“If They Come For Me in the Morning, They Will Come for You at Night”

— Angela Davis

Now is the time for leaders who represent New Orleans to stand up for her and her citizens. With a governor who has made his disdain for the city clear, siphoning power from the office of New Orleans’ mayor should be the last thing on our minds

Why now, when our city is facing onslaught from the governor’s mansion, has the office of the mayor of the City of New Orleans become the target of attempts to weaken its authority and influence from the unlikeliest of places?

Actually, the better question is what did you think would happen?

Here, at The New Orleans Tribune, we have been cautioning for quite some time now that Black leadership is under attack. The truth is that our entire city is under attack – from within and without. 

There was of course, Gov. Jeff Landry’s early-on effort to take control of the Sewerage & Water Board, along with his plan to exert more control over policing in New Orleans by placing a special unit of state troopers in the city. Landry was even able to appoint, through skillful machinations, Russell Allen, a Texas businessman and one of his campaign donors to the Ernest N. Morial Exhibition Hall Authority, the board that governs the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Because of this slick move on the part of the governor, not only is this out-of-towner on the board, he is its president.

Landry’s disdain for our city and his desire to control it is no secret. We were hoping our leaders could unite in a manner to stave off his attempts to take over and rule our city, but it’s not looking good.

In 2022, we witnessed the New Orleans City Council wrest control and power from the office of the Mayor with an ordinance mandating oversight of top mayoral appointments. And if that wasn’t enough, some state leaders are now working to weaken the mayor’s office overall.

There’s a bill that if passed would reduce the number of appointments the mayor can make to the board that oversees the Housing Authority of New Orleans, placing two of the nine appointments the mayor is currently allowed to make under the control of the City Council.

Another bill would remove oversight of the Downtown Development District from the Mayor’s Office and put it under control of state lawmakers and tourism leaders despite the agency being funded by local property taxes.

Let us make our position clear. We believe that it is bad policy to weaken the office of the mayor in New Orleans — no matter who sits in the seat. And we are troubled by efforts afoot to do just that.

We blame, in large measure, the blatant squabbling and internal strife that has taken place in City Hall in recent years for what we are seeing now. Come on, city leaders, did you actually think you could spend the better part of two years infighting around the pettiest of politics, as if any of it helped address the salient issues facing our community or would make our city stronger?

Well, now you have it. What you have done is make our city weaker — an easier target in a hostile and volatile environment. Unfortunately, the mainstream media, which have frequently reported about these efforts, have consistently done so in a way that makes it seem as though Mayor Cantrell is specifically and singularly under attack as if she is the permanent mayor of the city. 

Nothing could be further from reality. Attacking the power of the office of the mayor of New Orleans because you have issues with the current office holder is shortsighted. And while we cannot say categorically that this is the case, to do so to perhaps gain favor with the current governor is limited in scope. 

Cantrell has less than two years in office. Legislation being proposed now will not impact her ability to lead New Orleans as much as it will impact every duly elected mayor that succeeds her. And Landry will not always be governor. In short, the best interest of New Orleans and the people who call it home must remain at the forefront. That is the only way “our” New Orleans survives and thrives,

Are you listening?

It seems as though that just when our leaders ought to be coming together, they are apart. 

The 1960s-era activist and Black Panther Party member Angela Davis, – activist  said it best when she sad,  “If they come for me in the morning they will come for you at night.” In other words, no one is safe; certainly our city is at great risk unless we stand together in unity..

This will not end well. Truth is, we have been here before. Our public education system was attacked and dismantled both prior to and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Many of our own elected officials were complicit. And the results have been detrimental. Public education is in shambles with a loosely controlled all-charter system that lacks real accountability to students, parents, voters and taxpayers of this city. In short, we know well what happens when no one fights for New Orleans and her own leaders serve her up like an entree. Even now, public education is placed in further jeopardy with the push for ESA vouchers that will take money from public schools. Let’s not repeat this mistake.

If ever New Orleans needed an alliance of strong, knowledgeable, experienced and outspoken leaders to band together to protect its best interest and that of its people, it is now.

Gov. Jeff Landry has made no secret of his plans to take over New Orleans. In fact, he will run right over New Orleans if we let him. Consider what happened when Exhibition Hall Authority, members of that board tried to fight Landry’s push to make Allen president, only to eventually decide it was not the hill they wanted to die on. And maybe they were right. Maybe that wasn’t a battle worth fighting. But make no mistake, there are and will be others that must be waged.

If New Orleans is going to survive the next four years, someone has to stand up to Landry, especially on the most pressing issues that deleteriously impact our community. 

Someone must also be willing to call out those misguided leaders that are doing our community a disservice when they remain silent, or worse, fold under pressure from Baton Rouge.

This is not the time for leaders in New Orleans, elected and otherwise, to straddle the fence. We either stand together or our fall is certain.

A Ray of Hope

There is one ray of hope. The  new New Orleans Citizens Committee, appears to have attracted community and civic leaders ready to protect New Orleans and its people by pushing back against policy that undermines the city’s autonomy and that of its elected officials.

We were so very pleased to see such a diverse group, representing both new and emerging leadership.  Longtime community organizer, Barbara Major, serves as chairperson. The vice-chair is Loyola University law professor Will Snowden, who, as the founder of the Juror Project and former head of the Vera Institute – New Orleans, has worked extensively in the area of criminal justice reform. And Ronald Carrere, executive director of the Norman C. Francis Leadership Institute, is the New Orleans Citizens Committee’s secretary/treasurer. 

Also on the board are: former mayor, Sidney Barthelemy; political strategist Jacques Morial; former state Supreme Court Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson; community leader, conflict resolution specialist and student minister at Mosque No. 46, Minister Willie Muhammad; Urban League of Louisiana Vice-President Tyronne Walker; public relations strategist and community leader Bill Rouselle; Thelma French, CEO of Total Community Action; founder and CEO of Black Education for New Orleans, Adrinda Kelly; and Demetric Mercadel, district director for U.S. Rep. Troy Carter’s office.

This core group perfectly blends vast experience and institutional knowledge with emerging leadership and new ideas. We look forward to hearing more from them as they do the work they have set out to do.

In a press release, the group announced, “Our mission involves holding elected leaders accountable, collaborating for city enhancement, and preserving the Home Rule Charter. With a “Policy Not Politics” approach, we will serve as thought partners and coordinators to community-focused leaders, direct stakeholders, and organizations spearheading legal challenges and mobilizing against threats to the democratic rights of the citizens of New Orleans. We call for unity to defend New Orleans, echoing the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement.”

A group like this one is exactly what we, at The New Orleans Tribune, have said our community has needed for quite some time – not only to protect New Orleans and its most marginalized residents from the political antics of a MAGA-maniacal governor, but to nurture and strengthen Black political power in New Orleans. 

As we see it, Gov. Jeff Landry wants New Orleans under his feet. We need leaders that refuse to be stepped on. And while we are encouraged by the cross-section of thoughtful community leaders willing to stand up on behalf of the city, it’s also time for a united front on the part of every elected official in the city of New Orleans. There should not be any acceptable scenario for usurping power from the people of this city