in opposing this variance.  While we all want more residential use in our neighborhood, negating the historic preservation principles for which this organization has stood for some seventy years is not the way to achieve it.

            Our first vote with Councilmember Palmer, who has worked professionally in the field of historic preservation, was a disappointment, but we trust that in the future, she will develop a strong record of voting to protect our precious Vieux Carré.  

Kind regards,
Ann M. Masson
President, Board of Directors
Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates, Inc.    

On Tuesday, March 2, the city’s Department of Public Works presented its plan to put parking meters in operation on Saturdays, and to raise the rates charged by the meters.  VCPORA and French Quarter Citizens attended the meeting to voice concerns about the effects the Saturday hours might have on both businesses and residents in the Quarter.  Below is an excellent summary of the meeting written by FQC President Brian Furness.

    * French Quarter Citizens, in the absence of further studies, questions whether the proposed measures (new meter hours to include Saturday, increase in fees) will indeed promote turn-over or the predicted increase in revenue.

    * In particular, we question whether the impact will not simply drive shoppers to the suburbs, diminishing in-city economic activity.

    * In the French Quarter, it seems likely that Saturday meter hours would increase pressure on already hard-pressed residents as visitors occupy residential spaces instead of paying for parking.

    * FQC urges that, if meters are extended to Saturday, enforcement of the resident permit parking be intensified to ensure that the burden does not fall on French Quarter residents.

    * French Quarter Citizens would prefer to see changes in meter hours and fees proposed in conjunction with other measures that would adjust the residential permit parking regime to better increase parking opportunities in the French Quarter, especially for residents and property owners.

    * French Quarter Citizens is looking forward to further action on the city’s signage and curb use study, which was presented at a public meeting in December, and we are anticipating a further public meeting to discuss the measures broached at the meeting, which were considerably more ambitious than the measures outlined by DPW today.

In his introduction of the subject, DPW Director Robert Mendoza noted that existing meter hours were based on a long-outdated 9-5 workweek concept. In the French Quarter, for instance, most economic activity and parking demand occurs at night … 8 am – 6 pm hours make little sense. He also recalled (and the point was later emphasized by the Councilmembers) that metered parking exists to ration (reduce) demand, not raise revenue. He also stressed that most retail establishments support metered parking, because it increases turnover. 

Regarding parking in the French Quarter, Mendoza pointed out that Saturday metered spaces now filled early in the day with workers and there was little turnover during the day. He also noted that the lack of parking in the French Quarter was increasing pressure on parking in adjacent neighborhoods. He promised to increase enforcement in the Quarter, and noted that French Quarter community organizations favored increased RPP hours.

Mendoza pointed out that DPW’s initial plans had included extensions of the hours but the plans were abandoned when it was discovered that meters could not be read easily at night.

DDD’s Patrick Thompson also stressed the need for additional studies, underlining that the DDD’s main interest was to increase turnover. Another French Quarter resident testifying spoke in favor of a residential permit that would give people time to unload, even if otherwise parked illegally.


Councilmembers Head and Midura (the only ones attending) urged that Mendoza arrange a meeting between French Quarter community groups and Councilmember Carter and Councilmember-elect Palmer to work out what was to be done in the Quarter.

During a subsequent conversation, Mendoza acknowledged that the December presentation had not been followed up in timely fashion (the principal researcher had suffered a heart attack) but that he hoped to pull things together and have another public meeting (time not mentioned).

At Meg Lousteau’s request (she had to leave to attend another meeting), I indicated that VCPORA shared many of the points made by French Quarter Citizens.    

Mayoral candidates are presented in alphabetical order:

COUHIG • GEORGES • HENRY • LANDRIEU • PERRY • RAMSEY

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ROB COUHIG

Top five priorities:

Every decision in a Couhig administration will be guided by four principle goals:

1. Make the city more livable
2. MaKe the city more affordable
3. Provide economic opportunity for the city
4. Ensure fair and equitable treatment for all

Actions planned to make the city more livable:

• Restore trust in the Police Dept so that people believe in them and juries believe their testimony.
• Recruit a police chief with principal criteria of integrity, accountability, discipline and proven leadership experience in the field.
• Bring three finalists to meet with all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system including district attorney, judges, city council and community leaders. Get their input before making a final selection.
• Personally take responsibility for high standards and performance. "It is unacceptable that our murder rate is 15 times that of NYC. We can’t afford to get used to that!"
• Blight is a livability and crime issue. Blight causes hopelessness in neighborhoods. Every one of the over 50,000 abandoned or derelict properties in the city causes a lack of hope. Advocates expropriating and/or purchasing blighted properties, and making it easier for people in the neighborhoods to purchase.

Action plans to make the City more affordable:

• Work to reduce or control taxes. Extend the budget process to begin in June with open and public evaluation line-by-line and department-by-department. Manage according to priorities within our resources. Recognize that we are a smaller city and can only spend accordingly.
• Dedicated taxes allow for movement of general funds away from the proposed dedicated area. All city expenditures should be based more on current needs and priorities and less on historic allocations or special funds.
• Identify and sell city owned land that has no planned use. Especially sell property that housed schools not slated to re-open. Use funds to pay down debt and reduce interest costs.
• Focus on needed reductions in insurance and utility rates.

Action plans to provide economic opportunity:

• Education was the lead topic. (Mr. Couhig was the only candidate who cited education as an economic opportunity and the universities as the city’s largest employers.) Need to work with universities, especially UNO to increase their funding and their success.
• Also emphasized importance of elementary and secondary education and Mayor’s ability to support.
• We need to get going with the $5 billion investment in new hospitals plus the biomedical corridor. There is no sense in re-fighting the argument about the Charity building housing a new hospital. If we invest well, there will be opportunities to adapt the Charity building to a new and probably related use.
• Tourism, especially in the French Quarter, should be focused more in higher end clients. "We do not need to attract kids to come and throw up on the street." Apply his four principles to the French Quarter as to all neighborhoods. "Make it livable, make it affordable, provide economic opportunity and be accountable for fair and equitable treatment." If we can’t succeed in the French Quarter, how can we expect to succeed in the rest of the city?
• Use the Master Plan and the CZO as an asset to provide predictability for investors.

Action plans to assure fair and equitable treatment:

• Eliminate the idea that knowing someone in city hall can buy you favors.
• Be public about all proposed contracts, including personal service contracts from their inception and through the bid and award process. Reduce the number and scope of personal service contracts but recognize that the final decision does and should lie with the Mayor.
• Use the Inspector General as an asset.
• Use the Master Plan and Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) as an asset.

