August 20, 2005
Mayor Nagin, Crime, and Schools
Schroeder said the following in comments:
Speaking of Nagin, I'll say it again. Why doesn't he have anything to say about the schools problem or crime? Isn't he the mayor or something?
This is a very good question, since one would expect hizzoner to be out front on things that are important to the city. Here are some reasons why he's not:
The Orleans Parish School System is a putrid mess. Our schools are such a disaster that the state has intervened. From the perspective of jurisdiction and authority, there's really not a lot Nagin can do. Looking back on Markey-Marc's attempts during the last two years of his administration to get involved with the schools, Nagin might be considered sage and wise to run in the other direction. Markey-Marc was accused of being a power-mad meglomaniac when he began to explore whether or not City Hall could play a role in reforming education. If Nagin wants to get involved with OPSS, his best bet would be to start the day after a second-term victory. To do it before threatens re-election. To wait too long afterwards makes it look like he's trying to grab power in an effort to circumvent the two-term limit.
Crime. Overall, as we've discussed, crime is down. Still, we've got a ridiculously high murder rate. One of the reasons violent crime is high is the reluctance of witnesses to crime to come forward and testify. That isn't something hizzoner is going to be able to change. Possibly he could go on a "zero-tolerance" binge, but that would simply alienate the neighborhoods even more.
The biggest failure of Nagin's administration so far is that he has no effective pro-New Orleans lobbying force. There is no organization of the legislative delegation. While some believe that Nagin's lack of political experience is an asset, in some ways it's a serious liability. A pol as mayor could pull together a focused lobbying effort.
Even without political experience, Nagin could have appointed a seasoned pol to work with him on this, to pull together a working coalition on the City Council and to get pro-city lobbying in Baton Rouge moving. His failure to do so is a glaring blot on his administration's record.
Comments
Hold on here. Didn't Nagin declare that the school system was "broken beyond repair" in his 2005 "State of the City" address propose and propose that the city take over 20 low-performing public schools? I worked in a state senate campaign over the summer, and attended several debates, and Nagin's claims were constantly referred to by the majority of the candidates. The inability of the city to control the murder rate is the administration's largest failing, in my view. But Nagin has hardly been silent on that issue either, calling it his top priority.
Posted by oyster at August 20, 2005 11:57 AM
Schools: Yes, but...school has started, do you see hizzoner doing anything with schools? Politics: Yes, but...it's campaign rhetoric. The city's legislative agenda is won or lost with the veteran legislators, not candidates for open seats. Nagin is a popular figure with the voters, so naturally candidates will invoke his name and what he says. The reality of working the legislature is that he's really not very good at it. Crime: I'm really disappointed with both Nagin and Jordan. They both need to expend personal political capital and make things happen.
Posted by yatpundit at August 20, 2005 4:32 PM
Crime is down in New Orleans, but relative to what? Last year? I don't accept that argument. Crime is still high compared to other cities on a per capita basis. I agree with you Yatpundit to a point, but then there is the larger leadership issue. It's easy to say that Nagin isn't Superman, i.e., he can't stop murders. On the other hand, he is singularly responsible for formulating a plan of action to address the underlying issues that lead to violence. Some will say he is creating a City Hall that attracts more business to the city. I'm not sure that's really happening. I'm convinced of one thing, the mayor's technology chief has put together a really swank new web site with lots of online services. There remain, however, a host of actual issues that Nagin has promised to address which remain unfulfilled - like fixing the assessor's property tax records to make assessments more fair. The short- to medium-term solutions to the crime problem require investment in programs to ensure that that the ex-prisoners don't become repeat offenders, talking to the D.A.'s office and NOPD personnel to make sure they're talking to one another, and have all their evidentiary ducks in a row to slamdunk violent offenders. One small improvement, for example, would be to open up licensing of hundreds of professions to felons. Things like cutting hair are banned to felons. So they get out of prison, can't get a job, still have bills to pay, and pretty soon they're back to the old life. Some three-quarters of ex-offenders re-offend inside of three years of release from prison. The school problem won't get fixed by simply arguing that it's a mess. Everyone agrees on that point. The question is, where do we go from here. Is he better than Morial? Sure. Morial was a patronizing liar and thief. But for Nagin to do better than Morial in public perception, he's going to have to be a lot more visible on the issues of crime and education. I think Nagin probably needs more time, but he strikes me as a guy who's not exactly comfortable in his skin - i.e., he may not feel like he knows what he's doing. I could be reading him wrong, and of course that isn't an objective way to analyze his performance. Still, he's not not very reassuring. I'm just scratching the surface. If I knew the answers (and had the money), well then I'd be mayor wouldn't I.
Posted by schroeder915 at August 21, 2005 2:43 PM
Two-thirds is the statistic I believe, not three-quarters.
Posted by schroeder915 at August 21, 2005 2:50 PM