I have been reading the campaign platforms for the candidates for the elections in New Orleans. I guess that I was hoping for something new, something bold that would indicate a new approach to ending the downward trajectory of the city.
A representative sample of what the major candidates are offering:
From Oliver Thomas’ campaign website…
Ensure Safe, Equitable Transportation for All
In a city where 1 in 5 households lack access to a vehicle, transportation is more than just mobility—it’s a matter of equity, safety, and opportunity.
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- Strengthening Public Transportation: Champion consistent investment in public transit systems to ensure they are reliable, affordable, and accessible for all residents.
- Prioritizing Road Safety: Make the safety of bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers a central consideration in every infrastructure project.
- Securing More Funding: Partner with state and federal agencies to increase New Orleans’ share of dedicated funding for road repairs, safety improvements, and transportation infrastructure.
- Leading with Equity: Use an equity lens in transportation planning to ensure our most underserved communities—particularly those without access to private vehicles—are not left behind.
From Royce Duplessis’ site…
When I’m Mayor, my leadership will mean:
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- Putting families first with 40,000 new affordable homes and helping 30,000 homeowners stay in theirs.
- Growing opportunity by supporting small businesses and making our port the leading Port of America again.
- Keeping people safe with prevention, accountability, and tackling root causes of crime.
- Getting the basics right trash pickup, streetlights, roads, parks—for every neighborhood.
And from Helena Moreno’s campaign site…
Empowering and supporting small and minority businesses. Small and emerging businesses are backbone of New Orleans. Fighting for them has been at the forefront of Helena’s work. From creating new permits to meet the needs of emerging businesses to demanding timely payments for small city vendors, Helena has consistently stepped up to the challenge. She has led on numerous disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) initiatives, such as mentor-protégé legislation and DBE scorecards, in collaboration with advocacy groups like the Collaborative, making it easier to do business in the city.
Nope. All of this is the same-old, same-old usual campaign-promises bilge.
Without even a hint that there is at least an understanding of the causes of decline and ignoring the creativity that we desperately need, all I found was a regurgitation of the usual liberal talking points. It seems an appeal to personal popularity is what the choices will boil down to.
Lacking a whole new approach, the 40,000 who have already left to find their future elsewhere will soon be joined by growing numbers of our best and brightest. Our much heralded “culture” will increasingly be defined by an expanding density of poverty, declining resources, and an deepening cycle of social ills.
One day some leader may understand that doing the same things over and over while expecting different outcomes is insanity.
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