On historic preservation:

• "The French Quarter is the Heart of the City."
• His emphasis is not on "this house" but on "this area." Every building casts a shadow and affects the character of a neighborhood. He is less concerned about single buildings in isolation than about those in a historic neighborhood.

On the Inspector General:

• Unequivocal support of the IG as an ally in making better management decisions and providing fairness and equitable treatment for all.

On the Master Plan:

• Unequivocal support for the Master Plan and CZO with the force of law.
• Has a sense of urgency to implement no later than this summer recognizing that is contains a mechanism to change over time.
• Sees it as a key to both economic development and fairness.

On the city budget process:

• See city affordability above.

On the Riverfront:

• "I like the idea of opening up the riverfront."
• "I am so disappointed in the New Orleans Building Corporation (NOBC)" [that is the agency in charge of the "Reinventing the Crescent" project]
• NOBC seems to be operating as a dictatorship without listening to input from others both on the World Trade Center and the Riverfront.

On Public Transportation:

• Focus needs to help people to get to work and to shopping.
• Great importance to getting people downtown to make downtown more viable.
• Committed to support Rampart-St. Claude streetcar line assuming it does not create new tax or debt for citizens.

On communication and organization of the administration:

• The three most important appointees are Chief of Police, City Attorney, and Chief Administrative Officer.
• Chief Administrative Officer will work like a city manager.
• Reach out to the City Council; walk up the stairs at City Hall and walk down the hall to engage with the Council.
• Use social networking to give citizens a way to communicate directly. Listen and be responsive.
• Reach out to and meet with community organizations and listen.
• Referred to his recent radio talk show experience as teaching the importance of listening.
• Views his role as mayor to be hands on, face to face, in town, leader of new capable organization he puts in place,

Philosophical position:

• "Let’s not depend on the kindness of strangers."
• Realizes that we are the masters of our own fate.

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JOHN GEORGES

Top five priorities:

1. Crime
2. Health Care
3. Economic Development
4. Blight and code enforcement
5. Education

Actions planned to control crime:

• Hire as Police Chief a successful leader with 20+ years experience in a similar environment. "I would like him to be young and energetic in mid career…. I am not looking for a rock star."
• Conduct a local, regional and national search using experts including local criminal justice officials to locate and evaluate candidates.
• The new chief will know how to use technology and how to get grants to support it.
• "The solution is not more police, it is better trained and better managed police."
• Would focus on violent crime, quality of arrests, not quantity. Supports broken window approach to code enforcement but not for crime at this time.
• Supports bar owners hiring police details to put more police in the French Quarter and tighter standards regulating details.
• Supports intervention with juveniles to prevent crime. Strongly supports community policing including things such as police adopting literacy or explorer programs.
• Need tight relationship and teamwork between mayor, police chief and district attorney.
• Would have DA take over civil prosecutions from the city attorney. It would be more efficient and give the DA a larger budget.
• Believes the Mayor and DA together can weigh in on judicial elections and improve the judiciary.
• Proposes training for prisoners to prepare them for jobs after release.
• "Go after illegal immigration… We need to be a city that our citizens rebuild"

Action planned for health care

• Priority on bioscience corridor, including specialized hospitals for treatment and research for cancer, cardiac and vascular disease and diabetes.
• Rebuild Methodist Hospital and use Charity building for the LSU Hospital. The money will not be there for the huge new hospital.

Action planned for economic development:

• Re-brand New Orleans and market it as "America’s Historic City"
• Re-brand from frivolous entertainment to attract visitors to see history, museums, music and art.
• Cleaning up the garbage was just a start. We need code enforcement, noise enforcement and an environment friendly to cultural tourists.
• Cabs need to be re-branded. All painted the same.
• We need to preserve and promote all our historic neighborhoods, not just the French Quarter.
• Restore New Orleans’ position as gateway to Central and South America.
• Seek airline (Frontier was mentioned as probable) to establish a hub in New Orleans especially for travel south. Could grow to over 200 flights per day and 4500 jobs.
• Support neighborhood shops, restaurants and small businesses. Keep our commercial entities inside New Orleans.
• "New Orleans East is the Metairie of the seventies." Develop commercial sites there and in the Carrolton corridor, Gentilly and Mirabeau and other blighted areas.

Action planned to promote education:

• The city needs a strong will to improve education. We have had small victories but need to understand how far we have to go. We have a huge challenge in high schools.
• Right now, we should support the existing structure and let the charters mature.
• He has a four year goal to return schools to local control. The mayor should have a role in that.

Action planned to end corruption and create transparency in government:

• would handle professional services contracts differently, would support a Charter change.

On historic preservation:

• "I and my family have a vested interest in the French Quarter"
• Historic preservation is fundamental to re-branding the city. (see above)

On the Inspector General:

• Need it now because of incompetence and inefficiency
• "It’s a shame we can’t just have a public integrity unit in the DA’s office."
• Not happy with its performance to date but no opinion on current inspector general.

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TROY HENRY

Top five priorities:

1. Re-engineering city government
2. Crime
3. Infrastructure
4. Economic Development
5. Blight

Actions planned to re-engineer city government:

• City government needs to become more efficient and customer focused.
• Must do process mapping. There are inefficient processes all over the city. Map all processes to ring out the inefficiencies.
• Put in performance plans for each employee, review performance frequently. Step up the standard for productivity.
• Must be done quickly. Changing the culture must be like ripping off a band-aid. The process should take six months.

Actions planned to control crime:

• Most crimes are committed by black teenagers. Reach them earlier and get them involved in constructive activities. New Orleans Recreation Department is important to that.
• Most criminals read at the 4th grade level. In addition to improving schools we need to provide vocational training to give those who now fall through the cracks an alternative to crime.
• Hire a new Police Chief. Emphasis on core values of integrity, commanding the respect of the citizenry, commitment to excellence and open transparent communication.
• Looking for a chief that understands performance-based management, manages to results and is innovative.
• "Will focus on Drugs and Thugs…. We will make it very hard on violent and repeat offenders!"
• We will have a criminal justice coordinator whose job is to be sure we have a smooth process, open communication and collaboration among judges, police, DA and Criminal Sheriff.

Actions planned to rebuild infrastructure:

• We are losing about half of the city water we process. That can and must be fixed.
• We can and will spend more on streets. New Orleans spends $3 million on streets every year. Baton Rouge spends $26 million. Fixing streets is a matter of priority and money.

