One of the most influential of the African-American held seats in the Louisiana House of Representatives is District 97.  The legislative office, held for years by Arthur Morrell and then his son J.P. Morrell stretches from Lake to River, from Pontchartrian Park through Gentilly and then narrows into a thin stretch in the blocks along Press Street through St. Roch into the Faubourg Marigny ending at the Mississippi River.

            District 97 is constituted mainly of the regions historically inhabited by Black Creole, descendants of the “Free People of Color”, as well as freed slaves, and therefore central to the singularly Catholic New Orleans African-American identity.   Not surprisingly, the April 4, 2009 Special election, spawned by the election of J.P. Morrell to the State Senate, has drawn a crowded field of six contenders.  

             Bayoubuzz.com andThe Louisiana Weekly will profile each over the next two weeks, so the voters have a chance to compare the candidates.   Each was asked the same group of questions.  

            We begin with a Republican and a Democrat, both with extensive public service backgrounds--Oliver Coleman and Dalton Savwoir.

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            Oliver “Bishop OC” Coleman is a rarity, known not only a well-known political activist but as an African-American Republican.   Critics have argued that in this “dyed in the wool” Democratic district, a GOP contender would be dead on arrival.  But, Coleman disagrees, maintaining that the low turnout dynamics of this year’s election matched with his long record of work in Gentilly and its surrounding areas as the pastor of Greater Light Ministries can make for a triumphant campaign. 

            “Yes, an African-American Republican with, relationships across party and racial lines-- and low turnout--can win,” Coleman explained to the Weekly.  “In this election, I believe a Republican, can win.  Especially a Black Republican, who has worked with persons from all parties, religious and faith persuasions.  As the candidate, given that the message is on target, will meet and serve the needs of the community and people, yes!  We can win and make a Difference.”

“As I go through the district, I meet folk who tell me that it does not matter that I am Republican.  It does however make a difference , if I can  be trusted to represent the people interest  not just my own aspiration and selfish interest,  I can assure you that, with my message to all the people and my agenda to serve, as a servant leader, consensus builder, advocate for the people.  I can be elected in the 97th House District.  I feel that of all the candidates in this race, I am the best suited to bring effective leadership, new ideas, best practices, solid experience, and sound judgment, to the State legislature.”

            Coleman bases that contention on his decades worth of pastoral service to the area.    The Bishop maintains that his past work in a variety of areas, uniquely qualifies him for this office.  “My experience as a research assistant and [as a] liaison on policies, as one who has drafted legislation for ecclesiastical bodies of religious denominations” provides a form of Parliamentary background that the other candidates lack, Coleman argues.   

“I have experience working with resolutions,” the Bishop outlines.   He has brought legislatives acts through diametrically opposed bodies and seen them enacted.   “In the legislature, my ability to work with others to build coalitions to achieve successful outcomes” makes Coleman, in his view, the most potentially effective of the District 97 contenders.

            He runs for the legislature “Because my love for New Orleans, my birthplace. I am seeking the office of State Representative because we need strong leadership. The people and our multi-facet cultural system need to be touted--and preservation is critical, I've concluded if there is to be reform and change for progress  I must do my part, and I feel that the body that legislate would be a great place now to serve after over 30 years of civic and faith community service.”

            “We must advocate for quality education and neighborhoods by implementing effective solutions to problems.  Not just throwing money at the problems, but building the capacity of the people.”  Coleman believes that his job will be focused on education and recovery through “Safer Neighborhoods” and adequate health care while in Baton Rouge.   Mostly he sees his job as providing the resources for “Quality Education--Elementary, Secondary and Vocational” as well as “Higher Institutions (ie College/University)” while expanding “Charter Schools” and “Private/Public partnerships”.

            He supports the efforts by Gov. Jindal to change the law and allowing the executive branch to be able to cut across the board 10% of budget in times of deficit, as a means of balancing the budget without major declines in higher education and health care—the only undedicated parts of the budget. 

            “I feel that the Chief Executive Office of the State should have the tools necessary to govern. With specific limitations, in times of deficit and state of emergency, I will support the Governor and the legislation.  I will always advocate that healthcare and education should not always be the first to receive the cuts.  I feel we must insure that health and education is always key in our growth and development..  Healthy and educated populations will make for a better quality of life and economically strong and viable communities.”

Three years after the storm much of Gentilly and the rest of the district remains devastated and unoccupied.  Coleman seeks to hasten Hurricane recovery in District 97, by working “to cut the bureaucratic red tape, that hinders the homeowner from accessing resources that are available to effect his recovery.  Provide for waivers in case of properties that are unable to be restored because of succession issues and issues of ownership.  To fast tract credit issues for many of these property, that increase the blight in neighborhoods.  With a comprehensive plan and good legislation we can eradicate blight.”

