New Orleans has many needs four years after Katrina. There are dilapidated streets, blighted houses, broken street lights, and fire and police stations that have not reopened. Yet, in the final months of the Nagin administration, there is a rush to buy an array of new buildings and move City Hall to the heart of the CBD.
In my view, this is a horrible idea for a number of reasons. It will not be convenient for citizens to have to access city offices in the middle of the CBD. Parking will be a nightmare and meter maids will have a field day writing tickets. If the purpose is to extract more ticket revenue from long suffering citizens, it makes sense, but if the idea is to provide easy, accessible offices for the people of New Orleans, it just does not make sense. While there will be garage parking nearby, citizens will have to pay to park. Ideally, City Hall should be located in an area with plenty of available, free parking.
It might be the right decision to eventually move City Hall, but it should be a decision for the next Mayor. Nagin should not do this in his final months of office, saddling a new Mayor with the ramifications of his decision. In addition, this move should be postponed until the end of hurricane season. It would be a nightmare for a storm to hit in the midst of a long and difficult move to a new building.
Why is Nagin pushing this now? It could just be another way to reward favored contractors and others with access to the Mayor. It also could be a lame attempt to salvage something of a legacy. Regardless, it is not the right time and is not an important priority for New Orleans.
Every politician wants a nice office, but the real focus should be on the people in charge, the citizens of New Orleans. Until their needs are met, the accommodations of the bureaucrats and politicians should not be considered.
It will cost at least $15 million to buy a complex of new buildings, move offices, retrofit the new buildings and demolish the existing building. It might make sense to consolidate city offices in one building, but it should not be placed in the heart of the CBD where people will have a hard time accessing the offices.
Yesterday, City Council members submitted a list of nine questions that will have to be answered before they will approve this purchase. They are right to be skeptical and should make sure that the information is provided by independent sources. Council members should not depend on the “word” of the Nagin administration. This is an administration that is usually wrong on their predictions and has no credibility.
Four years after Katrina, New Orleans has a plethora of needs that outrank the need for a brand new City Hall. Not only would this send the wrong message to the people of New Orleans, it would also be a misuse of recovery funds.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com
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