Action planned for economic development:

• Cultivate and invest in New Orleans businesses that have made an investment in our city.
• "I’m a huge fan of medical investment in the city and will support emphasis on the medical community." "We need to provide leadership to stop the languishing and floundering on the hospitals….People are dying because of indecisiveness."
• "I will put in a cabinet position to support all the cultural entities in the city." This will include all of our historical and cultural assets.
• The wider Panama Canal will be an opportunity for some Gulf Coast Port. It should be New Orleans.
• "I will attract 30,000 to 40,000 new jobs to our city." " I will meet with 200 Fortune 500 CEOs and offer them a compelling value proposition for doing businesses in New Orleans."
• "I will ask the President to put 10,000 jobs behind the levees in New Orleans."

Action planned to remove blight and rebuild neighborhoods:

• Copy the model of Pontchartrain Park. Supply credits to homeowners to allow them to buy and then live in energy efficient homes.
• Use all the tools available to reclaim blighted properties including code enforcement, condemnation and seizure where necessary.

On historic preservation:

• We need to invest in historical preservation; it drives a big portion of our economy.
• The cabinet cultural officer will be responsible for following that.

On the Inspector General:

• is very comfortable with the IG’s role, but it has to define its mission. It can be helpful in areas of fighting inefficiency and corruption. Is not in favor of them screening the vendors; they don’t have the expertise to do that.

On the Master Plan:

• I believe comprehensive zoning ordinance and the Master Plan, take politics out of it. His philosophy is, follow the rules. Most of the exceptions are to help somebody. Unless there is a compelling, overwhelming reason to break the rules.

On the City Budget Process:

• would be priority-driven and will budget for result
• would collaborate with citizens and the council to be sure we have agreement on priorities.
• Would be accountable for results in the plan.

On the Riverfront:

• There are and will be a lot of demands on the riverfront, East and West Banks. Believes in parks and open spaces, but isn’t certain that the community established the Reinventing the Crescent project Ras a $30 million priority. If we are to put a park there, it should be part of a comprehensive plan with citizen participation, "not a cram down."

On Public Transportation:

• Is a big fan of the BR-NOLA rail. Thinks there are elements of public transportation we need to be in tune to, but a lot of that money will have to come from the federal government. Is a big proponent of public transportation, but it has to make economic sense.

On Communication and Organization of the Administration:

• Would meet monthly with the council representative and citizens in each council district to hear their issues and needs.
• Would have quarterly open forums with all department heads to hear citizen input on needs and on our performance.
• Would have an annual community conference to help set priorities and provide an evaluation of my performance by the citizens.
• Views the citizens as my customers and my administration will be committed to serving them.
• Contracting processes will be open and efficient. Today the city’s entire contracting process is a disaster for bidders as well as the city. The Mayor needs the authority to execute professional services contracts, but the priorities, goals and process should be completely transparent.
• Philosophical positions:
• "I believe in comprehensive planning, setting priorities and accountability."
• "I will take things on that we can address. I will not take things on that we cannot address."

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MITCH LANDRIEU

Top five priorities:

Says there are fifty or more priorities, there are three that make all the others possible."

1. Crime and Public Safety
2. Schools
3. Economic Development

Actions planned to control crime:

• Recruit a new police chief, probably from out of town
• Have a citizens committee recommend 3 or 4 finalists
• Hire from those finalists
• Commit to re-engineering the entire police department
• Rebuild NORD after the model of BREC in Baton Rouge; give teenagers an alternative to gangs and crime
• Rebuild NORD after the model of Baton Rouge’s recreation department (BREC): give teenagers an alternatives to gangs and crime.
• Reform the juvenile justice system. Bring state reforms to New Orleans to assure we use the right resources and responses for each kid.
• Get district attorney, judges, and police in one room. Demand performance and cooperation. Act as a traffic cop between the various entities. Be sure they understand, "If I don’t see significant progress you will hear from me during the next election.

Actions planned to improve schools:

• Be a champion for schools
• Seek Dollars from Washington (as he has been doing as Lt. Governor
• FEMA Lump sum settlement
• Race to the top funding
• Encourage experimentation
• Keep existing governance structure for at least 24-36 months
• Then work toward new structure retaining the principles of school autonomy, accountability, high standards and parental choice.

Actions planned for economic development:

• Sign the Public Private Partnership proposed by Forward New Orleans, thereby creating a business friendly economic development organization.
• Go to each local organization to retain existing business in the City, focusing on Oil & Gas and the Port.
• Press for growth in the following areas (in order of importance)
• Biomedical – it’s a huge opportunity. Charity building will be preserved and adapted to a new use.
• Michoud
• Federal City
• Port of New Orleans. (Emphasis is on Containers and Cruise Ships. "I can’t imagine a need to expand the Port beyond its current footprint.")
• Creative & Digital Media
• Green Jobs
• Foreign Direct Investment

On historic preservation:

• "The French Quarter is really important. It will not survive if we take it for granted."
• "The federal government should invest in the French Quarter, make it a Federal Historic District."

On the Inspector General:

• The Inspector General is my ally in improving efficiency and effectiveness and combating fraud and abuse.

On the Master Plan:

• "We need zoning predictability. We need to agree on the rules and enforce them."
• "Spot zoning is not a good thing."
• "I will encourage full implementation. That sets the table."
• "If zoning law says this is what we should do and there is a reasonable exception, I would always look at it." I would put the parties together and seek to balance the interests of all parties. "I have never subscribed to the slippery slope notion… That to me is one size fits all."

On the City Budget Process:

• Would budget for outcomes. The current administration says they do but they do not understand.
• Start from zero
• Decide what outcomes and what priorities
• Budget needed resources for highest priorities. Get away from across the board increases or cuts.
• "I’ve been doing this for 5 years" As Lieutenant Governor I hired a world class consultant on government re-organization. We budgeted for outcomes and reduced staff by 100 and the total budget from $160 million to $95 million.
• We do not collect the taxes due the city. We do not have fair assessments. Fair assessments will bring in more revenue and perhaps allow a reduction in millage.

On the Riverfront:

• Great cities are going back to their waterfronts.
• New Orleans Building Corporation management does not seem to be well respected.
• "I would want a leader that builds consensus."

On Public Transportation:

• Supported high speed rail to Baton Rouge and across the south. That would be a tremendous boon to the city.
• While in France met with Veolia. Respects what they have done in France.
• Supports a truly regional transportation authority to include adjoining parishes.
• Likes new smaller busses.

On Communication and Organization of the Administration:

• Would be a very visible Mayor very accessible. Would meet in the districts with department heads and the council members probably twice yearly.
• His administration would be transparent. He’s already subject to public records laws.
• As is done at the State level, his administration would have open contract review and would explore and employ other best practices.

