Posted on 05/03/2006 5:44:28 PM PDT by Ellesu
Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden compared himself to late actor Rodney Dangerfield, Wednesday, saying he "don't get no respect" when it comes to the plan for evacuating New Orleans in the event of another hurricane. After today's comments by the mayor, it appears the fighting's only just begun.
The Mayor of New Orleans unveiled his new hurricane evacuation plan Tuesday, saying, in the future, people with no other way out of the city will be put on buses and trains. Mayor Ray Nagin says places like the Superdome will be off limits: "T here is no shelter of last resort."
With the new plan calling for everyone to the leave the city, Baton Rouge would likely again see thousands and thousands of evacuees looking for a place to stay. So why wasn't East Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden, who spoke on Wednesday's edition of 9 News this morning, asked for his input on the New Orleans evacuation plan?
"Well, sometimes there's this word called arrogance," explains Holden. "And they may feel like you're the Rodney Dangerfield in this whole equation. We are not going to be treated that way."
Holden says he wants to make it clear: his voice needs to be heard, before any plan is finalized.
"We need a seat at the table," Holden says. "We're a major stakeholder and that's the message I will tell FEMA today by phone and also the governor as well as the mayor of New Orleans. Don't make a plan that impacts us without our input."
One man with his own input is State Senator Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, who says he's floored that Holden would suggest the River Center be kept off limits for hurricane evacuees.
Last year, several events at the River Center had to be cancelled so it could be used a shelter.
"If the people of Houston are going to use the Astrodome and the Reliant Center, we shouldn't have the people of Baton Rouge saying you can't use an activity center because we may lose revenue," says Fields.
Senator Fields says he wants Holden to appear before a Senate committee and explain his decision.
As a note of disclosure: Mayor Holden has endorsed Ray Nagin's opponent in the New Orleans mayoral race, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu.
Asked about this whole thing this afternoon and the accusation of arrogance, Mayor Ray Nagin had this to say: "If he [Mayor Holden] wants to be involved, my door is always open. He has my phone numbers. I'll give him a call and see what he has in mind, if he wants to be more involved."
Governor Blanco's office says evacuation plans are still a work in progress, and they're still getting input from across the state.
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