Nolan Marshall

Democrat

Previous Positions: -Associate Director, Common Good
-President, Young Leadership Council

[Biography sources: http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]

Nolan Marshall attended Florida A & M University as a Presidential Scholar and graduated from the School of Business and Industry in 2001. Within five months of graduating, at the age of 22, Nolan became the President and CEO of a successful small business in New Orleans, which he led until August of 2005.

As Associate Director of Common Good, an organization which brings together educational, religious and non-profit organizations to work together on the recovery of New Orleans. Nolan Marshall established Court Watch Nola- an organization that recruits volunteers to monitor cases to bring accountability to the criminal justice process. Nolan worked with community leaders and the New Orleans Crime Coalition to secure federal and local funding to fix our Criminal Justice System. Nolan worked as part of a diverse coalition of community groups to create an Independent Police Monitor within the Office of Inspector General.

In August of 2007, Nolan joined the board of Einstein Charter School. Within 3 months he was chosen to be President of the Board of TrusteesIn 2009. Nolan became Governor Jindal’s appointee to the Greater New Orleans Biosciences Economic Development District Board of Commissioners. The economic development district was created by the State of Louisiana in 2005 and charged with the responsibility of growing both the programmatic and physical development components of the biosciences sector of the New Orleans economy.

Nolan serves on the Audubon Institute Board, City Park Commission, Human Relations Commission, and Urban League Young Professionals Chapter.

Websites
http://votenolanmarshall.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JbxrI4TCEQ
http://www.facebook.com/nolanmarshall3
http://twitter.com/NolanMarshall

DISCLOSURE: Nolan Marshall co-founded EngageNOLA and was a member of the Steering Committee prior to announcing his candidacy for Councilmember-at-Large.

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSES

CULTURE

1. How will you work through budget challenges while preserving funding for the arts and for cultural programs?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2. How will you address bureaucratic challenges that currently hinder economic development?

ENVIRONMENTAL

Recycling & Waste Disposal Services
3. Many view recycling as a safe and affordable method to manage New Orleans’ trash and debris. How would you promote citywide recycling knowing that the City finds it more economical to continue contracting with waste companies?

Illegal Dumping & New Orleans East
4. New Orleans East is disproportionately affected by illegal dump sites and landfills. How will you ensure that New Orleans East is no longer a site for illegal dumping?

INFRASTRUCTURE

Blight & Streets

5. 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?

GOVERNANCE

Access to Public Records & Access to Non-English Speakers

6. 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?

Council-Mayor Relations
7. Our city has suffered in recent years because of ongoing quarrels and a culture of distrust between the Mayor’s office and the City Council. What immediate steps will you take to work with the Mayor on critical issues facing our city? Please be specific.

Budgeting
8. 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. How will you address each of these criticisms?

Office of the Inspector General
9. 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?

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

10. What specific measures will you take to increase the ability of the Council to work in partnership with neighborhood and community groups?

EDUCATION

11. Research shows that the most crucial time to reach children and set them up for success for the rest of their lives is before age 5. Quality early childhood education ties into solving some of our city’s biggest problems, including poverty, crime, and economic development. What specific plans do you have for improving educational opportunities for children 0 to 5 years old and for making sure that they enter school ready to learn?

HOUSING

12. Inclusionary zoning ensures that a neighborhood contains a mix of low-income, affordable, and market rate housing. How will you ensure that the Council enforces the inclusionary zoning ordinance to create an equitable distribution of mixed-income housing throughout the city?

PUBLIC SAFETY

Youth & Crime / Rehabilitation of Youths

13. Given that there is a high rate of juvenile crime in Orleans Parish and a shortage of funds for all programs, what will be your priorities in budgeting for services for youths? What is your plan for ensuring that there are adequate community based services, including re-entry programs and alternatives to incarceration and detention, to serve the youth of our city?

Funding NOPD, District Attorney & Office of the Public Defender(OPD)
14. The courts, district attorney, and public defender receive revenue from bond forfeiture and bond administration fees as well as a portion of the fines and fees levied against defendants after conviction. There is an inequity in funding whereby the DA’s office has a budget of $13 million and the Orleans Public Defender (OPD) has a budget of $6.5 million. What will you do to fully fund the OPD and ensure reliable and dependable funding sources for indigent defense in New Orleans?

Recidivism
15. Formerly incarcerated persons compose ten percent of New Orleans’ population, and the recidivism rate in our community is fifty percent within five years. What efforts will you take to create incentives for businesses within Orleans Parish to hire formerly incarcerated persons in our community?

Funding Sheriff's Office
16. The Sheriff’s budget request to the City Council in 2007 consisted of one page and five items. In 2009, the Sheriff submitted a two page request to the council for an additional $13.5 million. If fulfilled, the sheriff’s budget will be $36 million, one of the largest items in the city budget. What will you do to ensure that the Sheriff submits a comprehensive budget detailing the manner in which his office expends city funds?