Philosophical positions:

• Tries to bring people together. Asks if they like each other; if they trust each other; tell them to sit down and find a solution everyone can live with. "My process is to bring in smart people that build consensus." "I believe in being hard on problems and soft on people."
• Would work hard and be accessible
• Would travel to Washington and to the State Legislature to promote the City’s interest.

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JAMES PERRY

Top five priorities:

1. Crime
2. Blight, rebuilding neighborhoods
3. Corruption and transparent government
4. Economic Development
5. City Budget

Actions planned to control crime:

• Police chief is a priority. He must be accountable, have goals and objectives and show measurable progress on those goals.
• Would emphasize quality of arrests, not quantity and understanding the importance of community policing.
• would direct the new Superintendent to work with all members of the criminal justice system and social services agencies to address the root causes of crime.
• Technology is important; we need proper data, something more expansive than CrimeStat. Would require that the NOPD compile and disclose a monthly Crime Report Card.
• "I don’t think the broken windows approach will work for us right away. Until we get some reforms in place, I think we will have to operate differently
• If I don’t reduce the murder rate by 40%, I will not run for re-election

Action planned remove blight and rebuild neighborhoods:

• would make Sheriff’s house sales a priority in eradicating blight
• would use the National Trust, choose a couple of Main Street projects, one in the East and one in the Lower 9th ward.
• "The president is looking at what is going on in the next Mayor’s race. We can get help through federal assistance."

Action planned to end corruption and create transparency in government:

• There is distrust now because of secrecy in the way government operates
• I will establish a new reformed process for professional services contracting.
• Everyone should know who all the sub-contractors are; they should be on the website
• Action planned for economic development:
• Would sign a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) to establish the first Public-Private Partnership in city government.
• The port is a fundamental key, especially with the Panama Canal expansion and possible opening of trade with Cuba.
• We need to use incentives to get people to Louisiana
• believes in.the medical development but has some concerns. Doesn’t believe in destroying Mid-City to build a suburban facility when Charity could house it.
• Use tax increment financing
• Use Horizon Institute to allocate to entities wanting to do business n the city.

Action panned for budgeting:

• Outcome-based, zero base budget starting 6 months before approval.
• Citizen input is important and easy to get, but budgeting for priorities is the key.
• His budget priorities would be crime and public safety. People must feel safe.

On historic preservation:

• his first job out of school was with the Preservation Resource Center.
• committed to historic preservation and proud to be a preservationist.
• A good Master Plan is the key. A Mayor must be clear about enforcing the rules that are on the books.

On the Inspector General:

• supports the office of the Inspector General

On the Master Plan:

• A good Master Plan is key to preservation and economic development.

On the City Budget Process:

• Budget reform is a key priority (see above)

On the Riverfront:

• There needs to be more respect for community input in this process.

On Public Transportation:

• Public transportation makes a difference in making a city prosper and work well.
• Transport NOLA has come up with a plan, a 20 year plan developed in 5 year increments. He has adopted the plan and would implement it.

On Communication and Organization of the Administration:

• Philosophy is action orientation, commitment to immediate actions and reforms.
  

---

NADINE RAMSEY

Top five priorities:

1. Neighborhood input and participation
2. Crime
3. Education
4. Economic Development
5. City Budget

Actions planned to get neighborhood input and participation:

• Establish Office of Community Affairs, a neighborhood liaison in the mayor’s office
• Go into neighborhoods. "I am serious about communities and I will show my face!"
• Would have regular meetings with neighborhoods
• Would honor input from the neighborhoods on all issues

Actions planned to control crime:

• Recruit and hire a new Police Chief with experience as leader in crime control
• Make new chief and department understand she (Ramsey) expects something to be done
• working with the district attorney and courts is very important
• Develop plans for neighborhoods, dealing with quality of life issues
• Have police engaged in neighborhoods including working with kids and the elderly

Action planned to improve education:

• Make a strong statement through leadership
• We need trade schools to teach construction trades
• Assure that all schools are accountable
• Support efforts of schools. When things are unacceptable, a leader will stand up and say this is unacceptable

Action planned for economic development:

• Promote New Orleans as a city of small business and entrepreneurs
• The medical community and education will drive economic development
• Tourism is important. "You can’t underestimate the value of the French Quarter!"
• The Mayor needs to take an active role in promoting the city.

Action planned for budgeting:

• Deal with budget earlier in year
• Start with department-by-department review
• Have extensive public input and review

On historic preservation:

• "I love the French Quarter. This is why people come here."
• "I am not at all in favor of destroying historic value"
• We must enforce the laws and ordinances.
• Preservationists have to understand compromise; we all may have to give up something

On the Inspector General:

• "It’s in the charter. When it works we can live with it."
• "Some things that have gone on have not helped the office."

On the Master Plan:

• It’s been voted on
• If it’s a good (zoning) law for everybody, we live by that. We don’t change the law for one person.
• It is incumbent on the Mayor’s office to work with it and make sure we have input from citizens

On the City Budget Process:

• One of her top priorities (see above)

On the Riverfront:

• Renewing the Crescent is a wonderful idea
• It must be balanced with neighborhood needs

On Public Transportation:

• Not an issue I have been confronted with
• Open to improvements and proposals

On Communication and Organization of the Administration:

• She has a sense of urgency. If people don’t share that, she won’t tolerate it.
• She doesn’t have all the answers but will work with you.
• The city needs to be open for business and free of corruption
• would keep personal services contracting process as it is
• Philosophical positions:
• Leadership, expecting and demanding of citizens
• Focus on community input and involvement

   

