In a recent joint press conference, the Mayor and Governor of New Orleans Jeff Landry spoke about how they will “make the city shine” by addressing dilapidated buildings, infrastructure issues, safety hazards, homelessness, etc. Governor Landry even predicted that by the time the plan is complete, New Orleans will be one of the safest cities in the country, which I think is a lofty prediction that is unattainable given the current social issues.
What I find disappointing about all these promises of improvement is that they clearly indicate that New Orleans leaders continue to use a reactive, rather than a proactive, approach in managing the city.
Apparently making the city better for the people who live there isn't enough reason to address the city's endemic problems — the only reason it's getting all this attention is because it's hosting the Super Bowl.
The news event rolled out hundreds of projects to be addressed, including more than 150 road, curb and sidewalk repairs, 75 city lighting upgrades, 40 drainage issues, the removal of blighted properties and a plan to remove homeless people from downtown streets.
Why did we have to wait until the Super Bowl to address these issues? Surely, addressing these issues would have improved the quality of life for residents. Wasn't that reason enough to address them?
And guess what's the real heartbreaking part of all this excitement? Once the Super Bowl is over, unless city leaders change their attitude, the city will once again revert to the way it was before the Super Bowl came to town. This is clearly backed up by historical evidence.
One day, the City of New Orleans may care about its residents and actively work to improve the quality of life just for them.
James Anderson
Ponchatoula
