September 24, 2011 The kind words that rained down on Arnie Fielkow as he closed out his final City Council meeting Thursday were fervent and, at times, humorous. The parting gifts from his colleagues were Naturally N’awlins.

From Stacy Head came two bottles of “Who Dat” Sauvignon Blanc, which she urged Fielkow to pour when he prepares jambalaya and gumbo at his future home in Chicago.

Cynthia Hedge-Morrell presented her colleague a commemorative Super Bowl version of the coveted Zulu coconut, which she noted also doubles as a pencil holder.

One by one, council members bade a fond adieu to Fielkow, a former New Orleans Saints executive who is leaving to take over as head of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

“You are a man of incredible honor, integrity, intellect and compassion, ” Head told Fielkow, who sat at the table in front of the council dais during the tributes. “It has been a privilege to serve with you. I don’t know if I have ever met anyone in public service who exemplifies more of what we should see and expect in our public officials than you.”

In a moment of levity, Head said her respect for Fielkow endured even when they disagreed. “And of course that means you were wrong, ” she deadpanned, drawing a laugh from Fielkow.

Hedge-Morrell told Fielkow that she is happy he has his “foot back in sports, because I know how much you love it, and I know how much you missed it.”

She also thanked him for his work with the city’s youth, sponsoring trips for athletic teams and leading the charge to reform the city’s troubled Recreation Department. “You have moved mountains, ” Hedge-Morrell said.

Jackie Clarkson, who lost a 2006 race for an at-large seat to Fielkow, only to join him a year later when she won a special election to fill the other of the two citywide posts, recounted their changing relationship.

“We came from friends to opponents to co-leaders and friends again, ” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “And it’s been a nice trip.”

Jon Johnson, the only other male on the seven-member council that took office in 2010, made light of his and Fielkow’s minority status. “Thank you very much for having been here, ” Johnson said. “With me. The two of us.”

He then expressed his happiness that another man — Fielkow’s top aide, Eric Granderson — will be joining the council until a permanent replacement is elected in the spring.

Fielkow was equally gracious when he got his turn to speak, hailing his council colleagues for sacrificing time with their families to do the city’s work and calling them “an incredible group of six individuals.”

He closed by predicting better days ahead for his adopted hometown, which he said he “fell in love with” and may return to someday.

“We’ve laid a foundation, we really have. This entire council, the previous council, have laid a foundation, ” he said.

“We’re not all the way there. The cake isn’t fully baked yet. But it’s gonna be. And with your leadership, there’s no question this is going to be an incredible city as we go forward.”

. . . . . . . .

MADAME CHAIRWOMAN: Arnie Fielkow’s departure next week will open up vacancies on various City Council committees, with the key one being the chairmanship of the Budget Committee, one of the council’s two most important committees.

As expected, the council decided Thursday to elevate the panel’s alternate member, Fielkow’s fellow at-large member Jackie Clarkson, to the chairmanship, bypassing two full members, Stacy Head and Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, who was the chairwoman until Fielkow took over last year.

In view of the sometimes strained relationship between Head and Hedge-Morrell, who are widely expected to face each other next spring in a special election to fill the remainder of Fielkow’s term, Clarkson’s selection was seen as a compromise choice to avoid a messy contest.

In addition, Hedge-Morrell already holds the top post on the powerful Utility Committee, and it is unlikely the council would agree to having the same member lead both of them.

Jon Johnson was named the Budget Committee’s alternate member, replacing Clarkson.

Fielkow’s interim successor, his aide Eric Granderson, is likely to be given his boss’ seat on some other council committees.

. . . . . . .

Frank Donze can be reached at fdonze@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3328. Bruce Eggler can be reached at beggler@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3320. ]]> http://www.fielkow.net/colleagues-bid-fond-farewell-to-fielkow/feed/ 0 http://www.fielkow.net/best-of-new-orleans-2011-politics/ http://www.fielkow.net/best-of-new-orleans-2011-politics/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:41:26 +0000 danielle http://www.fielkow.net/?p=1654 Best New Orleans City Council Member

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

1. Arnie Fielkow — The soon-to-depart councilman seems a perennial fave among our readers, having finished atop the field in this category for five consecutive years. In fact, our readers have been remarkably consistent in this category, as the second-place finisher Stacy Head likewise held that spot for five years — and third-place finisher Jackie Clarkson held hers for four years in a row. Too bad Fielkow is leaving the council for the sports world.

