Nagin's Victory

In last night's runoff election for mayor, Ray Nagin defeated Mitch Landrieu by winning approximately 52% of the vote compared with Landrieu's 47%. Voter turnout was about 38%. Mayor Nagin has convinced the people of New Orleans that he is the right man to lead this city out of the depths of destruction toward a better, hopeful future. After a contentious election, he must rally all New Orleanians to unite and rebuild together. Secondly, he must do all that he can to develop and effective plan for the city government to rebuild the city and then execute that plan. This will lead the rest of the nation to be more inclined to aid New Orleans in its recovery. In addition, Nagin must serve as New Orleans' chief PR man and representative to the world. He must become the symbol of a stronger-than-ever New Orleans in the minds of Americans in much the same way that Rudy Giuliani did for New York after September 11, 2001. As a popular and strong leader, he will find it easier to convince the federal government to take an active role in the city's rebuilding.

Once again, the most important priority has to be the levees. All signs indicate that it is going to be another tough hurricane season, but New Orleans can survive the storms. However, what it will not be able to survive is the perception that it is taking no action to protect itself. Mayor Nagin must take action to strengthen the city's hurricane and flood defenses.