CANDIDATE'S RESPONSES
Access to non-English Speakers & to Public Records/Transparency
1. What specific steps will you take
to ease citizens’ ability to work with city government and to access
public records, information, and services? Also, how will you make city
government more accessible and responsive to non-English speakers?
Mayor-Council Relations
2.
Our city has suffered in recent years because of ongoing quarrels and
distrust between the Mayor’s office and the City Council. What
immediate steps will you take to work with the City Council on critical
issues facing our city? Please be specific.
Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
3.
Citizens and organizations such as the NAACP and the Louisiana Justice
Institute have voiced concerns about a number of issues involving the
Office of the Inspector General, including: Inspector General turnover;
OIG office and Ethics Review Board misconduct in spending, hiring, and
firing; allegations of racism and sexism in the office; and the lack of
a policy and procedures manual. How will you address these concerns
working in coordination with the new advisory committee, and make
changes that are both needed and acceptable to concerned citizens?
Budgeting
4.
Some say the budget approval process does not provide enough time for
thorough review, does not allow for community participation, is not
readily available for public scrutiny, and lacks full disclosure of
each agency’s budget. Are these valid criticisms, and, if so, how would
you address each?
Qualifications Required for Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
5. What are the qualifications you require for hiring a Chief Administrative Officer?
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
6.
How will you address quality of life and employment concerns for young
professionals, both natives and newcomers, so that New Orleans can
remain nationally competitive and attractive as a place to live?
7.
The Port of New Orleans is a vital economic engine for New Orleans and
the region. How will your administration work closely with Port
officials to realize critical infrastructure investments to ensure the
Port’s competitiveness with other Gulf Coast and East Coast ports?
8.
Will you revive the public-private partnership responsible for economic
development that was discontinued by the current Mayor?
ENVIRONMENT
9.
As Mayor, what steps can you take within 4 years to ensure
implementation of federal, state, and private coastal restoration
projects; and which efforts do you think are most likely to be
successful?
INFRASTRUCTURE
10.
How will you address neglected properties, both public and private,
such as city-owned buildings, the Hyatt Regency, recreation centers,
and the old Tulane Public Health School building; crumbling
neighborhood streets; and widespread blight left in disrepair since
Hurricane Katrina?
EDUCATION
11.
What is your view on city government’s role in education (for example,
do you support a mayoral takeover of public schools)? State your goals
in this regard and a strategy for achieving them.
HOUSING
12.
What concrete steps will you take to ensure that the city’s low-income
residents are able to secure affordable, safe, and secure housing?
PUBLIC SAFETY
13.
Responsibility for the safety and development of young people in the
Youth Study Center falls to the mayor and his/her appointees. What will
you do to ensure that the renovation/rebuilding of the YSC will result
in the best possible environment for rehabilitation of youth, and that
the process of construction is aligned with reform and best practices?
What is your vision for the new facility?
14. What is your position on conducting a national search for a city police Superintendant?
15.
Prosecutors are facing the intractable problem of persuading witnesses
and victims to testify in criminal cases. Citizens are distrustful of
the New Orleans Police Department. What steps will you take to remedy
these problems?
16.
Formerly incarcerated persons compose ten percent of New Orleans’
population and the recidivism rate in our community is fifty percent
within five years. What are your plans to make the employment of
formerly incarcerated persons a condition, or a factor, in the awarding
of city contracts? What efforts will you take to create incentives for
businesses within Orleans Parish to hire formerly incarcerated persons
in our community?