2. Stacy Head

3. Jackie Clarkson

August 22, 2011

Statement from Arnie D. Fielkow

Nearly twelve years ago, I received one of the best phone calls of my entire life when New Orleans Saints ownership called to offer me an opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream – a senior front office position in the NFL and to live in the great city of New Orleans. I had worked my entire professional career for such a chance and will be forever grateful to the Saints organization. During my six-year Saints tenure, we enjoyed some incredible moments both on and off the field. I will certainly never forget watching my Dad, who passed away a few months ago, swell up with pride and joy when I was announced as the Saints new Director of Administration. Also, who will ever forget that magical night at the end of December, 2000 when 70,000 Who Dat fans literally danced the night away after the club’s first ever playoff win. Jim Henderson’s call of “Hakim dropped the ball, Hakim dropped the ball, there is a G-d after all” will forever ring in my and Saints fans’ ears.

But along the way, something interesting also occurred. While my family and I moved to New Orleans for a job, we totally fell in love with a city – its people, culture, food, music and so much more. My wife Susan and I have made life-long friends in this great community. Our children – all now certified black and gold fans for life – grew up in the Crescent City and all of us will forever treasure the time we have spent here. When my life – like so many others – was changed dramatically after Katrina and my spirits so down after departing the Saints, New Orleanians picked me up, put me on their shoulders and provided me with a most incredible professional opportunity to help build back our beloved city by electing me Councilman-at-Large.  Not a small feat for a first time politician, and a Yankee at that! I owe all New Orleanians a huge debt of gratitude for embracing my family and me, and always supporting us through thick or thin.

Over the past six years in public office, I have been both honored and privileged to serve the people of New Orleans. I have worked as hard as possible to help improve the lives of all New Orleanians and am proud of our joint accomplishments. Be it helping ensure that the Saints remained in New Orleans for the long term, the reform of NORD, the recent ground breaking of the new Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy, the creation of the new public-private partnership for economic development, creation of the Office of Inspector General, authorship of laws to strengthen local and minority contracting, strong advocacy to combat discrimination and inequity, ensuring social justice for the gay, lesbian and immigrant communities, supporting a broadening of adoption laws, passage of laws to ensure a more transparent and open government, or even our annual youth civil rights trip to Birmingham, I can honestly state that I have given everything I had, and have finished much of the agenda I set out to accomplish to make New Orleans a better city and help it realize its yet untapped potential. Of special importance, the Saints continued presence here in New Orleans means everything to our citizens and I am tremendously gratified they have remained here and will be here for years to come.

I continue to be awed each and every day by the resiliency, courage and passion of New Orleanians, and, under the leadership of Mayor Landrieu and the City Council, have no doubt that New Orleans will soar in the future. It will certainly be the adopted home forever of Arnie, Susan, Justin, Michael, Steven, Yana and Svetlana Fielkow.

But as the familiar lyrics from the Pete Seeger song states, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose…”  And for me and my family, such a time has occurred as an opportunity has arisen which, for both personal and professional reasons, just cannot be passed up at this time in my life. The announcement today is being made with a mixture of both joy and sorrow. My family and I are greatly excited about this tremendous new opportunity, and most importantly the chance to have all of our children be within a stones throw of our new home. As New Orleanians certainly know, there is nothing more important than family and the chance to live in the same city as all of our children is something which simply could not be passed up. Having our two young daughters grow up in the same area with their brothers and having a chance to watch our youngest son compete at the intercollegiate athletic level the next four years were certainly very important considerations in our decision. Regrettably, though, this professional opportunity requires us to leave a city we love and will undoubtedly miss. Also, while I sincerely wish the timing for this new position had been different, regrettably I had no control over when it presented itself. I have given as much as I humanly could to the City of New Orleans over the past twelve years, and I very much hope that New Orleanians will understand and wish me well as I pursue a professional dream.

As my close friends know, I have dearly missed the sports field, an industry in which I have spent over 20 years. Today, I am announcing that I am returning to this career to accept the position as the new Chief Executive Officer of the National Basketball Retired Players Association. The NBRPA, the official association of the NBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotters, is comprised of all former players from these organizations. This Association was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Oscar Robertson, Dave Bing, Dave DeBusschere, Dave Cowens and Archie Clark, and works in direct partnership with both the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. This new leadership opportunity presents an incredible upside for growth, including initiatives around the globe, national television and marketing, and events/programming designed to enhance the quality of life for all former players. I am extremely honored that the NBRPA Board of Directors, after an exhaustive national search, has entrusted me with the leadership of this prestigious organization,

This morning I tendered a formal letter of resignation, effective October 1, to City Council President Clarkson and look forward to working with the entire Council in concluding my city work over the next six weeks. I am confident the Council will identify an able and qualified interim replacement on October 1, pending a special election this fall.

