Information gathered from lacounty.info
Los Angeles County, one of California's original 27 counties, was established Feb. 18, 1850. Originally the County occupied a comparatively small area along the coast between Santa Barbara and San Diego, but within a year its boundaries were enlarged from 4,340 square miles to 34,520 square miles, an area sprawling east to the Colorado River.
During subsequent years, Los Angeles County slowly ebbed to its present size, the last major detachment occurring in 1889 with the creation of Orange County. Los Angeles County remains one of the nation's largest counties with 4,084 square miles, an area some 800 square miles larger than the combined area of the states of Delaware and Rhode Island.
Los Angeles County includes the islands of San Clemente and Santa Catalina. It is bordered on the east by Orange and San Bernardino Counties, on the north by Kern County, on the west by Ventura County, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. Its coastline is 75 miles long.
It has the largest population (10,245,572 as of January 2006) of any county in the nation, and is exceeded by only eight states. Approximately 28 percent of California's residents live in Los Angeles County.
The Board of Supervisors, created by the state Legislature in 1852, is the governing body. Five supervisors are elected to four-year terms by voters within their respective districts. The Board has executive, legislative and quasi-judicial roles. It appoints all department heads other than the assessor, district attorney and sheriff, which are elective positions.
As a subdivision of the state, the County is charged with providing numerous services that affect the lives of all residents. Traditional mandatory services include law enforcement, property assessment, tax collection, public health protection, public social services and relief to indigents. Among the specialized services are flood control, water conservation, parks and recreation, and many diversified cultural activities.
There are 88 cities within the County, each with its own city council. All of the cities, in varying degrees, contract with the County to provide municipal services. Thirty-seven contract for nearly all of their municipal services.
More than 65 percent of the County is unincorporated. For the 1 million people living in those areas, the Board of Supervisors is their "city council" and County departments provide the municipal services. The 2006-07 Final Budget is approximately $21 billion. Twenty-four percent of the revenue comes from the state, 22% from the federal government, 20% from property taxes, and 34 % from other sources. The largest percentage - 25% - of the budget goes to pay for social services, while 27% is spent on health services and 25% on public protection.
The County, with 100,632.6 budgeted employees, is the largest employer in the five-county region. Of these, 30,359.5 of the positions are in law and justice; 29,470.5 are in health services; and 21,685.5 are in social services. The spectrum of job listings - from clerk to truck driver, sanitarian to psychiatrist, scientist to scuba diver, attorney to helicopter pilot - encompasses nearly every trade and profession, and illustrates the complexity of county government.
This is a perfect model of how a metropolitan area can have cities, parishes, independent "fiefdoms" as they are called, and still allow the people of the region to particpate in the metropolitan government.
We all need a voice in what goes on in Greater New Orleans.
Let me ask you this, when you are out of town and you tell somebody where you are from, do you say LaPlace, Metairie, Chalmette, Mandeville, Slidell or any of the suburban cities around New Orleans? No. Generally you would say that you are from New Orleans or if you do say your city you follow up with something like "Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans". The fact is that New Orleans is our anchor, our base and if she goes down, so do you.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Word of the Day - Regionalism
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Election Day
Today is election day. A day that we the people get to voice our opinions, our will upon how we would like to see government conduct its business in "our" interest. Elected officials are supposed represent their constituents. It seems that the current political body in New Orleans is only interested in furthering their agenda. They play the "race card" like they are at a booray game at Nanna's on Saturday night. How are they representing even "their" people when they seem to use the "race card" to keep the black community blinded to the real issues at hand?
I have posted this idea of a "New Municipality for a Greater New Orleans" on the forums on the Time's Picayune website www.nola.com. Of course, you can just imagine the responses. Fear and anger keep people from looking at the big picture and the long term effects of having a state constitutional amendment to reorganize the way we do government in New Orleans. Here are some of the typical concerns:
1. We don't want the crime and apathy coming into our parishes. Guess what, it's already there. Hurricane Katrina sent thousands of New Orleanians across the state and across the country. The FEMA parks on the northshore have had their fair share of violent crimes and a lot of these people will settle into your community. And as for apathy, your own attitudes follow along the same lines of apathy that you are preaching against.
