Mayor's race begins to draw candidates, rumors (New Orleans)

Louisiana Weekly ^ | October 24, 2005 | Christopher Tidmore

[ncountylee]

The rumors of the candidacy of former Orleans Council President Peggy Wilson for Mayor are now confirmed. In an interview with The Louisiana Weekly, Wilson confirmed that she had met with a group of consultants and has begun fundraising for a bid for the city's chief executive post.

Three months ago, the idea that a Republican, much less a white Republican, seeking the Mayor's office would have brought nothing but the proverbial "guffaws" of the impossible or quixotic. Yet, with a February election looming, and most of the city's population gone, perhaps permanently, the former Council President's quest seems less unlikely.

A large portion of Wilson's former Council District A, silk stocking Uptown, was relatively unharmed by Katrina, and the term limits advocate is one of the few Republicans with populist enough appeal to pick up white votes in the normally Democratic bastions of the French Quarter, Fabourg Marigny, and Algiers-areas that survived the storm with little damage or population loss.

Race, however, plays the dominant card. The recent post-Katrina survey done by the Red Cross shows, however, that at best 40% of the population of Orleans Parish will be Black by February. Perhaps even less.

[bigeasy_70118]

OMG THE HORROR!!! Maybe if she would've cursed on TV or let schoolbuses sit submerged in water, you'd support her wholeheartedly?

Why are you commenting on an election you will not vote in?

Considering sections of the city have to be razed, and rebuilt from the ground up, I don't want the person who re-zoned uptown, creating a traffic boondoggle where there didn't need to be one, in charge of zoning the entire city.

There are other reasons related to Mardi Gras and walking tours in the French Quarter. Again you wouldn't understand as these are local issues. Why don't you stick to commenting on the Sheboygan race for alderman?

[ncountylee]

As a local is there a good Republican that you like?

[bigeasy_70118]

How was I whinning? I asked you a simple question. Your post added nothing to thread or discussion. Do you even know one person besides Nagin or Wilson who might run for mayor in Feb?

Considering you got your ass kicked by Levin on the Miers' debate, I figured you might be a little quiet these days. But I see that doesn't keep you from sticking your nose where doesn't belong.

[sinkspur]

Why don't you stick to commenting on the Sheboygan race for alderman?

Because America's tax dollars are going to rebuild your city, and all of us on this forum have every right to be concerned about who's up next to piss them away.

[bigeasy_70118]

Off the top of my head no. The Republican party in New Orleans has been beyond f-cked for awhile. Wilson is probably the only Pubbie in politics I can think of.
George Fowler is a prominent conservative lawyer. But I doubt he'll run.

I am hoping that some political entreprenuers from our neighboring conservative bastion Jefferson Parish may migrate.

[ncountylee]

Jefferson Parish is the weeper's home?

[LA Woman3]

She sounds feisty to me...

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=%5CSpecialReports%5Carchive%5C200510%5CSPE20051017a.html

New Orleans Corrupt 'Down to the Bone,' Former Pol Charges By Jeff Johnson CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer October 17, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - A former president of the New Orleans City Council and member of the Orleans Levee Board blames corruption "down to the bone" and "unbelievable ineptness" for the loss of life and injuries during and after Hurricane Katrina. The Republican politician also fears the worst for her city if local officials are allowed to manage the federally funded rebuilding efforts.

"The corruption in city hall was horrible, and it was the same thing at the levee board," Peggy Wilson told Cybercast News Service. "The corruption in Louisiana and in the City of New Orleans goes down to the bone."

Wilson was first elected to the New Orleans City Council in 1986 and served through 1998, including two terms as its president. When she lost her re-election bid in 1998, Louisiana Republican Gov. Mike Foster appointed her to the Orleans Levee Board.

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, state lawmakers and the levee board engaged in an ongoing battle between 1996 and 2001 over how the board spent money. Residents of the levee district also defeated a tax increase proposed by the board.

Wilson recalled those battles.
"Nobody was convinced that [the levee board] needed any more money and, of course, they didn't," Wilson charged. Instead of spending money on levee maintenance and improvements, the levee board focused on widening bridges and making other accommodations for riverboat casinos, she said. The casinos are a major source of the levee board's funding since they pay for use of the riverfront property adjacent to their "boats."

Wilson said her frustration over the levee board's priorities spilled out at one of the board's meetings.

"I raised my hand and I said, 'Excuse me, I'd like to ask a question. When are we going to talk about levees?' And they told me that that was not on the agenda," Wilson recalled. "It pretty much never was on the agenda."

Wilson also alleged that some of the levee board members, as well as some of the elected officials with oversight of the board, engaged in nepotism.

[sinkspur]

But I see that doesn't keep you from sticking your nose where doesn't belong.

I'll stick my nose wherever my tax dollars go, and it looks like they're going to give lots of New Orleaneans new digs.

[bigeasy_70118]

Because America's tax dollars are going to rebuild your city, and all of us on this forum have every right to be concerned about who's up next to piss them away.

Ummm, no. As far as I can see, myself and other like minded private sector entreprenuers are rebuilding the city. As far as I know, the President, whom you get in fits of illogic defending, has committed the tax dollars. Perhaps, you should take issue with him.

[bigeasy_70118]

Jefferson Parish is the weeper's home?

Yeah but don't read a lot into that. Broussard won b/c of name recognition. I knew he was screwed up from my dealings with him on a non-political matter. Jindal is the Congressman from JP and he won the area by a huge margin in the governor's race.

[sinkspur]

As far as I know, the President, whom you get in fits of illogic defending, has committed the tax dollars. Perhaps, you should take issue with him.

Nah. We'll keep an eye on your local officials, who've been getting federal dollars for decades, and spending them on everything BUT levees and flood protection.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Why don't you stick to commenting on the Sheboygan race for alderman?

Uh...because I don't live there?

Because my tax dollars are paying for NOLA's rebuilding?

[bigeasy_70118]

Because my tax dollars are paying for NOLA's rebuilding?

I can tell you right now, there is not one penny of your tax dollars being spent on rebuilding. If there is federal money here, I haven't seen it in the two weeks I have been back.

[BigSkyFreeper]

But I see that doesn't keep you from sticking your nose where doesn't belong.

All of us American taxpayers have a say in this race, we're rebuilding your fine city.

[BigSkyFreeper]

If there is federal money here, I haven't seen it in the two weeks I have been back.

Given decades of corruption in NOLA, that comes as no surprise.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Waiting for your comment to LA Woman3's excellent post.

Have fun getting in a snit because a potential GOP candidate for mayor doesn't measure up to your holier-than-thou standards.

[bigeasy_70118]

All of us American taxpayers have a say in this race, we're rebuilding your fine city.

Do I have a say in the election of mayor in Gravina, Alaska because I paid for the bridge to nowhere?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

there is not one penny of your tax dollars being spent on rebuilding.

Horse vomit. Where do you think Bush is getting the rebuilding money from? The tooth fairy?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

we're rebuilding your fine city.

LOL. NOLA is the Detroit of the South. All it has is the French Quarter. The rest of the city is a dumpster.

[bigeasy_70118]

As for the article on Wilson, she's an opportunist. She saw that no one locally is criticizing the corruption so she is taking her shot.

She was pretty ineffective in her time on city council and on the levee board.