District C City Council 

Tom Arnold	Kristin Gisleson Palmer
Q. What are your five initial priorities as District C Council member?	Q. What are your five initial priorities as District C Council member?
A. His first priority is to meet with the other Council persons and the Mayor to end fighting and build cooperation. Differences can be worked out executive session and the back room. It’s tougher to get the Council people to work together than deal with the actual crises.	A. Create an accountable, efficient and well-trained staff accountable for constituent services B. Create committees focusing on blight, crime, infrastructure, and economic development C. Promote business activity D. Lobby to create a Council committee on blight E. Focus on crime across the board
Public Safety/Crime	Public Safety/Crime
Priority lies in choosing a police chief; he advocates a nationwide search but would accept a qualified local appointee. Stresses the police chief’s symbolic role; visibility is important for morale. There should be more police on the street, not riding around in cars. Says that dealing with crime has to focus on neighborhoods, from knowing your district police major to schools, which should also be neighborhood-based.  Criminal justice should focus on serious crimes, not on minor offenses, and find ways to rehabilitate juveniles, not treat first-time marijuana use as criminal.   Advocates eliminating specialized courts, such as juvenile, civil and criminal courts, arguing that hearing all kinds of cases would improve justice.   Some problems stem from perceptions, crime is over-reported locally. Detroit and Atlanta have the same crime rate but they don’t splash it in the papers. Also, a major problem is that people don’t think their public safety money is used wisely.	Advocates a committee of criminal justice and civic representatives to select a police chief; searching nationally as well as locally.  Supports using the budget process to advocate for public safety resources and promote transparency and data tracking. Would request the police chief to provide regular statistics and report to the Council monthly. Would facilitate coordination between the various public safety elements, as now done by the District Attorney. Streamline sentencing and focus on violent offenders.  Supports quality of life courts to address blight, graffiti, loitering, and other relatively minor issues and to help relieve the burden on other courts   Advocates re-structuring youth services and the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD) to provide alternatives for children.
Budget and Government Services	Budget and Government Services
Notes past support for reducing the tax burden by increasing the Homestead Exemption. We don’t need taxes, but we need more tax payers. Budget review has to be done department by department by an independent auditor.   Identifies the civil service as a major roadblock to effective government. Examples include the over-staffed and incompetent city Revenue Department. Lengthy bureaucratic processes, such as at Safety and Permits and the City Planning Commission, also impede service delivery and addressing blighted properties. Some independent agencies, such as the Sewerage and Water Board, should be consolidated with the city and fat cut. The City Attorney’s office should be independent, representing the city, not the mayor. Advocates moving toward a city manager form of government.   Master Plan. Believes in a Master Plan, but some current plan elements are general and vague. Would commit to serious review of changes that would better fit a community.	Budget should reflect citizen priorities and be open and transparent. Preparations should begin at least six months in advance, and Council should have regular performance updates.   Contracts spend public money and should be open to public scrutiny; all sub-contractors should be disclosed.  Advocates studying experience and best practices in other cities, and establishing peer benchmarks for city services. Would rely on background in community building, not harassment, to improve city services. Essential services are police and fire protection. Another focus would be entities, such as the VCC, associated with New Orleans rebuilding process. Because lack of enforcement can impede recovery, increase the number of inspectors and promote cross-training to protect New Orleans’s character and heritage.  Master Plan. Supports current Master Plan with a component for citizen input but plan must be subject to annual review and modification.
Economic Development	Economic Development
Cites personal history with heart problems that sent him to Houston; we need to find ways to provide the best possible medical staff and facilities in New Orleans.  Suggests relocating City Hall to New Orleans East; the vacant shopping center has lots of parking and is easily accessible via the interstate. Relocation would build up the area. The existing city hall site could be redeveloped.	Points to her experience as Director of Rebuilding Together New Orleans that raised millions of dollars for rebuilding New Orleans and creating relationships with major businesses all over the country. Grew three staffers and $800,000 budget to 17 paid staff and 37 AmeriCorps staff with a budget of $6 million, not including donations in kind or volunteers.   Advocates focusing on neighborhoods; stresses housing is economic development. Other priorities include the port, which brings good jobs; the biomedical corridor, although not in District C needs sensitive development; the airport, which represents us as a city and region; and the arts. Movies, art, music, and culture are a source of excellent jobs and encourage home-grown businesses.
The Council	The Council
Accessibility to the Council member is very important; notes having returned every phone call as assessor. One constituent outreach model is the former Algiers monthly town meeting attended by the Council member, neighborhood representatives and, as necessary, executive branch officers to focus on solving problems.  Underlines that the Council member can’t see everything and that residents of the French Quarter can be monitors with a special role of bringing issues to the attention of the Council member.	Promotes more cohesion among the council and emphasizes working with the administration. Her vision includes a Council that celebrates the city’s victories and highlights what isn’t working, and provides a voice for the volunteers and non-profit, civic, and other groups that assist and promote the creative energy of the people helping rebuild.   Is committed to creating an office that will give priority to constituent services.
The French Quarter	The French Quarter
The Vieux Carré is the face of New Orleans, Bourbon and Royal Streets are the charm of the city. But we need to get rid of the negative press and make sure the French Quarter is clean and respectable, sleaze ball free. Opposes cheap touristy T-shirt-type shops, hustlers, and street people. Jackson Square’s artists are enjoyable, palm readers are okay, but mimes belong in San Francisco. People should see what they expect to see: clubs on Bourbon and antiques on Royal, but dirt and slime-balls need to be cleaned up and monitored.  Stresses that French Quarter residents have the same rights as other homeowners, and must be respected. Nevertheless, he observes that residents on Bourbon Street, for instance, know what they are getting into.	Underlines that the French Quarter is one of the city’s main economic engines and is always under siege. Preservation also means economic development; the Quarter needs to be protected, fostered, and maintained for tourists and residents. She notes her belief that what is good for the residential quality of life is good for the businesses. Her goal is to get groups together to resolve quality of life issues before they hit the public realm.   She emphasizes the need to deal with long-term issues, including parking and buses, looking at the experience of other cities. The French Quarter’s need for every day trash pickup to support tourism can’t be left to political wiles. Crime is always an issue.
French Quarter Challenges	French Quarter Challenges
Re-inventing the Crescent Downriver Park. Not informed about park issues.  Royal Cosmopolitan Condo-Tel (100 block of Royal). Not in favor of changing the face of the heart of the city, or changing rules to make un-economic projects economic. (FQC/VCPORA Note: Concerned that they lacked votes, the developers recently withdrew their application for Council approval.)   New Orleans Cold Storage. We don’t need that here.  Streetcars. Supports streetcars on North Rampart; they are feasible and tourist-driven.	Re-inventing the Crescent/downriver park. Everybody supports access to the river, but she recognizes community concerns about impact, access points, and maintenance. The City Planning Commission should have been involved; turning the project over to a developer with substantial holdings in the city will always create distrust.  Streetcars. She is a strong advocate of North Rampart and St. Claude streetcar extension but opposes the Convention Center Boulevard line. Excited by the potential to strengthen economic development along St. Claude Street, which will affect North Rampart and Saint Roch as well.   Armstrong Park. Supports park renovation but $80 million is too much because of the need to renovate other neighborhoods.  French Quarter-Marigny Historic Area Management District. Not familiar with the issues but supports linking the French Quarter and the Marigny.  North Rampart Main Street program. Cites role as lobbyist for New Orleans’s first urban main street project in New Orleans; familiarity with the Main Street program precepts, which build on the city’s neighborhoods and corridors; and would advocate for resources.
Personal Statement	Personal Statement
Stressed relevance of his Algiers experience, helping to protect historic properties including the Algiers Courthouse and Holy Name of Mary Church.   He loved his work as assessor, and supported and implemented many technological and other changes that improved the system, providing overlays that helped the police and fire departments do their jobs better. His assessor rolls were never turned down by the Board of Review or the Tax Commission, and he was commended for having the best records in the state.   Running for the one assessor position would involve a long learning process, and, after consideration, he believes he can do more for his city as a Council member. He understands the Councilman’s job can be tough, but maintains it doesn’t have to be.	Points to personal preservationist involvement in promoting re-use and re-cycling of historic materials, and record in becoming a recipient of FEMA and reconstruction materials and making them available for rebuilding.   Points also to her track record in managing and fund raising; her creativity in finding resources that made her successful leading Rebuilding Together New Orleans. Maintaining open books, proper audits, and transparency contributes to her track record of using public monies wisely.   These experiences, she believes, can be brought to the City Council level.