I would like to thank the members of my staff for their incredible efforts and the dedication they have exhibited. I will certainly be working with each of them to assist in whatever way I can relative to their future professional endeavors.

Let me close by saying that, while my family and I are very excited about what lies ahead, we will always call New Orleans home and will closely follow the great success still to come for this city. We look forward to returning often – including next spring when our oldest son graduates from Tulane Law School – to watch the city’s progress, its accomplishments and without question its future Two Dats and Three Dats Super Bowl championships. In fact, my new position will undoubtedly allow me to do good things for, and in, New Orleans, and don’t be too surprised if the Fielkow’s return to our great city somewhere down the road.

Thank you New Orleans for the best twelve years a family could ever have. We will miss you dearly and forever treasure the moments we shared. May G-d bless this city and its incredible people!

Arnie D. Fielkow

The Brylski Company

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Cheron Brylski • Heather Harper • Devin Johnson

Dear Friends,

Announcements, groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings across the city have been cause for celebration as we bid

Fielkow with Joe Cheatham, Pontchartrain Park youth baseball player at the groundbreaking.

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 redevelopment of Wesley Barrow Stadium will be a home run in youth recreation across the city. The MLB Urban Youth Academy will operate in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, providing free, year-round baseball and softball instruction and additional educational programming for more than 1,500 underserved youth.

Also celebrated last week was the ribbon cutting of a 24-hour health care service facility at the New Orleans East Hospital on the former Methodist Hospital campus. East After Hours Urgent Care received their first patient within 37 minutes of opening, confirming the dire need for the facility.

Last week’s Recovery School District’s announcement of the rebuilding of Alfred Lawless High School was praised by the Lower Ninth Ward community as well as local and state officials. Schools are among the pillars that bolster a community, and historically Lawless has been a centerpiece of the Lower Ninth Ward. The new facility will receive a portion of the $1.8 billion in federal aid slated for the rebuilding of storm-damaged school facilities.

Algiers also celebrated a milestone in education. The International School of Louisiana announced the opening of their Westbank campus, which will offer Spanish and Chinese immersion. While the ultimate goal is to have kindergarten

Students, parents and community members gathered at the International School of Louisiana’s Westbank location ribbon cutting.

through 5^th grades, this year about 75 kindergarteners will walk through the doors. The Eastbank campus offers French and Spanish immersion from kindergarten through 8^th grades.

In economic development news, minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) will get a leg up from the NCAA Access Program and Entergy’s Super Bowl Host Committee Emerging Business Program. Both programs will provide procurement, educational and business opportunities to MWBEs in the Greater New Orleans area. This is part of the $500million estimated economic impact that the 2012 Men’s Final Four, 2013 Super Bowl and 2013 Women’s Final Four will have on New Orleans, the host city of all three events. As a member of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Local Organizing Committee, this news is exceptionally exciting and I look forward to its implementation. The first workshop for the NCAA Access Program will be held August 31 at the Collins C. Diboll Gallery and Auditorium at 1440 Canal St. For more information: www.gnosports.com.

If you are going to the Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund 3rd Annual Back to School Extravaganza at the Treme Center tomorrow, I will see you there!

Your City Council Vice-President,

Arnie Fielkow

August 17, 2011 – New Orleans, LA – Tomorrow, the City Council will act on a motion co-authored by Council Vice-President Arnie Fielkow and District “A” Councilmember Susan Guidry that requests Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration to explore marketing strategies for City assets, including revenues that could be generated from selling advertising on public and government access channels, on city-owned public facilities, and for the securing of naming rights for city-owned facilities.

Municipalities across the country have increased city revenues through marketing city-owned assets. Over the course of a decade, the City of San Diego’s Corporate Partnership Program, a municipal marketing partnership program, produced in excess of $16 million in cash and in-kind services to help fund the City’s ongoing operations. The City of Dallas, Texas was able to secure $8.5 million in cash and in-kind services in exchange for the rights to 300 advertising kiosks throughout the city. The City of Gaithersburg, MD recently finalized their policies on naming rights, sponsorship and commercial advertising on city assets. Included in their policies are measures to keep sponsorships tasteful and to avoid the perception of ‘corporatization’ of the city.