ADDITIONAL DATA [link to source where available]

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to:
   1. Support the creation of the New Orleans Economic Development Council (the “Public, Private Partnership”)
   2. Make New Orleans business friendly by implementing best practices in permitting and licensing
   3. Increase support of DBE and local businesses, and invest in compliance efforts
   4. Work with private sector financial industry to create partnerships and leverage CDBG to grow the capacity of DBE and local businesses
   5. Standardize financial incentives for small businesses to increase availability and access
   6. Support the development of the Biosciences Industry
   7. Support the regionalization of Armstrong International Airport and the subsequent and proper return on investment for City assets
   8. Facilitate the development of the Port of New Orleans to maximize the expansion of the Panama Canal
   9. Invest in workforce development programs that train workers for jobs in the emerging sectors of biosciences, green building, and digital media.
10. Support the Reinventing the Crescent project, and facilitating relationships with community organizations to limit the impact on surrounding neighborhoods

Marshall said developing the biosciences industry will create at least 10,000 new jobs and significant new opportunities for community development. Adding, “This is too important to our future to delay with politics as usual and we have to make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity.”[12/21/2009: http://votenolanmarshall.com/archive-1.html]

Signed pledge from Forward New Orleans affirming support of economic development initiative. Details of initiative here: http://www.forwardneworleans.com/index.php/economic-development

INFRASTRUCTURE

Blight
     Marshall said that if elected he will lead the effort to hold public hearings on the new teaching hospital.
     Marshall said developing the biosciences industry will create at least 10,000 new jobs and significant new opportunities for community development. Adding, “This is too important to our future to delay with politics as usual and we have to make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity.”
     Marshall also called on Governor Jindal to expedite an independent cost-benefit analysis comparing plans to restore Charity Hospital and build a new teaching hospital in lower mid-city: “The responsible way to move forward is to continue to move forward quickly, but whether you want to build a new hospital or restore old charity, we should first agree on all the facts and figures,” Marshall said. [12/21/2009: http://votenolanmarshall.com/archive-1.html]

Signed pledge from Forward New Orleans affirming support of blight initiative. Details of initiative here: http://www.forwardneworleans.com/index.php/blight

Signed pledge from Forward New Orleans affirming support of city services initiative. Details of initiative here: http://www.forwardneworleans.com/index.php/servicesinfrastructure

Access to Public Records
[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to:
-Support implementation of technologies such as OPISIS (Orleans Parish Information Sharing and Integrated System) and electronic monitoring for monitoring crime stats.
-Support full disclosure of crime stats and use of crime mapping technology
-Engage in online social networking and communication with citizens
-Promote an open door policy within council office
-Create an online calendar of activities to increase community access to council leadership

Council-Mayor Relations
Pledges to Appear along with Mayor once a month to have a public dialog about the future of the city [http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]

Budgeting
Pledges to Provide an opportunity prior to council budgeting process to set community priorities for funding [http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]

Signed pledge from Forward New Orleans affirming support of city finance initiative. Details of initiative here: http://www.forwardneworleans.com/index.php/city-finance

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to:
   1. Hold monthly meetings in every district at rotating locations within the district
   2. Create a transparent policy for advertising positions on boards and commissions and selecting people from the community to serve in leadership positions
   3. Create a diverse community advisory group and publish monthly meetings online

EDUCATION

[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to:
   1. Support performance standards and accountability for all schools, including any private schools receiving vouchers from the state
   2. Advocate for charter schools as a form of direct local and neighborhood control of education
   3. Facilitate the development and public trust in a local entity to control local schools within 3-5 yrs
   4. Facilitate community involvement in the development of facilities master plan and advocate for amendments to the plan based on demographic changes and community input
   5. Coordinate partnership with NORD and New Orleans Public Libraries to maximize community resources and infrastructure
   6. Support efforts to develop educational professionals and a pool of community leaders to support public education
   7. Support efforts of teachers to maintain retirement and healthcare benefits
   8. Advocate for career path public schools based on emerging local industriesan organization which brings together educational, religious and non-profit organizations to work together on the recovery of New Orleans.

Signed pledge from Forward New Orleans affirming support of education initiative. Details of initiative here: http://www.forwardneworleans.com/index.php/education

PUBLIC SAFETY

[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to:
-Require Criminal Justice Agencies to submit a comprehensive and coordinated plan to reduce violent crime.
-Fund the implementation of Community Policing as outlined in the “Brown Report”
-Support a search for police chief involving the best candidates and input from community groups

Signed pledge from Forward New Orleans affirming support of crime initiative. Details of crime initiative here: http://www.forwardneworleans.com/index.php/crime

Youth & Crime / Rehabilitation of Youths
[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to Support diversionary youth programming and reform efforts within the juvenile justice system

Funding NOPD, District Attorney & Office of the Public Defender(OPD)
[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to:
-Ensure that we fully fund all agencies in their coordinated plans
-Require full financial and performance Audits of Criminal Justice Agencies

Recidivism
[http://votenolanmarshall.com/platform.html]
Pledges to secure funding for offender reintegration programs to reduce recidivism