   

City Council At-Large 

Jacquelyn Brechtel “Jackie” Clarkson	Arnold “Arnie” Fielkow	Nolan Marshall	Cynthia Willard-Lewis
Q. What are your five initial priorities as a Councilmember At-Large?	Q. What are your five initial priorities as a Councilmember At-Large?	Q. What are your five initial priorities as a Councilmember At-Large?	Q. What are your five initial priorities as a Councilmember At-Large?
A. Crime B. Master Plan C. More jobs D. Charter changes to improve government functioning E. Performance-based budgeting	A. Mayor and Council to work in tandem and in partnership B. Public safety — new police chief C. Economic development D. City contracting E. New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD)	A. Address violent crime B. Push educational reform C. Economic development D. Budgeting reform E. Fully fund the New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD)	A. Public safety B. Economic development/quality of life C. Budget reform
Public Safety/Crime	Public Safety/Crime	Public Safety/Crime	Public Safety/Crime
Her major priority is to fully fund the criminal justice system, using performance-based budgeting. She aims to improve tax collections and add any additional revenue to District Attorney (DA) budget. Use Council’s control over the purse strings, benchmark performing programs, and direct the DA to bring in the other programs for review.  The DA should coordinate the entire criminal justice system. Supports retaining programs such as diversionary, witness protection, and cold case.	NOPD reform must start with the new chief, who has to know community policing, deployment, technology, crime reporting statistics, etc. A major goal is to restore confidence in the police chief. He would urge the mayor to reach out to the criminal justice coalition, citizens, the Council, and neighborhood groups to help in the search and selection of a new police chief, and in the vetting process. The police chief should be evaluated on the reduction of violent crime number, not number of arrests.  The Council has a direct impact on budgeting to improve the criminal justice system. Senses a better working relationship among the NOPD, DA, judges, public defenders office, and other elements, resulting in mid-level improvements.   The DA’s office has seen major improvements, and should be judged on prosecuting of violent crimes. The Council has helped by de-emphasizing minor crimes. Approves diversionary programs.  We have a new breed of judges who are tougher, and understand the need to accelerate the case handling.             The public defender’s office is not well-funded and needs to have a state funding source.	He would seek to chair the Council’s Criminal Justice Committee, and would use it to focus on violent crime. Proposes to develop an anti-violent crime comprehensive plan involving all city-funded agencies. He would use the budget process to implement that comprehensive plan, rather that piecemeal funding for individual agencies, and to hold agencies accountable.	Her public safety program includes making sure each district has manpower and funding to do its job effectively. Emphasizes the need for the Councilperson to be in the district, attending NONPAC meetings, and following up with the district commander.  To improve greater cooperation, she would convene regular           criminal justice seminars involving all players, including community-based groups, review initiatives, identify problems, and focus on addressing recommendations.   Her program on crime prevention focuses on eliminating the 10 percent that constitute hard-core, violent offenders. Nuisance crime, gang crime, and domestic violence should be addressed primarily through spiritual therapy and family healing. Young people need early mentoring, and job training and work force programs.
Economic Development	Economic Development	Economic Development	Economic Development
More jobs will result from her focus on retaining a military presence, which means $4.5 billion and 10,000 high-paying jobs in 10 years, and on the Algiers Federal City development, which will become the largest private/public project in the state. She supports expanding the Federal Cities concept to the port, Michaud, and other employment centers.  The economic engines that will drive the city are (1) the military and its related components and services; (2) port expansion; and (3) tourism, but not through quantity, but quality because a more sophisticated tourist spends more money. Existing marketing and tourism groups do a good job now but could bring about change by marketing the city in a different way.  Economic development and historic preservation. Emphasizes her record of voting for preservation, and notes efforts to bring people to the table. She recommends including the At-Large as well as District Council member on development discussions and issues.  Bio-medical Corridor. She recalled that she wrote Louisiana’s first genetic testing bill. She fully supports a bio-medical focus.   Entertainment. She supported renovation of the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Movie companies shooting films here should respect the community.	The first priority is to get public-private partnerships established, reinforce local industries, and add new ones: maritime, medical, aerospace, construction, digital industry, and creative arts. Approving the Master Plan and a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance will give confidence to investors that there are rules in place that will be enforced.             Economic engines that will drive the city include (1) the hospitality industry, which we need to reinforce, support, and let grow; (2) bio-medical; and (3) maritime services.  Bio-medical. If we do this right, we’ll have three brand new hospitals in New Orleans East, Veterans Administration, and LSU; a true medical district with well-paying jobs.   Maritime.           Panama Canal expansion is an incredible opportunity for us as a region but we’ll lose it if the state legislature doesn’t come up with a port plan.  Economic development and preservation. There have been tensions, but they are not mutually exclusive.           He emphasizes working together and mutual respect to preserve historic neighborhoods.           In the French Quarter, residents and the hospitality industry share common interests in cleanliness, condition of our streets, and crime.	Economic development will be driven by biosciences, tourism, and an administration friendly to small businesses. He fully supports public-private partnerships, and advocates using technology to make the city more business friendly.             Bio-sciences and Charity Hospital. A bio-sciences community could attract drug and medical equipment manufacturers and be the gateway for medical services to South and Central America. He supports an independent study to give input to the Council regarding Charity and other components. He criticizes the Baton Rouge plan as a suburban model, requiring too much land. Stresses that New Orleans must determine what is best for the city. It’s important: 10,000 jobs can come from the biomedical district and make Tulane Avenue a high-quality retail corridor if it incorporates          high-quality urban design. He would hold public hearings on proposals and ask that the results be included in the Master Plan.  Port and maritime. He believes it essential to be prepared for the widening of the Panama Canal.  Tourism. City needs to continue to invest in its tourism assets, and to clean up and improve the French Quarter. Reinventing the Crescent/waterfront parks will be huge for tourism, but must address neighborhood concerns. Getting Canal Street right will provide shopping for locals and tourists.	Economic development has business leadership, tourism industry, and educational components, including work force development agencies. The Council must support a continuing dialogue with the people affected to bridge gaps and assure them of government support. The city must support businesses by addressing even small things, such as fixing broken street lights and repairing streets. Within 100 days, she would have a dialogue with the giants of our business community to enhance respect between government and business.   Her approach to economic development is built around long- and short-term measures. The bio-medical corridor, for instance, is long-term — over five years. In the short-term, the city must strengthen economic capabilities of our recovery by using disaster recovery funds; the city has spent only $9 million of $411 million in community development block grant funds. She points to Council inter-action with the Recovery School District to build five new schools.   Bio-sciences and Charity Hospital. She is committed to construction of the Veterans Administration-LSU/Tulane teaching hospitals and ancillary services including research and university teaching. She is unsure if Charity should be rebuilt as a hospital, but as a Charity baby, she wants to see the building re-used.  Port and maritime. We must connect our port to Panama Canal expansion, and otherwise exploit the Mississippi River, our greatest asset.             Tourism. Our jewel and treasure of how we’re defined to the world is our tourist industry. We have to make sure it is sustained; a clean and vibrant French Quarter is what the people come to see. She points to the (recently announced) Comprehensive Tourism Plan as providing a blueprint for moving tourism forward and pledged work in a collaborative fashion.   Infrastructure. Would help ensure that architects and construction are local to provide strong, high paying local jobs.   “Green” development. Rebuilding provides an opportunity to create a unique “green” industry. Energy efficiency investments are just starting to roll out. We have to make sure the younger people are developing a culture of jobs.
Relations between the Council and the Mayor … and with constituents	Relations between the Council and the Mayor … and with constituents	Relations between the Council and the Mayor … and with the Community	Relations between the Council and the Mayor … and with the Community
