• Complete Forecast | Homepage | Site Index | RSS Feeds | About Us | Contact Us | Advertise
NEWS SPORTS FORUMS BLOGS CAMS ENTERTAINMENT MORE TOPICS JOBS AUTOS REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS
Latest Posts
Categories
Favorite Links
Archived Posts

Residents want their voices heard

Posted by Coleman Warner February 25, 2008 11:04PM

Breaking away from the seemingly endless task of rebuilding her flood-damaged home in Filmore Gardens, Fay Kaufman gathered with a handful of other Gentilly residents at the Edgewater Baptist Church Monday evening.

They were mulling ideas for getting the attention of city officials who can decide what street gets repaved first or when a neighborhood library will reopen.

"It seems like we don't get a lot of information or the assistance we need," the 61-year-old resident said quietly. "People are struggling."

The meeting was the second in a series of 13.

In forums staged across the city, beginning last week with one in Mid-City, the Neighborhoods Partnership Network, a Katrina recovery group formed in late 2006, and the long-established Metropolitan Area Committee are eliciting ideas on crafting a new mechanism for residents to convey their views to government.

Among the options: Make it a legal requirement -- not just a lofty goal -- that neighborhoods have a voice in city planning and development decisions.

"There's not an open channel of communication between city government and citizens," said Timolynn Sams, executive director of NPN. "There's not an accountability and transparency."

Just what direction the conversation will take isn't yet clear. But the impulse is driven in part by a pair of sentiments heard across the city: Nearly everyone wants more precise information from Mayor Ray Nagin's administration about when, and just how, dozens of rebuilding projects will take shape; and many believe a formal citizens input mechanism, beyond that of the traditional public hearing, is needed in the wake of the Unified New Orleans Plan neighborhood meetings in 2006.

Most people who took part in the sprawling planning exercise, one endorsed by the Louisiana Recovery Authority, said in surveys that they wanted to stay involved. And the recovery plan, completed in early 2007, said city leaders should consider giving residents a more formal, legal role in planning the city's future.

Wanting action on library

Broadmoor Improvement Association President LaToya Cantrell is among those eager to see citizen input given more weight, as she and others wait for word from City Hall on a schedule for restoring the Rosa Keller Branch Library in their neighborhood.

Broadmoor advocates persuaded the Carnegie Corp. to provide $2 million for the restoration project, but the big-ticket donor won't release the money until it gets more detailed information on how the city will spend it, Cantrell said.

"We're excited that we can now turn a corner toward renovating it," Cantrell said, pleased that the Nagin administration has cited the library's restoration as a priority.

But she said, "We've been pressing to have Rosa Keller renovated for two years. We need to see some action."

A steady process for inviting public feedback on key development issues could have headed off some of the rancor and confusion that surrounded recent decisions by the City Council and Nagin -- at the behest of federal housing officials -- to endorse the demolition of four major public housing developments, Sams said. There was no way to track what sort of citizen input was gathered leading up to the decisions, she said.

"We don't know how the decision-making was conducted, who made the decision, who (had) the final voice, was there ever an opportunity for priority-setting and discussion to take place," she said. "It was just reactive; it wasn't proactive."

Calls for a more robust back-and-forth flow of detailed information about progress in key infrastructure work, much of it financed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have increased as city officials release lists of projects but decline to immediately offer cost estimates or construction timelines -- as was the case with 35 projects highlighted Friday by Recovery Director Ed Blakely.

How other cities do it

The Neighborhoods Partnership Network is gathering information on citizen participation methods used in dozens of other cities.

One of those cities, Portland, Ore., has written into its municipal code a requirement that land-use proposals face scrutiny from the neighborhoods they would affect. Neighborhood feedback occurs more informally in New Orleans.

"We might require that projects go before neighborhood organizations and make a presentation -- and get a position from them -- before you even go to the Planning Commission, so that it's not an afterthought," said Steve Villavaso, a veteran planning consultant who helped craft the Unified New Orleans Plan. "It might be demolition reviews; it might be facade (change) reviews."

