The race to guide New Orleans through one of the biggest urban reconstruction projects in U.S. history – rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina – was whittled to two familiar candidates: Mayor Ray Nagin and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.
Nagin earned a comfortable lead Saturday with 38 percent or 41,489 votes, but short of the majority needed to secure a second term as mayor without the May 20 runoff. Landrieu had 29 percent, or 31,499 votes. Nonprofit executive Ron Forman followed with 17 percent, 18,734 votes, and 19 other candidates trailed far behind.
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After the results were tallied, Nagin took a jab at critics who had discounted because of his missteps during the Katrina crisis and for an outspokenness some saw as divisive.
“There have been too many people who said we were dead, too many people who said we were way too divisive. There were too many people who said this city should go in a different direction. But the people have said they like the direction,” Nagin said.
They like the direction? Ha!
Those who voted for Ray Nagin, for the direction” he takes the city, need to remember one thing.
While Hurricane Katrina approached the city, Ray Nagin headed in the direction of a secure location which could withstand the storm, while he told the residents of the city where to go, literally. Don’t you remember?
How could someone as inept during a crisis of this magnitude be leading this election? Unless of course, the selection of candidates running against him wasn’t that impressive either. What motive could people have for wanting to re-elect the very person who failed the people so miserably?
After everything New Orleans has been through, I cannot believe the people of the city could be voting themselves into yet another disaster.