She would promote cooperation with executive branch by working directly with the Mayor, as she did when she first was elected and resulted in positive achievements.	Believes that the Mayor and Council should work in tandem and in partnership; one of his first priorities would be to meet with the new mayor to see how to create that relationship.   Favors making sure the Council members work together and treat each other with civility and respect.   The Council needs a renewed effort to get community group input. He would be very supportive of a Neighborhood Partnership Network but would make an independent decision on how he votes.	He notes he’s used his campaign begin building a relationship with the next mayor. He emphasizes building on mutual agreements, and using that to move beyond racial politics, corruption, and patronage. He supports public dialogue using social media, web chats, TV, and radio, and having the council president and mayor engage in a quarterly public dialogue with the citizens.  He underlines the need to build intra-council relationships, and relationships among Council members, the mayor, and the city’s legislative delegation.	Building a more cooperative relationship with the mayor depends on agreement on district and city-wide priorities. She supports a continuous dialogue with the mayor, at least with Council leadership.   She thinks it important to have regular interaction and engagement with citizens through community meetings involving the district Council person, an at-large Council person, and the mayor.
Budget and Government Service Delivery	Budget and Government Service Delivery	Budget and Government Service Delivery	Budget and Government Service Delivery
One of her first acts would be to introduce city Charter changes leading to real performance-based budgeting and to target professional personal services contracts. Her budget process changes include giving the Council control over budget line items. The goal is to have a budget ready for review and re-analysis in June. The budget would fund the criminal justice system first.   She supports changes in the city Charter to ensure professional service contracts come before the City Council to better ensure transparency and public scrutiny.  She proposes organizing some agencies, such as the Sanitation Department and Emergency Medical Services, as profit centers.  Inspector General. She points to her role in putting the position in the City Charter so that the position cannot be done away with except by a vote of the people.  New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD). She supports finding a dedicated source of funding after governance and spending priorities are in place.   Master Plan. Recalls she campaigned for a Master Plan with the force of law, and emphasizes her determination to see it passed by the present Council. The Plan and the new Comprehensive Zoning Code will balance residential/preservation interests with those of investors.	The city needs a new way of looking at the contracting in the city; it should remain the mayor’s decision, but the public needs to have confidence.  He supports a new budget process to begin by June 1, when the Council, mayor and chief administrative officer meet to work on the budget. Weekly meetings start in August.           Every expense and revenue budget line item should be explained. He would support a Charter change to institute budgeting for outcomes, and to make the process collaborative.   The Council needs to review both revenue and expenses. Property and sales taxes need review. Stimulating retail businesses will increase sales tax collections. On property taxes, the right person in the consolidated Tax Assessor position can eliminate current inequities and re-evaluate all tax-exempt properties to reduce abuse. On the expense side, professional services contracts have been for a long time a slush fund for political donations. He advocates a more open, transparent process based on community priorities.             Inspector General. Establishing the Inspector General (IG) is a very positive Council accomplishment in promoting efficient government. The Council needs to continue provide resources and allow the IG to perform. The mayor and Council must view the IG as a partner, not an adversary.   New Orleans Recreation Department (NORD). Sports program inadequacies foster crime and impede economic development. He supports proposals to change the Charter to make NORD independent and supported by dedicated millage.   Master Plan. He looks forward to the City Planning Commission to present a Master Plan that can be approved before this Council leaves office.             Quality of life law enforcement. Rules should be honored, but enforcement is done by the executive branch. Council can question officials when enforcement is lacking and exercise some control through the budget.   Public Transportation and Streetcar Line Expansion. Acknowledges problems in re-establishing the RTA post-Katrina. Street car expansion would open up neighborhoods; he pushed very hard for the Marigny-St. Claude connection. Light rail should be looking at connections between the North Shore and Orleans Parish; we should explore rail connections to the airport and Baton Rouge, and ultimately to the Gulf South. He would support more regional cooperation with Jefferson and other parishes, in transportation as well as in sanitation and flood protection.	Addressing budget reform is going to be key in the next Council. Problems can’t be resolved only by cutting; ways must be found to increase funding. He would fully fund NORD and invest in New Orleans’s youth.  Enforcement of laws/ordinances. Pointing out it doesn’t make sense to have ordinances that aren’t enforced, he would draw on his community-building skills to establish a broad enforcement plan and ensure enough votes. City officials would be held publicly accountable.  Professional services contracts. Improving transparency has to involve both the Council and the mayor. Recalls that the Council passed an ordinance; the issue became racially divisive and the Mayor changed the process and Council couldn’t override the Mayor’s veto. This episode shows that some people use our diversity as a political tool and a wedge, particularly as it pertains to transparency and professional/services contracts. This, in his opinion, stemmed in part from the failure of local African-American leadership to recognize that lack of transparency and disclosure benefits a few wealthy individuals but hurts the poor and non-connected.  Inspector General. Supports the office, but the Inspector General should refrain from commenting until he can make his case. He observes the U.S. Attorney is responsible for fraud, but the Inspector General is key to targeting waste.             Balancing historic preservation and economic development. He underlines the need to preserve properties and that neighborhoods are important to the city’s cultural and economic future. But historic preservation should not stand in the way of vital progress. Charity Hospital, he says, is an example. He supports retaining the building, but the surrounding neighborhood is troubled and he supports re-zoning to provide a mixed-use environment (but not strip malls or condos). Leadership may involve sacrificing one neighborhood to save another … it’s a matter of balance.             Master Plan. Noting poor leadership and communication have caused racial divisiveness, he stresses that he has worked to get the Master Plan accepted by the citizenry. He hopes the Master Plan could be approved by the next Council.  Educational Reform. Council has to provide leadership to transform the existing three education systems to one in the next three to five years. He would seek to chair the Council’s Education Committee to reform education, looking forward (and not backward) and involving the community.	Her second highest priority (after public safety) is to reform budget practices. She urges that the Chief Administrative Officer discuss budget priorities simultaneously with department heads and the Council beginning early and on a schedule that includes time for citizen input. She notes, however, the Council’s role may limit what can be legally done.             Enforcing quality of life ordinances. She proposes giving department heads an overview of past major problems so they understand the quality of life issues affecting communities. She emphasizes dialogue between Council members and department heads. Enforcement, she adds, also has a positive impact on economic development.  Professional services contracts. She would support changing ordinances to require full disclosure of both prime- and sub-contractors.   Inspector General. She believes it critically important that there has to be respect among the Council, mayor and Inspector General. The office can to help us understand and apply the best practices of other communities.  Master Plan. The Master Plan will help solve the problem of spot zoning, and provide some consistency and order to the families, investors, and developers. She voted for the Master Plan with the force of law, but was concerned about the rush. She emphasizes the Master Plan must be done comprehensively, with citizen participation and the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. She doesn’t support bringing the Master Plan before the Council before it’s done. She would advocate relying on the community-approved rules in the Master Plan to guide capital projects instead of spot zoning based the wishes of a local councilmember.  Public transportation and street car expansion. Public transportation is important to getting people to and from jobs and stimulating economic development. Public transportation has to be flexible in routes, boundaries, and equipment. The historic streetcars are a tourist marketing tool. She advocates eventual streetcar expansion to farther reaches of the parish after lines currently proposed are completed.
French Quarter Challenges	French Quarter Challenges	French Quarter Challenges	French Quarter Challenges
Vieux Carré  Commission (VCC). Agrees that the VCC isn’t as effective as it could be because it’s not getting support from the city; however, this is strictly under the Mayor.   French Quarter-Marigny Historic Area Management District. Applauds solidarity, sensible leadership, and building a consensus on a program; promises to favor whatever the District votes for.   Re-Inventing the Crescent/Riverfront Park. Stresses importance of returning the waterfront to the people. She remains concerned that the Marigny community is not adequately protected, but believes a new mayor can help. The New Orleans Building Corporation (NOBC) should not be in control.	Re-Inventing the Crescent/Riverfront Park. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to open the riverfront to the city and its citizens. The City Council is trying to be sure that parking, noise, and quality of life issues are being addressed; he’s encouraged an agreement satisfying both sides. He promises to do what he can to help broker that agreement.		Organized community groups, such as those in the Quarter, do the hard work of identifying problems and priorities, and building consensus and The Council’s role is to get the mayor and departments to get things done and follow through.   If indeed we believe the French Quarter is so important to the city, then, we need to find the resources even if we have to tap the Economic Development Fund. On trash and sanitation issues, for instance, the Council’s role is to ensure the money is there and the services are in place. Owners who benefit have to do a lot more.