During the Monday night gathering at the Gentilly church, in a setting of blighted, abandoned slab homes mixed with a smattering of towering, finely detailed new ones, representatives of the Citizen Participation Process Committee of the NPN passed out sheets detailing neighborhood-input programs in several cities.

One was Portland's. Others are in Baltimore, Seattle, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Birmingham, Ala.

Nikki Najiola, chairwoman of the NPN committee, stressed that "our situation is very different than (that of) any other community." But Najiola said it's essential that citizen planners not lose the momentum that they achieved during the Unified New Orleans Plan effort.

"The people in the neighborhoods got so good at overcoming issues that we would really be remiss in letting that go away," she said.

Coleman Warner can be reached at cwarner@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3311.

COMMENTS (18)Post a comment
Posted by 504cracka on 02/26/08 at 8:14AM

You wanna get heard? Gain 250lbs, put on a red T-shirt and go to city council meetings. That's how you get heard.

Posted by robschoen on 02/26/08 at 9:04AM

Want to be heard? Forget this corrupt NOLA forum where they erase your comments if they don't agree with them. Isn't it time this city gets a decent newspaper AND a decent uncensored public website instead of a retarded Football cheerleading rag and its internet clone? I for one haven't had a subscription for twenty years and and am seeing less and less of a point to checking in on this feeble website. Brad Pitt: please run for mayor and break through all the locally bred social and political retardation!

Posted by tuconnais on 02/26/08 at 9:20AM

The politics of economic and infrastructure redevelopment suffers from a lack of trust on the part of private and public agencies. Suggestion: Bring all parties together in an academic setting, i.e.
(College/University/Community College), appoint community leaders to represent specific neighborhoods. Allow students to offer input based on proven success thus creating a "think tank" approach while
allowing citizen feedback to gauge overall acceptance of ideas, plans and proposals...Upon completion of each project, a vote is taken to determine which course of action to pursue. With proper guidance from the faculty, students and community activists are allowed to participate in a learning and social environment which will foster a better understanding of issues and satisfy the wishes of the majority.

Posted by riversliver2 on 02/26/08 at 10:02AM


WATCH WHO YOU VOTE FOR LOUISIANA.

ALL THE PASSION, ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD
WON'T DO A THING WITH THE SCUMBAGS WE HAVE
CONTROLING THE PACE OF "RECOVERY".

RE-ELECT NO ONE


-River-

Posted by tourobiz on 02/26/08 at 10:08AM

Individuals need a voice. The only voices that seem to be heard in this city are those coming from organized groups that have their own agenda to push and promises of endorsements.

Posted by bennett504 on 02/26/08 at 10:09AM

Unless I missed it there is no mention of the name of the Gentilly library. Rosa Keller Library in Broardmoor is mentioned twice and
has 2 mil. donated. First step- get the name of the branch library in the press. Second step- get Gentilly City Council person to apply pressure to Dr. Blakely's Office. Gentilly - get organized like Broadmoor.

Posted by jlorek1 on 02/26/08 at 10:13AM

Three years? Almost three years after the storm and they are just getting started! OMG!

Posted by Tweed on 02/26/08 at 10:25AM

bennett504

I wrote a letter to Councilwoman Cythia Hedge-Morrell (representing Gentilly) on May 26, 2006. I am still waiting for her answer.

Posted by lakeaaron on 02/26/08 at 11:18AM

Three years could drag on to 6 years. If you don't like what you hear at these forums and your councilperson will not respond get out of your house next election day and vote them out. Too few people vote and too many who do vote are affected by political groups that keep pushing the same old politically connected politicians. Our current mayor is a prime example of what a political machine can do. He is not the example New Orleans wants to argue to the court of public opinion in other States or on capitol hill. Does anyone think that things could have been better if he were not our Mayor today? People in other States are getting tired of the New Orleans cry for help when we do not help ourselves. The racial stuff is getting old also. All racial denominations need the other so I say what is good for my neighbor across town is good for me in most cases. If it all does not come together quick New Orleans will be one first class party city with few good paying jobs, except, of course for the some few good old boys.

