James Perry 2010 - Mayor for a City that Works

www.jamesperry2010.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: November 3, 2009

James Perry Unveils “5 Actions in 5 Days As Mayor” Policy Initiative
Action Plan Has the Right Ideas That Need to Be Acted upon Right Away

New Orleans, LA – Today James Perry, nonprofit executive and candidate for Mayor of New Orleans, held a press conference just outside of City Hall today with five families from Lakeview to New Orleans East to unveil the first major policy proposal of any candidate in the race to date.

The policy identified actions that he will take in the first 5 days as Mayor to help dramatically improve the lives of citizens  by addressing the 5 most pressing issues that New Orleanians are facing today – improving public safety, generating economic development, implementing budget reform, stopping corruption and rebuilding our neighborhoods.

James Perry, New Orleans Mayoral Candidate said the following at today’s press conference:

“I’m joined here today with 5 families from Lakeview to New Orleans East that have many things in common as New Orleanians, but the most common bond they share is their struggle with our city’s 5 major problems – public safety, economic development, our budget crisis, corruption and rebuilding our neighborhoods.

After the past four years we can’t afford to wait to see real results, real improvements in our lives.

We can’t be satisfied with 100 day plans that promise progress.  We must get New Orleans working again….NOW.

New Orleans has a strong Mayor form of government. With the stroke of a pen, a new Mayor can make dramatic changes in the way City Hall does business, and those changes can have immediate effects on people’s lives.  That’s why today I’m introducing an action plan that has the right ideas that needs to be acted upon right away.  The next mayor must tackle our problems with a sense of urgency. That’s exactly what I’ll do.

Here are five changes that will be implemented in my first week on the job to begin a new day in New Orleans.

IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY

Until our city does a better job preventing crime, fighting crime and reducing crime, New Orleans will not be the best city it can be.

During mayoral transition, we will conduct a national search to hire a new Superintendent for the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD).  I will appoint a diverse citizen’s committee to implement the search process, and we will hire a Superintendent who is committed to reform and to making our city safer.

Action Item #1: Crime Report Card.  Within a week of that new Superintendent’s arrival, I will sign and personally deliver an Executive Order requiring the NOPD to compile and disclose data to members of the press and public in a monthly “Crime Report Card,” enabling everyone to monitor and evaluate how we are performing on public safety.  We need to let the sun shine in on police department operations, holding city government accountable for its performance in this vitally important area.

GENERATING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Our city faces unique economic challenges and we need unique strategies to create new jobs and encourage economic investment around our city.

In these troubling economic times, New Orleans needs to address economic development aggressively and collaboratively, engaging business and labor, the media, and nongovernmental organizations.  We need a coordinated strategy to generate new business activity, support existing businesses and to attract new companies, more jobs and increased economic investment.

Action Item #2: New Public-Private Economic Development Partnership. As Mayor, I will sign a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) to establish the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in city government. This PPP will create a new economic development organization to implement a long term, comprehensive, and coordinated plan for building the city’s economy.

IMPLEMENTING CITY BUDGET REFORM

How we currently prepare and pass our budget is holding many parts of city government back.

Last year, New Orleans witnessed a budgeting process that was a slow-motion train wreck.  The budget process unfolded over a period of several months and was characterized by acrimony and dysfunctional conflict between executive and legislative branch officials. This year, an even greater shortfall in city revenues promises more of the same. We must find a better way to conduct this essential function of city government.

Action Item #3: More Open Budgeting, More Fiscal Responsibility.    As Mayor I will sign an Executive Order directing the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to begin the municipal budget process earlier in the year by releasing preliminary revenue projections to members of the City Council and to the public. I will direct the CAO to engage all stakeholders, public and private, in an open public dialogue during the third quarter of the year, setting budget priorities and promoting a broad consensus before the critical budget decisions are made in November.

STOPPING CORRUPTION

To clean up our streets, neighborhoods and budgeting process, we have to clean up the corruption.

When voters approved revisions to the Home Rule Charter in 1995, they required for the first time in city government that all professional services contracts be awarded through a competitive selection process. This extremely worthy reform was simply not properly implemented to accomplish what voters wanted—the removal of patronage politics from city government and an end to corruption in awarding millions of dollars in public contracts each year.

Action Item #4: Reform City Contracting, Reduce Corruption.  As Mayor, I will sign an Executive Order establishing a new and reformed process for the procurement of professional services contracts throughout all executive branch departments, agencies, boards, commissions, public benefit corporations, and other public entities while also maintaining the City’s commitment to DBE hiring goals. This reformed process will establish evaluation committees with expertise and diverse membership and will require them to review proposals in an open public process that allows everyone to observe how city government awards professional services contracts.

REBUILDING NEIGHBORHOODS

Even before Katrina, New Orleans had housing conditions in many areas that were unacceptable.  In the wake of Katrina’s destruction, blight has become an even more severe problem that threatens the revitalization of New Orleans’ neighborhoods.

Action Item #5: More Sheriff Sales, Less Blight.   As Mayor I will sign an Executive Order to make Sheriff house sales a priority in eradicating blight.  I will direct housing enforcement personnel to hold monthly auctions on properties where owners have ignored administrative orders to make repairs. I will also direct that relevant city agencies make available to homeowners all appropriate counseling services and financial assistance to support them in making repairs and maintaining their properties in accordance with housing code requirements, because an effective program of housing code enforcement is not simply about punitive measures; it’s also about helping people maintain homeownership by helping them maintain their properties.

My Pledge:

These actions are all reforms a new Mayor can implement swiftly with the stroke of a pen but the voters must elect the right Mayor.  They are all important contributions to redefining how New Orleans does its civic business. They are all actions to which I am committed as a candidate, and they are all actions I will implement as Mayor within the first week in office and challenge my opponents to do the same.

The time is NOW, New Orleans.

If you agree these ”5 Reforms in 5 Days” have the potential to reverse decades of corrupt and inefficient practices in city government, please join our campaign to make New Orleans a better, safer, and greater place to live and work.”