   

IT’S BAAACCK….

 

The Controversial, Cosmopolitan Condo-tel

proposed for 121 Royal Street…

 “THE TOWER

THAT ATE ROYAL STREET”

See for yourself.  Click on pictures below…

 

Don’t laugh -- Something is seriously wrong when developers need a 26-story building -- to restore a single five-story building!

 In the first picture below (all from developers’ architect), see the proposed skyscraper towering over original five-story Royal St. building…

http://www.themarketingcenter.com/vcp/Tower.Royal-front.jpg 

 

 The view from historic Canal Street -- See how much higher it is than anything else on the block!...

http://www.themarketingcenter.com/vcp/Tower.Canal.jpg 

 

 Next, notice the grey box in rear.  That’s a hotel that was sued because it was 159.5 feet.  The rules allow 85 feet.  The height of this project busts through at 268 feet!

…And, don’t forget to compare the height of neighboring buildings on this Royal Street block!

http://www.themarketingcenter.com/vcp/Tower.Royal.jpg

 

Please take a moment to e-mail or phone your New Orleans City Councilpersons…  click below for contact information, and for more details on this important issue!

 

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Dear councilmembers:

I'd like to bring to your attention the filming of "Half-Pint Brawlers" in the French Quarter next week.  If you are unfamiliar with the show, it is basically dwarf wrestling - and somehow the producers have found a way to take that dehumanizing concept to a new low.  Click here to see a short clip (warning:  it is not for the faint of heart).  If you can't or don't wish to watch it, I'll tell you that it involves profanity; nudity of men and women; a little person getting into a clothes dryer; and one man biting flesh out of another man's head and then subsequently stapling that man's head. 

Apparently, the producers plan to erect a wrestling wring in the middle of the 100 block of Bourbon Street next Wednesday night.  They will be using the French Quarter as their backdrop.  All necessary public safety precautions have been taken and presumably the permits have been issued.

VCPORA has voiced concerns to the Office of Film and Video about this production, and we now put several questions to all of you:  is this really the image we want to promote of our city?  whose interests does such a production serve?  is there a limit to the level of human degradation that we are willing tolerate?  should the city exercise some kind of discretion over the nature of the productions that use public property for their own purposes?

I am including below an email discussion between Jennifer Day, director of the Office of Film and Video, and Lary Hesdorffer, director of the Vieux Carre Commission.  This thread further fleshes out the policy issues that we believe need to be addressed by the city.

Respectfully,
Meg Lousteau


Meg Lousteau
Executive Director
Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates
816 N. Rampart Street
New Orleans, LA  70116
504.581.7200 o  504.621.4080 c
meglousteau@vcpora.org
www.vcpora.org


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