“The City of New Orleans cannot afford to leave dollars on the table. If there are opportunities for us to grow city revenue through marketing of city-owned assets, then we should, at the very least, explore those opportunities,” said Fielkow. “But, this motion is just a first of many steps in this process. If it turns out that there are municipal marketing opportunities, then we would solicit citizen input and look to the best practices of other cities before moving forward.”

“Viewership of our New Orleans government meetings has ranked among the highest in the nation since going on line in 2009.  With such a high level of interest, there may be a great opportunity to reap financial benefits from advertisers and sponsors on our government access channel. If so, I think we should investigate that possibility and all other potential marketing opportunities,” said Guidry.

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Major League Baseball and City of New Orleans Break Ground on $5.3 Million Project to Build Facility at Wesley Barrow Stadium to Provide Free Baseball and Softball Instruction

New Orleans Site is Fifth U.S. Academy Announced by Major League Baseball

 August 10, 2011 – New Orleans, LA – Major League Baseball and the City of New Orleans today officially announced a $5.3 million project to build a future MLB Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium in Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans. The New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy will operate in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, providing free, year-round baseball and softball instruction and additional educational programming for more than 1,500 underserved youth throughout southern Louisiana.

            Major League Baseball and the City of New Orleans conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project at Wesley Barrow Stadium with a group that included Texas Rangers Manager and New Orleans native Ron Washington, MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Development Jimmie Lee Solomon, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, former MLB Outfielder and current broadcaster for the New Orleans Zephyrs Ron Swoboda, New Orleans City Council Members Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, Arnie Fielkow, and Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, and other local and state representatives in attendance.

            “New Orleans is a wonderful city with a strong, vibrant community, and we are very pleased to bring an MLB Urban Youth Academy here to make a positive impact on young men and women,” said Jimmie Lee Solomon, Executive Vice President, Baseball Development, Major League Baseball. “They will be able to develop their baseball and softball skills year-round, while having the unique opportunity to participate in a diverse education program in a new, state-of-the-art facility. I would like to thank Mayor Landrieu and the City of New Orleans for making such a significant commitment to their community through baseball and softball.”

            “I have said time and again that the best tool in improving our economy and reducing crime is by

Jimmie Lee Solomon speaks about the MLB's responsibility to our youth

investing in meaningful activities for our youth,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “There is no better partner than Major League Baseball to bring high quality programming to the kids of New Orleans.  This $5.3 million renovation of Wesley Barrow Stadium– one of our 100 Committed Projects– along with the baseball and softball instruction Major League Baseball will provide our youth will help anchor our redevelopment efforts in Pontchartrain Park.”

            The New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy will feature three fields (baseball, softball, tee ball), complete with scoreboards, seating, dugouts and lights. The complex will feature four batting cages, an indoor facility, pitching mounds and other professional-caliber training facilities.

            “This groundbreaking is the start of something truly wonderful for our community,” said District D Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, whose district encompasses the historic Pontchartrain Park neighborhood. “The Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium will have a lasting impact on the youth for years to come. On behalf of the residents, I thank Major League Baseball for their support and dedication to Gentilly and the surrounding areas.”

            “Today’s groundbreaking is more than a ceremonial turning over of dirt at Wesley Barrow stadium. As we approach the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this milestone signifies New Orleans’ continued redevelopment, especially in those areas hardest hit. I can think of no more appropriate place to spend FEMA recovery dollars than the redevelopment of a recreation facility for the city’s greatest asset, our youth,” said City Council Vice-President Arnie Fielkow, a longtime advocate of the project. “I would like to thank Major

Joseph Cheathem, from the Pontchartrain Park baseball team, spoke about the importance of youth baseball during the press conference

 League Baseball for being such a great partner in our revitalization process. Through the creation of the New Orleans Urban Youth Academy, MLB will help elevate our city’s youth recreation program to the highest standards in the country.”

            “This is an exciting event, and it symbolizes much more than a groundbreaking,” said City Council President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson. “This is history being rewritten. The MLB Urban Youth Academy is reminiscent of our original NORD program for baseball, which was led by the great Dr. Louis “Dutch” Legett. A native New Orleanian, Dr. Legett was a Major League Baseball player who volunteered his time and passion to bring baseball to the City’s youth back in the 1940′s. Now, our youth will once again have quality baseball and softball outreach programming from this partnership between the City and MLB.”  

