August 19, 2011 Dear Friends, Announcements, groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings across the city have been cause for celebration as we bid farewell to summer and start the new school year. One project that has been near and dear to me for the last three years broke ground last week in Pontchartrain Park. The $5.6 million [...]
July 29, 2011 Dear Friends, While many ran from the bat-wielding Big Easy Roller Girls at San Fermin in Nueva Orleans in early July, I celebrated the San Fermin festival (Running with the Bulls) from a carnival float in Pamplona, Spain! The organizers of the San Fermin festival, Kukuxumusu, paid homage to New Orleans by creating [...]
Dear Friends, As seen on the front page of Friday’s paper, New Orleans has been selected by Major League Baseball as the site for its next Urban Youth Academy – a transformational project for the City of New Orleans. The Academy, which will be operated by Major League Baseball at Wesley Barrows Stadium in Pontchartrain [...]
June 9, 2011 Dear Friends, Summer seems to be the season for weddings, so I know I am not alone in bidding my son congratulations on his recent nuptials. As is the case with many weddings, the occasion was also a family reunion, bringing relatives from all corners of the U.S. to New Orleans for [...]
May 20, 2011 Dear Friends, While spring is a busy time for many people, I don’t think I have ever had quite so many family events in one month. I am proud to announce that last weekend was my son Michael’s graduation from the University of Southern California. This fall, he will study law at [...]
Dear Friends, While we enjoyed near perfect weather for Mother’s Day, the Navy Air Show and Jazz Fest, our neighbors in Alabama are still reeling from last month’s onslaught of tornadoes. Our hearts go out to those in the devastated areas as well as our upriver neighbors fighting flood water. May the summer bring calmer [...]
Dear Friends, Rather than April showers, the New Orleans area has been assailed by alternating sunny days and heavy storms – the streets flooded twice in two weeks! The fervor of our climate is mirrored by events held across the city, from French Quarter Fest to the start of redistricting meetings. There is no lack [...]
Dear Friends, I hope you all enjoyed a lively and safe Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day. As the cleaning trucks have cleared the streets of debris, the city is poised for spring festivals and blooms! Yesterday, I was so pleased to welcome the St. Augustine basketball team to Council Chambers before the start of [...]
Dear Friends, The season of carnival is upon us, and I hope you are all enjoying the festivities throughout the city. As someone who did not spend my youth attending parades, I am awed every year by the artistic detail of the floats, the talent of our high school marching bands and the good cheer [...]
In City Council President Arnie Fielkow’s February 4, 2011 newsletter, he discusses a resolution passed calling the United States Army Corps of Engineers to use its funds to allow full dredging to 45 feet in the New Orleans District of the Mississippi River.
Also discussed is The Planters Corporation’s transformation of a site in Central City, Delaware North Hospitality Management and Food Service Company, Methodist Hospital in New Orleans East and Silence is Violence events.
In City Council President Arnie Fielkow’s January 21, 2011 newsletter, he reflects on how the City of New Orleans can move in the direction set forth by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dear Friends, As the final weeks of the year 2010 come to an end, City Hall is by no means quiet! NORD Commission During yesterday’s City Council meeting, twelve of the thirteen appointees to the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission were approved by the City Council; the 13th appointee will be announced Monday after the [...]
Dear Friends, I write this newsletter a little more rested than the last one. On Wednesday, December 1, after more than six weeks of deliberation, the City Council adopted the 2011 Operating and Capital budgets for the City of New Orleans. Mayor Landrieu proposed a budget on October 15, two weeks earlier than usual. The Council combed through each line of the document, trimming it as much as possible while ensuring funding for the city’s priorities, from blight eradication to crime prevention.
November 19, 2010 Dear Friends, Although some people say that New Orleans doesn’t have seasons, I can argue that we most definitely do! Falling snow is not the only indicator that the year is drawing to a close. I know that Thanksgiving is next week because the City Council is in the final steps of [...]
Dear Friends, As you know, the City Council is knee deep in budget hearings as we enter our third week of publicly vetting Mayor Landrieu’s proposed $483.4 million general fund budget for 2011. We begin every morning at 10 am in Council Chambers, where the public is welcome to attend. My website’s calendar features the [...]
Dear Friends, I am so pleased to write this newsletter with the knowledge that 74% of the voters on October 2nd chose to amend the City Charter to create a whole new model of recreation for the City of New Orleans. New Orleanians chose to improve recreation, to improve the lives of our youth and seniors.
September 20, 2010 Dear Friends, I hope you are enjoying this cooler and less humid weather. It is certainly making me excited for the fall! While there is a lot to look forward to in the coming months, I would like to dedicate this newsletter to NORD reform. As many of you know, I moved [...]
Dear Friends,
We have had a very emotional few weeks of remembrance as we commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There are strong tides of grief washing over the City as we remember the lives lost. There are waves of woe as we remember those days, weeks and anguish-filled months following the worst man-made disaster in our country’s history (only to be matched by the Oil Spill).
Dear Friends, As the summer comes to an end and our kids amass fresh pencils and notebooks, we find ourselves facing the 2010 autumn season. Along with cooler weather, we also gladly welcome the election on October 2nd, in which, among other items on the ballot, we will vote on NORD Reform. The inequity of [...]
Dear Friends, I hope this summer finds you as healthy as it is hot outside. As I throw pitches at my daughter’s softball games, I can attest to the rising mercury! Despite the heat, there is still so much happening around New Orleans. First, as we have for the last few months, we are focusing [...]
Hello Friends, I hope you all enjoyed Independence Day weekend! The City was abuzz between Essence Fest downtown and revelers throughout the City, despite the rain. As oil spill capping, containment and clean-up efforts continue, the Deepwater Horizon disaster remains the focus of our city and region. Yet it is really a national and international [...]
Hello friends, The City of New Orleans finds itself in a familiar position today. Five years after Katrina, we are facing a new crisis taking place south of the City. Although this time around we are not on the front lines of the disaster, our City is already feeling the blow delivered by the Deepwater [...]
Hello Friends, Oil Spill Inundated with horrific statistics and saddening images from the Deepwater Horizon spill, all other issues facing the City somewhat pale in comparison. Yesterday, Thursday, June 3, I toured the Barataria Basin and Grand Isle with Councilmembers Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson and Kristin Gisleson Palmer. Organized by Jefferson Parish Councilmembers Thomas Capella and [...]
Hello friends, This spring finds new growth all over the city, but especially in City Hall, where a new mayoral administration and several new Councilmembers are settling in. My office is enjoying a good working relationship with Mr. Landrieu and his staff, and I look forward to a productive term working together with all my [...]
