NAGIN BRINGS THIS CITY TO ITS KNEES

After Mark Morial, we saw a new face and we had hope of a change. That was the face of Ray Nagin, often seen and heard speaking on behalf of his employer, Cox Communications. Well, he was elected as Mayor and with him came hope as we saw corruption being disclosed and action being taken - remember people being taken out in handcuffs from City Hall, clean up of various departments, and also the arguments with the City Council. Yes there was hope but along came some storms and particularly Katrina and then we saw the lack of ability to lead, the failure to make decisions, and the failure of city officials for decades to make decent plans in advance for major storms. Let's not lay the blame solely at Nagin's feet. However, his inability and failure to act responsibly during that time indicates a lack of true leadership. Human lives were at stake and decisions were not made until too late. When the storm had passed, some sighed with relief until the water began to spread throughout the city. Again, let us not blame Ray alone for that because all of the mayors before him had done little to seek protection for this city. The devastation during Betsy was no where near the devastation and loss of life in Katrina. Blame must be spread all over - city, state, and federal leadership were all involved in the death and destruction resulting from Katrina. No segment of government was innocent. However, the immediate leadership of Ray Nagin contributed to the failure of many to leave this city. His order for mandatory evacuation should have come much sooner along with a declaration of martial law and a call for help to the national level in anticipation of what might happen to this city. After the storm he continued with the inability to lead and he relied on what he had not relied on before, a call for racism. Even then, many would continue to support him because they still hoped for what they had seen in his original election. He was still the fresh face of hope in this city of chaos. However, history shows that this was not what we would see and the news media and others have disclosed since the storm the true incompetence of his leadership and those that surrounded him. A man of hope became the man of distrust and disgust. Today, he is the brunt of jokes, the brunt of editorials, the brunt of hatred and intolerance. From hope there has come little. Now we turn to the future and again we must seek the best but we must learn from the past and cast a vote with great care. The history of the past must teach us a lesson, if we are to see the survival of New Orleans. Only we, the citizens, can change New Orleans.

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