Today was the first-ever joint city council meeting between New Orleans and Jefferson Parish at the John A. Alario Center in Westwego. Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, the Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish council members came together to move forward on joint resolutions that affects our entire region. The 14 council members were placed Jefferson, Orleans, Jefferson, Orleans, etc. to signify the unity and spirit of cooperation between the two legislative bodies. And as customary at city council meetings, the administrative officials sat a a table across from the council members. So there sat New Orleans City Mayor Ray Nagin and Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard. It was truly a site to see.
Opening the meeting today was Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu who said, “We have a historic opportunity. The world truly is watching us in the state of Louisiana.”
Some of the items discussed today were hurricane protection, crime, and healthcare. One of the most predominant themes was the slow-moving or lack of state and federal funding.
New Orleans Police Chief Warren and Newell Normand, Jefferson’s chief deputy spoke on the joint cooperation between the two agencies. The departments are moving toward regional cooperation with the purchase of powerful radios that officers from both jurisdictions will share.
Another hot topic was the area's healthcare system. Representatives from New Orleans Health Department, East Jefferson Hospital, West Jefferson Hospital and Oschner Clinic Foundation spoke on the lack of doctors, beds and funding. The truly sad thing is that are no beds for the mentally ill. They are either released back to the street are sent up to Baton Rouge or Alexandria in inpatient treatment.
The New Orleans Regional Airport was another topic brought forward to continue to discuss greater regional cooperation.
The Alario Center is set up arena style with the floor filled with chairs and today those chairs included a handful of state legislators; the mayors of Grand Isle, Gretna, Harahan, Lafitte and Westwego; and the police chiefs of Kenner and Gretna. Also, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and his 2nd District runoff opponent Karen Carter were in the audience today.
I was very pleased to be a part of today's historic event. I am sure that Councilmen Young and Thomas were working on this joint meeting way before I started to bring my ideas to light, but if I can help to keep this idea of regionalism in the forefront, then maybe oneday we might see a new "Greater New Orleans". A city where we "all" have a voice on what affects our lives. Today was a step in the right direction and I applaude the Councils for coming together.
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