2. Why should our parishes taxes be used to pull Orleans Parish out of the hole? Good point, however in the longrun, when New Orleans goes down the preverbial crapper, all of the surrounding area will follow. Why do I say this? Look at how many thousands of citizens commute from the Northshore, LaPlace, Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard, etc. into and around the Greater New Orleans area. What happens in New Orleans effects you no matter where you live in this area. When the politicians ran off the oil industry in the 80's and the port business in the 90's many of you lost your jobs. DON'T YOU WANT A VOICE IN WHAT HAPPENS in our metropolitan area?
And while there were many other more colorful responses to my posts on the nola forums, these two pretty much sum up the general overall view.
So today is election day, and most of you say that you do not want to have anything to do with New Orleans. When you go to vote today, you will see that there are state constitutional amendments and one of those is to consolidate the Orleans Parish Assessors office from 7 assessors to one. So, as you can see, you can have a voice in what happens in New Orleans.
I have posted this idea of a "New Municipality for a Greater New Orleans" on the forums on the Time's Picayune website www.nola.com. Of course, you can just imagine the responses. Fear and anger keep people from looking at the big picture and the long term effects of having a state constitutional amendment to reorganize the way we do government in New Orleans. Here are some of the typical concerns:
1. We don't want the crime and apathy coming into our parishes. Guess what, it's already there. Hurricane Katrina sent thousands of New Orleanians across the state and across the country. The FEMA parks on the northshore have had their fair share of violent crimes and a lot of these people will settle into your community. And as for apathy, your own attitudes follow along the same lines of apathy that you are preaching against.
2. Why should our parishes taxes be used to pull Orleans Parish out of the hole? Good point, however in the longrun, when New Orleans goes down the preverbial crapper, all of the surrounding area will follow. Why do I say this? Look at how many thousands of citizens commute from the Northshore, LaPlace, Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard, etc. into and around the Greater New Orleans area. What happens in New Orleans effects you no matter where you live in this area. When the politicians ran off the oil industry in the 80's and the port business in the 90's many of you lost your jobs. DON'T YOU WANT A VOICE IN WHAT HAPPENS in our metropolitan area?
And while there were many other more colorful responses to my posts on the nola forums, these two pretty much sum up the general overall view.
So today is election day, and most of you say that you do not want to have anything to do with New Orleans. When you go to vote today, you will see that there are state constitutional amendments and one of those is to consolidate the Orleans Parish Assessors office from 7 assessors to one. So, as you can see, you can have a voice in what happens in New Orleans.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
A Case Study: Miami Dade County
As I stated before, it is time for New Orleans to look for a new way of doing government. The City Council passed an amendment for an Inspector General to oversee the way the city does its business, but added in that the City Council would be in charge of the Inspector General. Kind of like the inmates running the asylum or the fox in the hen house in my opinion. Councilman James Carter pulled out the "Race Card" and the whole thing broke down into a racial divide amongst the City Council.
What I am really tired of is hearing the elected officials in New Orleans use reverse racism as a way of political posturing. In order for New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana to recover, we need to set aside the race card and start working together.
My blog highlights an idea of a new Greater New Orleans municipality that would represent all of the (1.5 million) people of Orleans and the surrounding parishes. We all need to be able to come together and have a voice in rebuilding our great city. This is the way to do it. The people who live, work and are affected by the decisions of New Orleans need to have a voice in what goes on in New Orleans. We need to stop political posturing and start rebuilding lives.
Here is some information gathered from Wikipedia.org on Miami Dade County.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami-Dade_County,_Florida
Law and government
Main article: Miami-Dade county law and government
Miami-Dade County has operated under a unique metropolitan system of government, a "two-tier federation," since 1957. This was made possible when Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1956 that allowed the people of Dade County (as it was known then) to enact a home rule charter. Prior to this year, home rule did not exist in Florida, and counties were only able to exercise those powers specifically granted to them under the Florida Constitution and state law. Local laws could only be enacted by a special act of the Legislature.
Federation, not total consolidation
Unlike a consolidated city-county, where the city and county governments merge into a single entity, these two entities remain separate. Instead there are two "tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There are 35 municipalites in the county, the City of Miami being the largest.
Cities are the "lower tier" of local government, providing police and fire protection, zoning and code enforcement, and other typical city services within their jurisdiction. These services are paid for by city taxes. The County is the "upper tier", and it provides services of a metropolitan nature, such as emergency management, airport and seaport operations, public housing and health care services, transportation, environmental services, solid waste disposal etc. These are funded by county taxes, which are assessed on all incorporated and unincorporated areas.
