Seth Bloom is a criminal defense attorney who served two terms on the Orleans Parish School Board.
Bloom, who has publicly acknowledged his own struggle with opioid addiction and referenced it during his interview with The New Orleans Tribune, says he understands, first-hand, the challenges that substance abuse creates for a community and believes that in order to better address violent crime, more resources to treat drug addicts and the mentally ill are needed.
“My goal is to prompt law enforcement and the criminal justice system to treat those suffering from addiction and mental illness as patients rather than prisoners, so that our efforts can be focused on ridding our city of violent crimes,” he says.
“As an eight-year OPSB member, I recognize the important role education plays in crime reduction and overall increase in quality of life.” He is proud of the role he played in establishing the Travis Hill School for incarcerated youth at the Orleans Youth Study Center. “All students must have access to a quality education, including young people in the criminal justice system, if we want to create a generation of empowered and productive New Orleanians,” Bloom says.
On economic development, he cites the success of entrepreneurial incubators such as Propeller, BioInnovation Center and the Idea Village. He will advocate for them and promote other similar centers. He sees the current minimum wage as inadequate to meet the needs of citizens and not compatible with building wealth.
With regard to post-Katrina recovery, Bloom says, “Our floodwater drainage systems must be kept up-to-date and the public made aware of problems so we as citizens can make informed choices. I will hold city officials and entities accountable for open and transparent communication and strive to ensure that our systems work to protect all citizens.”