            Besides eliminating red tape that prevents redevelopment of homes and businesses, Coleman wants to spur economic development by encouraging “the creation of community centers in neighborhoods, for shopping and community programs” and “to establish [a] community police zone with citizen participation.”

Moreover, as his first legislative bill, the candidates seeks “to offer specialized tax credits, incentives to the homeowner, first time homebuyer, to encourage joint ventures in development of housing in neighborhoods.”  That with basic “community services available in each community” will speed recovery. 

            When it comes to the debate over whether to reopen a reconstructed Charity Hospital, under the plan proposed by the Foundation for Historic Louisiana, or building a new state medical center even if it means ripping down a neighborhood in Mid-City, as LSU says is necessary to be competitive, Coleman comes down on the side of reopening Charity.

            “I would like to see the Old Charity reopened in the interim while constructing and incorporating the new facilities in the footprint.   So I reckon my response would be Re-open charity, then build the new facility saving as much of the older structure as economical and historically feasible…Open Charity Now.”

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            Dalton Sawvoir disagrees.  While he would like to see a community health center in Charity, the necessity of opening a new modern, state of the art medical center trumps any other concern, including preservation of the mid-city neighborhood. 

            The critical need to replace the Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital in New Orleans is a key plank of his platform, not surprising for a man with a Masters Degree in Public Health and twenty-five years of professional experience in the field. He has worked in various public health settings including the state Department of Health and Hospitals, the City Health Department, Governor Treen's blue ribbon Task Force to study the reaccreditation issues of Charity Hospital in New Orleans, a Home Health agency, clinics, and many School-based Adolescent Health  Programs.

            Prior to the new hospital construction, which could take up to five years, Savwoir does advocate, “Under the present financial circumstances, we need to rebuild the new hospital in phases. The need for additional health care resources for the indigent and the mentally ill has reached a critical stage. We should lobby the federal government to appropriate dedicated funding for clinics to serve the indigent and a new crisis intervention center to treat the mentally ill.”  

            Before deciding to run for the District 97 House seat, Sawvoir, a Democrat, was better know as the Chief Spokesman for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office for over two plus years along with service under four different District Attorneys.

By his own admission to The Louisiana Weekly and Bayoubuzz.com, “I have worked at the highest levels of the criminal justice system with prosecutors, public defenders, police department administrators, and criminal court judges. I have also worked with top government and elected officials at the city, state, and federal levels.”

“Public Safety Awareness” is a key platform plank as Sawvoir explains.  He seeks to provide “more needed resources to the local criminal justice system i..e., the District Attorney's Office, NOPD, and the Public Defenders' Office..”

As far as Hurricane recovery, he seeks to “establish a ‘Community Resource Center’ within House District #97 to respond to our neighbor's problems/concerns in returning or reestablishing their homes.”  This would include staff advocates to help cut through state bureaucracy to get answers for constituents and would operate out of Sawvoir’s legislative office to make sure he was on hand if problems arose.   

Unlike Coleman, Sawvoir deeply disagrees with Gov. Jindal’s effort to change the law and allow the executive branch to be able to cut across the board 10% of budget in times of deficit.  “No, only the legislative branch has the power to create laws. The Governor should not be allowed to unilaterally or arbitrarily cut the budget by 10%.”

His answer to solving the budgetary shortfall without hobbling higher education and health care is transfer local responsibilities to parish governments and give them the power to tax.  “One solution would be to give creative taxing to state and local governments. A tax swap can be used by municipalities and parishes to replace loss municipal revenues.”

Savwoir was not specific on how this program would work, though advocates of similar programs envisioned allowing municipalities to levee property taxes for education and police outside of the industrial tax exemptions and the Homestead Exemption.    Other notions include parish-level income taxes.  Both ideas have failed on the state level in past years. 

            Key to economic development, Sawvior maintains is "’Greening’ the state through energy efficiency- sponsor legislation to stimulate more research/development through renewable energy sources, i.e., hydro energy, wind turbine power, and biofuels developed in Louisiana.”

            The candidate was not specific on how the state incentive programs would work, but cited the critical need to diversify the economy and be on the cutting edge of the green energy revolution.   

Also running in the April 4^th primary for District 97 are Democrats Jared Brossett, Leroy Doucette, Ambrose J. Pratt, and "Nik" Richard.  The Louisiana Weekly is seeking to conduct interviews with each over the coming week.