New Orleans Blakely Says Recovery On Course Despite Resignations

New Orleans, Louisiana--Is the New Orleans recovery “off-course” by he recent rash of resignations of top officials from the Nagin administration as these resignations as suggested by a TP article this holiday season?

A number of key staffers have left the administration for various reasons including Kenya Smith, the Director of Intergovernmental Relations and Executive Counsel, Ezra Rapport who, Chief Operating Officer in the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, Becca O’Brien who formerly worked with Don Powell, the Gulf Coordinator and became Executive Counsel. The TP article suggested political attrition, burn-out and other reasons for the departures.

On Saturday, Dr. Edward Blakely, who is commonly known as the Recovery Czar and is the Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, defended the Nagin administration and the departures and strongly stated that the departures would not have an impact on the New Orleans recovery.

Here is the official “statement from Dr. Edward Blakely

A story in today's newspaper suggests that the recent departures from Mayor Nagin's administration will have an impact on the recovery of our city. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, I work closely with Mayor Nagin to define and implement our recovery priorities. While each of the employees who recently left to pursue other challenges made important contributions, no one staff member is so valuable that their responsibilities can not be undertaken by someone else. That is true even in the case of Ezra Rapport who, as Chief Operating Officer in the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, was a capable assistant. Ezra and I knew his tenure was limited because of family reasons, so we started advertising two months ago to fill a Deputy post as well as two other positions to help implement our housing and community development efforts. We now have more than 70 outstanding candidates who are being screened for these positions and for a new administrator to replace Ezra's role in program administration. I remain the City's recovery director and we will seamlessly continue our work.

Mayor Nagin convened the Bring New Orleans Back Commission to begin planning for a full recovery just 30 days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, and our efforts to rebuild have never wavered. Though we have been hindered by antiquated federal polices and a slow flow of recovery dollars, we have moved forward continually as a result of smart decision-making, determination and hard work. Today, we have begun projects that will total more than $1.3 billion, with more than $323 million dedicated to roadwork alone. We are aware that City Hall alone could not handle this volume of construction work, and have hired a global firm, MWH, as project manager for this historic rebuilding initiative.

Contrary to speculation, we have found no lack of experienced talent in New Orleans or ready to come to New Orleans. One clear example is the new Capital Projects Administrator who has been hired and will be joining the City staff within the next few weeks. He will play an important role in assisting the Mayor and me in managing the recovery projects overseen MWH, one the roles Ezra previously fulfilled. He also will manage the City's long-term capital works program.

It has been nearly three years since Hurricane Katrina. While that is a long time for the residents who must live each day with the results of the greatest natural disaster in our nation's history, our recovery is actually moving more rapidly than could have been anticipated, given the level of devastation. Despite that, we are working each day to ensure that our residents, businesses and visitors see move visible signs of rebuilding and gain greater confidence in the future of New Orleans.

On behalf of Mayor Nagin, I would like to set the record straight on a few other issues. First of all, it is not at all uncommon for Administrations to see significant turnover during the second term. Therefore, the departures within the Nagin Administration are not out of the ordinary.

It also is important to note that of the positions mentioned in the story, just two are Executive Staff positions reporting directly to the Mayor

-- the Director of Intergovernmental Relations and Executive Counsel.

Kenya Smith, who was Director of Intergovernmental Relations, served six years with the Administration. The Executive Counsel position, formerly held by Becca O'Brien, had been vacant for more than a year before she assumed the position that was left vacant when Smith moved from Executive Counsel to IGR. Capable leadership is in place in both departments by individuals who were already integral to the operations of their respective departments.

The other former staffers mentioned were department heads reporting to an executive staff member. The positions that were held by Mike Centenio and Rapport both report ultimately to me. Other talented staff members have been assigned based on their expertise, and operations have not been interrupted.

The recovery of New Orleans is underway and is not tied to any one individual. Stories such as the one today unnecessarily damage the morale of residents working hard to rebuild, city employees performing improbable feats on a daily basis. It also threatens the confidence of volunteers and philanthropists committed to our cause. Our recovery is too important for this type of unfactual theorizing. Let's work together to continue the recovery of a great American city.

Edward J. Blakely, Ph.D.

Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration,

City of New Orleans”

_____________________________________________
_________________Advertisement________________

______________________________________________