Posted on 10/27/2005 3:50:30 PM PDT by caryatid
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin believes that the city will be larger and much safer in as little as five years.
Nagin made the proclamation in front of the City Council Thursday as he projected his budget for the upcoming year.
While anticipating a much smaller city initially, Nagin believes the opportunity to rebuild New Orleans will result in eventual growth.
“Katrina was a moment in time, it has lingering effects but we have the opportunity to rebuild New Orleans,” he said. “(It’s) something that no one else has had the opportunity to do."
However, Nagin realizes hard times will precede good times and he said next year’s budget will be approximately $155 million less than this year’s. He attributes the shortfalls to anticipated trouble collecting property taxes and a large decline in tourism, probably to 20 percent of its pre-Katrina level for next year.
And he anticipates that the cash they currently have can last them only through March, though he is optimistic that loans and federal grants will bridge the gap.
Nagin did add that the eventual growth of the city hangs on one crucial element – better levee protection.
"The rebuilding mission is dependent on many critical issues,” he said. “Levees top the list.”
Nagin said the levee system must eventually be strengthened to withstand category-5 storms, otherwise efforts to rebuild may be jeopardized.
Council members suggested that the city also become more diversified since tourism is expected to be only a fraction of what it once was for some time to come.
For the uninitiated:
kudzu - the vine that ate the South.
And Nagin is never wrong.
Said the Mayor: "Next time around we'll have over 700 buses standing by not being used for a cat-5 evacuation !!!"
"Come hell or high water."
Well yeah, with all the money they are getting aren't they buying residents???? Like move to NO and get a check for a million....like winning their own version of a redevelopment lottery....
and filthier and soggier
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin believes that the city will be larger and much safer in as little as five years
-----Safer? Gonna try more real cops this time? Fake ones don't provide much safety, ya know .
Criminals have ruled New Orleans for some time, convincing many members of the middle class, long before the hurricane, that the city was unlivable. In 1994, New Orleans was the murder capital of America.* It had 421 murders that year. Criminologists predicted 300 murders this year, a projection that now looks quite conservative.
Criminals dominate their neighborhoods to the point that people don't even call in crimes. The district attorney's office, tacitly admitting that the city's law-abiding citizens live in fear, has taken the "unusual" step of establishing a local witness protection program to encourage the reporting of crime, reports AP. [Article in September 2005].
If the murder rate in New Orleans drops to 9 times the national average, instead of 10 times the national average, it will arguably be safer.
It can only be hoped that some of the criminals will find what's left of New Orleans to be slim pickin's ... and will not return.
Only then, will the city truly be safe.
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* The "list" is for murder rates in cities with a population of 500,000 or more. In 1995, New Orleans fell off of the list, because the population of N.O. dropped below 500,000 ... not because the murder rate declined. It didn't.
I really do need to learn how to post images ...
I dare say not if he's running it.
Regards, Ivan
Y'all come ... we need that tax revenue ... LOL!
I dare say not if he's running it.
Well ... only a relatively small handful of people have returned to New Orleans ... and even fewer businesses ... Anything would be bigger than this ... add ten people ... and his goal will be surpassed! LOL
We'll have to watch the February mayoral election in N.O. ... the rumoured choices, so far, are frankly not an improvement over Nagin ...
Not to be rude about it, but Louisiana politics are not exactly a byword for probity and competence.
Regards, Ivan
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