Mayor Nagin: Digging a deeper hole?
By Felicia (Fee) Benamon (05/05/06)
Mayor Nagin of New Orleans has had to face some real challenges these days. He’s had to face media and the public who questions his role in the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He’s had to answer for his quick comment on New Orleans being a “chocolate city.”
I believe Mayor Nagin has made some disastrous choices, and continues to try to dig his way out of a deeper hole. Only problem is, he sinks further in my eyes as he tries to make excuses for his ill fated actions.
At the National Conference of Black Mayors, in Memphis, TN, Nagin was part of a panel of leaders who spoke out about changes to their respective areas along the Gulf after Katrina.
Speaking of Katrina, can someone tell me WHY houses continue to stand desolate after 9 months? Where is the help to bulldoze the many houses that have been ruined so that residents can start over? They cannot start over unless all the debris left over from Katrina is moved. There is NO organization whatsoever from anyone that I see.
Now it seems Mayor Nagin wants to do it right. He has devised a better evacuation plan in which buses, trains, and planes would be used to move people in case of another hurricane. Why couldn't you do that before Mr. Mayor? Why weren’t the infamous school buses everyone knows about used to evacuate people? Will he be held responsible for neglecting his people?
See New Orleans unveils evacuation plan - Hurricanes' Aftermath: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12597238/
On the panel, Nagin didn't take any blame for what he did when faced with Katrina. From him, it was just a badgering of the Fed. Government. Nagin soaked in praise from Mayor Roosevelt Dorn of Inglewood, CA as Dorn mentioned that he had an opportunity to have dinner with President Bush…and the President offered nothing but praise for the job Nagin has done. Mayor Dorn said, “Those who blame him, shouldn’t…Nagin had no means of communication during Katrina.” Dorn said that he is pleased to hear good comments regarding Nagin.
Nagin has continued to attack the Federal Government’s response to Katrina even when President Bush showers praise his way. But he sees no wrong in the fact that he neglected to properly move people from the New Orleans area when a destructive Category 4 or 5 hurricane was destined to come ashore. That news would put the fear of God in me to do something RIGHT AWAY!
I'm sorry to say that Mayor Ray Nagin is only concerned about his image and being reelected in New Orleans. I am hearing of people getting sick as they return to try to clean up the mess in New Orleans, and he wants people to return to vote. Surely he’s kidding! Nagin DEFINITELY doesn't deserve another term as Mayor! He failed in many areas and continues to do so when he places blame on everyone else.
Nagin was asked about his "chocolate city" remark. His reply, "I've learned when you make a statement like that, even if you feel it's true, you have to deal with it quickly, to clarify," he said. In other words, backtrack and try to smooth over what came out of your mouth. I for one, took Nagin exactly for what he said, he wants New Orleans to stay in the black majority. He forgot that his words would come out in a negative way, excluding other races, and that press from all over the world would hop on it.
I believe Nagin's behavior is irresponsible, trying to cover his tracks. I saw no accountability from him as he spoke on panel.
Good ‘ol common sense among the leadership in New Orleans, is sorely missing. Even as churches, organizations, and countless civilians meet in the New Orleans area to help with cleanup, the pace to revive the city crawls at a snail's pace. I'd like to see houses leveled, the area decontaminated, and the area cleared before anyone can start talking about rebuilding.
The New Orleans area is not the only coastal city we should look at. Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas have suffered as well. But they differ in ways in approaching the cleanup after Katrina. Those 3 states have pulled together, and the leaders are not trying to save face or blame the Federal Government for every ill they’ve suffered.
Whether it’s from our national leadership, or Mayor Ray Nagin, leaders have to realize when they’ve made mistakes and own them. A bit of humility goes a long way. That is what I’m hoping to see from future leaders.
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