Of the county's 2.2 million total residents (as of 2000), approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas, the majority of which are heavily urbanized. These residents are part of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Area (UMSA). For these residents, the County fills the role of both lower- and upper-tier government, the County Commission acting as their lower-tier municipal representative body. Residents within UMSA pay an UMSA tax, equivalent to a city tax, which is used to provide County residents with equivalent city services (police, fire, zoning, water and sewer, etc.). Residents of incorporated areas do not pay UMSA tax.
Structure of county government
The Executive Mayor of Miami-Dade County is elected countywide to serve a four-year term. The Mayor is not a member of the County Commission. The Mayor appoints a County Manager, with approval and consent of the Board of County Commissioners, to oversee the operations of the County Departments. The Mayor has veto power over the Commission. The current mayor is Cuban-born Carlos Alvarez.
The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body, consisting of 13 members elected from single-member districts. Members are elected to serve four-year terms, and elections of members are staggered. The Board chooses a Chairperson, who presides over the Commission, as well as appoints the members of its legislative committees. The Board has a wide array of powers to enact legislation, create departments, and regulate businesses operating within the County. It also has the power to override the Mayor's veto with a two-thirds vote.
The election of Commissioners from single member districts came to be in 1992 after a group led by attorney and City of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele, Jr. with the support of some African American and Hispanic civic leaders, challenged the at large election system in the courts, arguing that the present system did not allow for the election of minority commissioners, despite the fact that African American Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler had been elected several times. The court, under the ruling of Judge Graham, created the single member district election system. To many in the community, this was the first giant step towards a parochial system of representation, resulting in a general loss of interest on issues of regional importance and focusing instead on neighborhood issues.[citation needed]
Reorganization of constitutional officers
Florida's Constitution provides for four elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"): Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. Each of these offices were reorganized and became subordinate County Departments. Today these positions are appointed by and report to the County Manager.
The most visible distinction between Miami-Dade and other Florida counties is the title of its law enforcement agency. It is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff, or an agency titled "Sheriff's Office." Instead the equivalent agency is known as the Miami-Dade Police Department, and its leader is known as the Metropolitan Sheriff and Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Independent judiciary
The judicial offices of Clerk of the Circuit Court, State Attorney, and Public Defender are still branches of State government and are therefore independently elected and not part of County government.
Please do not be afraid to respond to these ideas. We live in a free and independent society whereby Freedom of Expression is one of our God given rights. I myself am not so naive as to think that this idea is the only way or that this will happen overnight. More than likely it will take decades to get past the divides and political posturing that keeps New Orleans from moving forward. Is this why we are called the "City that Care Forgot"? Are our elected officials too wrapped up in their own personal agendas to do the job that they are elect for and actually represent their constituents? This idea of restructuring our city government to include all of the people in and around the Greater New Orleans and the surrounding parishes just makes too much sense. Maybe this is why our elected officials do not want to discuss it.
What I am really tired of is hearing the elected officials in New Orleans use reverse racism as a way of political posturing. In order for New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana to recover, we need to set aside the race card and start working together.
My blog highlights an idea of a new Greater New Orleans municipality that would represent all of the (1.5 million) people of Orleans and the surrounding parishes. We all need to be able to come together and have a voice in rebuilding our great city. This is the way to do it. The people who live, work and are affected by the decisions of New Orleans need to have a voice in what goes on in New Orleans. We need to stop political posturing and start rebuilding lives.
Here is some information gathered from Wikipedia.org on Miami Dade County.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami-Dade_County,_Florida
Law and government
Main article: Miami-Dade county law and government
Miami-Dade County has operated under a unique metropolitan system of government, a "two-tier federation," since 1957. This was made possible when Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1956 that allowed the people of Dade County (as it was known then) to enact a home rule charter. Prior to this year, home rule did not exist in Florida, and counties were only able to exercise those powers specifically granted to them under the Florida Constitution and state law. Local laws could only be enacted by a special act of the Legislature.
Federation, not total consolidation
Unlike a consolidated city-county, where the city and county governments merge into a single entity, these two entities remain separate. Instead there are two "tiers", or levels, of government: city and county. There are 35 municipalites in the county, the City of Miami being the largest.