Posted by MitchLisHot on 02/26/08 at 12:31PM

Posted by robschoen on 02/26/08 at 9:04AM
Want to be heard? Forget this corrupt NOLA forum where they erase your comments if they don't agree with them. Isn't it time this city gets a decent newspaper AND a decent uncensored public website instead of a retarded Football cheerleading rag and its internet clone? I for one haven't had a subscription for twenty years and and am seeing less and less of a point to checking in on this feeble website. Brad Pitt: please run for mayor and break through all the locally bred social and political retardation!

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!! I love it!!! I couldn't have said it better!!!!

Posted by MitchLisHot on 02/26/08 at 12:32PM

lakeaaron:

Your coments ring true also!!!

Posted by carmenugt on 02/26/08 at 1:01PM

Yes! I have been saying this for years ;now! We need a watchdog group. I am tired of government recovery dollars going to the quarter and we see little progress in the flooded areas.
Go to www.levees.org and sign the petition demanding that the government create a 9/28 commission to look at the recovery from day one to now. I Scroll down the petition adn sign your name. Tell your friends to sign the petition. Look for press conference soon. will give them an earful!

Posted by snapdragon on 02/26/08 at 1:31PM

Broadmoor deserves a huge round of applause for their hard work and dedication. From day one, LaToya and her group have worked to save and to improve that area. If Broadmoor had depended on Nagin and his administration to help them recover they would still be out of town and waiting! One of these days the Rosa Keller library will open and be the pride of the neighborhood but it will be due to the grassroots work of the people who live in that area. I am proud to be from Broadmoor.

Posted by MidCitySean on 02/26/08 at 3:56PM

Everybody can aid in the recovery....for starters, I wish more citizens would clean up their yards and streets. It's not that hard and it makes a huge difference. I spend about 2 hours on Saturday outside of my house and I sweep the sidewalks on my side of the street, as well as the side of the street. I clean up the leaves and walk down the neutral ground of my street and pick up the trash. It's not that hard and it makes a huge difference in your neighborhood. I wish more people would do this....try it. It's actually nice to be outside. I usually put on my radio and listen to sports. You can make a HUGE difference just by doing something as little as this.

Posted by lakeaaron on 02/26/08 at 4:11PM

Don't let your emotions get the best of you. We have been kicked in the butt by Katrina and it's aftermath. Now our mayor wants to physically beat people up??? Come on, Nagin should have done as Gov. Blanco. Just fade away, but no. He is determined to continue to make New Orleans look like Non-african american people are at total blame for some non existant racial reason. Most District Judges in New Orleans are African American. Our mayor is African American. Our D.A. is african american. Our former D.A. was African American. Our clerks of court are African American. Appellate court judges are African American, and on and on. New Orleans has developed into a multi racial political landscape. We will proberly have an African American President soon. This is not White on or over African American. The majority of White Democrats are pulling for Obama. We need to stop drowning and start swimming. We continue to divide ourselves when it is not necessary. Does Nagin realize that African Americans rule most of our city. I would be a fool to ignore race. Somewhere sometime it has to stop. The first place to cut the crap is at City Hall. Whites and Blacks got blasted by Katrina. I know soooo many people of every color and creed that have thair lives upside down the past almost three years. Address the issue.

Posted by trinamadness on 02/26/08 at 5:06PM

504cracka:

big things make small things look even smaller

stop typing and start working for change like those people do!

Posted by humbra on 02/26/08 at 9:21PM

Broadmoor gets all the press because of Mary and Mitch. Broadmore is on the border of the triangle death. Broodmoor is one block and a few bad neighbors away from being a ghetto like the rest of New Orleans.

Posted by ShawnL on 02/26/08 at 10:14PM

I think there is a weird alliance in New Orleans between local media and government which pretty much muffles the voice of a regular citizen. I know they have their squabbles (e.g., ', the Ray Nagin's thug fess during last week's morning interview on WWL), but unusually they created this codependent Chamber of Commerce dance. Personally I think it shows the worse of corruption in government and the media. And yea, there can be corruption in the media. Who's going to call them on it - you? No one can hear you.