            The New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy will be modeled after the first MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California. Opening its doors in 2006, the Urban Youth Academy in Compton has given talented young players in underserved areas the chance to play organized baseball, with some 115 student-athletes selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft since its inception. In total, 60 student-athletes have signed professional contracts and more than 200 Academy student-athletes have gone on to participate in collegiate baseball and softball programs.

            As part of the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Initiative, MLB Urban Youth Academies provide free, year-round baseball and softball instruction, as well as education programs to young people in urban communities. Major League Baseball currently operates Urban Youth Academies in Compton, California; Houston, Texas; and Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Additionally, two other Academies have been announced for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Hialeah, Florida. For more information, go to mlb.com/urbanyouthacademy.

# # #

July 31, 2011 – New Orleans, LA – Donning a yellow cowboy hat, a red neckerchief and a red sash around his waist, New Orleans City Councilman Arnie Fielkow took his New Orleans Carnival know-how across the Atlantic a few weeks ago when he reigned as grand marshal of a Mardi Gras-style celebration in Pamplona, Spain.

Held in connection with the city’s annual “Running of the Bulls” celebration, the event, dubbed Jai Day, incorporated floats, throws and jazz in its annual homage to a festival from another part of the world. Last year, it paid tribute to Munich’s Oktoberfest.

“It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I was simultaneously promoting New Orleans and enjoying the revelry of an entirely different festival in a country where I did not speak the language,” Fielkow wrote in his latest constituent newsletter, issued Friday.

“I highly recommend this festival to anyone looking for an adventure!”

Judging from photos that show him addressing the crowd from atop a parade float while wearing a crisp white shirt and slacks, it appears Fielkow did not join the crowd of mostly young men who famously mark the festival each year by high-tailing it through the city streets in front of a squad of stampeding bulls.

Michelle Krupa can be reached at mkrupa@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3312

On New Orleans-style carnival float welcoming the crowds and explaining Mardi Gras!

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 a Mardi Gras celebration in the streets of Pamplona, complete with floats, carnival throws, jazz music and me as the grand marshal. This intermingling of our two festivals is part of an initiative called Jai Day that Kukuxumusu started in 2009. In the Basque language ‘Jai’ means ‘festival’ or ‘fiesta’, so ‘Jai Day’ means ‘Day

A brass band plays jazz on Jai Day to incorporate Big Easy sounds

of the Fiesta’. Each year, they incorporate a fiesta from another part of the world and fuse it with San Fermin for a day to celebrate the concept of a universal fiesta. The first Jai Day incorporated Valencia’s Tomatina festival, and last year it was Munich’s Oktoberfest that was recreated in the streets of Pamplona in early July.

It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I was simultaneously promoting New Orleans and enjoying the revelry of an entirely different festival in a country where I did not speak the language. In New Orleans, we often refer to our cultural economy as one of our most precious assets. Evidently, the city of Pamplona feels the same way about their unique culture and the San Fermin festival, which was made famous in part by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun also Rises. I highly recommend this festival to anyone looking for an adventure!

Holding a ‘San Fermin in Nueva Orleans’ flag in honor of our own Running with Bulls event in the French Quarter

If you are looking for a festival here in New Orleans, here are several reasons to brave the heat in August:

August 4-7
Satchmo Summerfest celebrates the life and music of Louis Armstrong at the Old U.S. Mint. This free festival features live music, second line parades, a jazz Mass at St. Augustine Church, Satchmo’s birthday party and more,

August 6
Whitney White Linen Night draws crowds of art aficionados all dressed in cool white linen. Stroll through the galleries, sip wine and hear some of the city’s most exciting bands.

August 13
Red Dress Run can be a walk or a run as long as, male or female, you are in a red dress and stopping in designated French Quarter watering holes along the way.

August 31 – September 5
Southern Decadence Festival is nicknamed “Gay Mardi Gras” and attracts as many as 100,000 participants annually from all over the world.

Your City Council Vice-President,
Arnie Fielkow

A section of a New Orleans street may soon bear the name of one of the key figures behind construction of the Louisiana Superdome.

When the New Orleans City Council meets next week, Council member Arnie Fielkow (Fill Koh) plans to introduce an ordinance that would re-name a section of the city’s Girod (jih RAHD) street to “Dave Dixon Drive.”

Dixon died last year at age 87. He was a businessman who fought to bring an NFL team to New Orleans. And he worked hard to convince state officials to construct a huge domed stadium in downtown New Orleans.

The section of street that Fielkow wants to rename runs along one side of the Superdome, across from the New Orleans Arena