Cities are the "lower tier" of local government, providing police and fire protection, zoning and code enforcement, and other typical city services within their jurisdiction. These services are paid for by city taxes. The County is the "upper tier", and it provides services of a metropolitan nature, such as emergency management, airport and seaport operations, public housing and health care services, transportation, environmental services, solid waste disposal etc. These are funded by county taxes, which are assessed on all incorporated and unincorporated areas.
Of the county's 2.2 million total residents (as of 2000), approximately 52% live in unincorporated areas, the majority of which are heavily urbanized. These residents are part of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Area (UMSA). For these residents, the County fills the role of both lower- and upper-tier government, the County Commission acting as their lower-tier municipal representative body. Residents within UMSA pay an UMSA tax, equivalent to a city tax, which is used to provide County residents with equivalent city services (police, fire, zoning, water and sewer, etc.). Residents of incorporated areas do not pay UMSA tax.
Structure of county government
The Executive Mayor of Miami-Dade County is elected countywide to serve a four-year term. The Mayor is not a member of the County Commission. The Mayor appoints a County Manager, with approval and consent of the Board of County Commissioners, to oversee the operations of the County Departments. The Mayor has veto power over the Commission. The current mayor is Cuban-born Carlos Alvarez.
The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative body, consisting of 13 members elected from single-member districts. Members are elected to serve four-year terms, and elections of members are staggered. The Board chooses a Chairperson, who presides over the Commission, as well as appoints the members of its legislative committees. The Board has a wide array of powers to enact legislation, create departments, and regulate businesses operating within the County. It also has the power to override the Mayor's veto with a two-thirds vote.
The election of Commissioners from single member districts came to be in 1992 after a group led by attorney and City of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele, Jr. with the support of some African American and Hispanic civic leaders, challenged the at large election system in the courts, arguing that the present system did not allow for the election of minority commissioners, despite the fact that African American Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler had been elected several times. The court, under the ruling of Judge Graham, created the single member district election system. To many in the community, this was the first giant step towards a parochial system of representation, resulting in a general loss of interest on issues of regional importance and focusing instead on neighborhood issues.[citation needed]
Reorganization of constitutional officers
Florida's Constitution provides for four elected officials to oversee executive and administrative functions for each county (called "Constitutional Officers"): Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. Each of these offices were reorganized and became subordinate County Departments. Today these positions are appointed by and report to the County Manager.
The most visible distinction between Miami-Dade and other Florida counties is the title of its law enforcement agency. It is the only county in Florida that does not have an elected sheriff, or an agency titled "Sheriff's Office." Instead the equivalent agency is known as the Miami-Dade Police Department, and its leader is known as the Metropolitan Sheriff and Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Independent judiciary
The judicial offices of Clerk of the Circuit Court, State Attorney, and Public Defender are still branches of State government and are therefore independently elected and not part of County government.
Please do not be afraid to respond to these ideas. We live in a free and independent society whereby Freedom of Expression is one of our God given rights. I myself am not so naive as to think that this idea is the only way or that this will happen overnight. More than likely it will take decades to get past the divides and political posturing that keeps New Orleans from moving forward. Is this why we are called the "City that Care Forgot"? Are our elected officials too wrapped up in their own personal agendas to do the job that they are elect for and actually represent their constituents? This idea of restructuring our city government to include all of the people in and around the Greater New Orleans and the surrounding parishes just makes too much sense. Maybe this is why our elected officials do not want to discuss it.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
A Call for a Referendum
I have been talking about this for months with folks I come in contact with everyday, business owners, police officers, just plain folks and the response has been great, albeit skeptical that any true change will ever occur.
I am basing this idea on other metropolitan cities like Miami/Dade, Los Angeles, Chicago Tri-County and even Houston. In the past, these cities had their problems too and when they came together as a larger municipality they were better able to address whatever their problems were. In addition, there were federal grant monies available to aid in the transition.
In order for this region to move forward, our local governments have to stop digging their heels in the dirt and step forward. I am not talking about ending the parish governments or taking away their autonomy (Look at Gretna, Westwego, Harahan and Kenner within Jefferson Parish). What I am talking about is starting a new municipal entity that will better represent all of the people of this region that are affected by living and working in and around "Greater New Orleans". Giving everybody an opportunity to "voice" what goes on in our Metropolitan area. Utilizing the tax-base, voter-base and resources of the 1.5 million people of Greater New Orleans as a whole.
What we need is a referendum put on the ballot for the people to decide if this is good for our region, for a new and improved "Greater New Orleans". Let us know your thoughts.
I am basing this idea on other metropolitan cities like Miami/Dade, Los Angeles, Chicago Tri-County and even Houston. In the past, these cities had their problems too and when they came together as a larger municipality they were better able to address whatever their problems were. In addition, there were federal grant monies available to aid in the transition.
In order for this region to move forward, our local governments have to stop digging their heels in the dirt and step forward. I am not talking about ending the parish governments or taking away their autonomy (Look at Gretna, Westwego, Harahan and Kenner within Jefferson Parish). What I am talking about is starting a new municipal entity that will better represent all of the people of this region that are affected by living and working in and around "Greater New Orleans". Giving everybody an opportunity to "voice" what goes on in our Metropolitan area. Utilizing the tax-base, voter-base and resources of the 1.5 million people of Greater New Orleans as a whole.
What we need is a referendum put on the ballot for the people to decide if this is good for our region, for a new and improved "Greater New Orleans". Let us know your thoughts.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Recover • Rebuild • Renew
We’ve all seen the slogan, but what has really been done about it?
Hurricane Katrina has given Southeast Louisiana an opportunity to rewrite the way we do government here. Katrina, if you look it up in a baby name book, means pure, purification or cleansing. It’s time to clean up the international image of New Orleans as a whole. Yes we like to enjoy life, but that doesn’t mean that we are lazy and corrupt. Katrina has opened up New Orleans to the world and they are watching us.
What I am proposing is for a new charter to be written for a new municipality for all of “Greater New Orleans”. Instead of 150,000 to 200,000 citizens of Orleans Parish, we need a municipal government that represents all of the 1.5 million people that encompass the surrounding parishes of Greater New Orleans. Whether you like it or not, from LaPlace to Slidell, from the Northshore to Belle Chase, we are all affected by what goes on in “Greater New Orleans”. Just look at what happened to the oil industry in the 80’s, or what happened to the port business in the 90’s. Houston and Mobile has taken away a lot of our major industry and that is a direct result of politics as usual in New Orleans. This has affected all of the 1.5 million people of the surrounding areas. It is time for us all to come together for a new “Greater New Orleans”. It is time for us all to come together to use the tax-base, voter-base and resources of all of the surrounding parishes to help rebuild a “Greater New Orleans”. We all need to have a voice in rebuilding a new “Greater New Orleans”.
Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish are having a joint city council meeting Wednesday, November 8th at 10:30 AM at the Alario Center on Hwy 90 in Westwego. While my idea of a new municipality is not on the agenda, this would be a great opportunity to bring this idea to life.
I invite representatives from all of the surrounding parishes to come and participate in this grass roots movement.
Hurricane Katrina has given Southeast Louisiana an opportunity to rewrite the way we do government here. Katrina, if you look it up in a baby name book, means pure, purification or cleansing. It’s time to clean up the international image of New Orleans as a whole. Yes we like to enjoy life, but that doesn’t mean that we are lazy and corrupt. Katrina has opened up New Orleans to the world and they are watching us.
What I am proposing is for a new charter to be written for a new municipality for all of “Greater New Orleans”. Instead of 150,000 to 200,000 citizens of Orleans Parish, we need a municipal government that represents all of the 1.5 million people that encompass the surrounding parishes of Greater New Orleans. Whether you like it or not, from LaPlace to Slidell, from the Northshore to Belle Chase, we are all affected by what goes on in “Greater New Orleans”. Just look at what happened to the oil industry in the 80’s, or what happened to the port business in the 90’s. Houston and Mobile has taken away a lot of our major industry and that is a direct result of politics as usual in New Orleans. This has affected all of the 1.5 million people of the surrounding areas. It is time for us all to come together for a new “Greater New Orleans”. It is time for us all to come together to use the tax-base, voter-base and resources of all of the surrounding parishes to help rebuild a “Greater New Orleans”. We all need to have a voice in rebuilding a new “Greater New Orleans”.
Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish are having a joint city council meeting Wednesday, November 8th at 10:30 AM at the Alario Center on Hwy 90 in Westwego. While my idea of a new municipality is not on the agenda, this would be a great opportunity to bring this idea to life.
I invite representatives from all of the surrounding parishes to come and participate in this grass roots movement.
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