The first female mayor of Louisiana’s most well-known city is preparing to help ring in the new political year with an aggressive push for more tax dollars.
The same could likely be applied across the municipal spectrum in other mayorships, particularly with the Legislature’s April fiscal session on the 2019 calendar. Short of a special call issued by the body or governor, legislators won’t vote again on tax-related matters until the regular session of 2021.
Using recent history as a guide, representatives and senators dislike taking votes on taxes, especially during election years like 2019, and many of them simply hate — or fear — voting against their local officials. So the competition for tax votes next year will be brisk.
Yet there’s one difference with the revenue campaign originating in the geographic jewel of Orleans Parish — there’s a statewide angle involved. The Crescent City is, after all, a popular media focal point in Louisiana and a major tourism driver for the state.
“New Orleans needs a little bit more revenue, so that not only she can take care of herself, but so that she can continue to drive the economy of the state of Louisiana,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
With little wiggle room in the municipal budget and a daunting list of public works projects to address, Cantrell has been exploring options since she took office in May. The numbers involved are eye-opening, she added, and they grow with each passing year of inaction.
“I’m owning the infrastructure needs of this city, which will require an additional $80 million to $100 million a year, so that we can not only fix but that we can maintain infrastructure in this city,” Cantrell said during the season-opening episode of The LaPolitics Report podcast, which is slated to be released Jan. 8.
It’s no secret that New Orleans has a glaring infrastructure problem; potholes are as ubiquitous as po-boys and significant street flooding has common occurrence. In Cantrell’s view, the current state of affairs is unacceptable.
“Looking at it as a system, it is inadequate right now,” she said. “That is a fact.”
As lawmakers begin the process of introducing legislation ahead of the regular session, Cantrell is open to reworking some of the existing formulas for tax collections in her city, some of which may require legislative approval. In certain instances, it may likewise mean diverting tax revenue from the state or other entities, for the benefit of New Orleans.
“I’m just looking to get a little bit more of what we generate, so we can do better on infrastructure,” the mayor said.
Your Political History: The lasting legacy of “The Rev”
In the long history of the Louisiana Legislature, few members have had as much of an impact as Avery Caesar Alexander.
Yet Alexander’s true and lasting legacy took place outside the limestone walls of the Capitol. He was a trailblazer, having helped lead the fight for equality in Louisiana during the Civil Rights movement.
Reflecting on his 1999 passing, fellow activist Rudy Lombard told The Times-Picayune, “He was a first-rate, upfront, in-the-trenches warrior. A fearless kind of person. He always took the courageous and right position. He deserves a lot more praise than he ever got.”
Alexander was born in Terrebonne Parish in 1910 and shortly thereafter moved to New Orleans. As a young man, he worked as a longshoreman on the riverfront and became active in his local union.
In fact, his interest in politics was sparked by his union membership and it encouraged him to obtain a political science degree from Southern University. Upon graduation, Alexander went to the Union Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans and became an ordained minister in 1944.
With a Machiavellian degree from a university and a masters in compassion from the Lord, Alexander marched across the South with Dr. Martin Luther King and participated in voter registration drives.
He then returned to New Orleans to lead protests in Louisiana, prompting the now-infamous sit-in at City Hall that resulted in news cameramen filming his arrest. The images of The Rev being carried by his heels up a flight of stairs by NOPD officers remains seared into the memories of those who wore witness.
Elected office finally found Alexander in the 1970s, starting with positions with the Louisiana Democratic Party and then a delegate slot to the 1973 Constitutional Convention. In 1975, Alexander won election to an open seat in the House of Representatives.
Field Notes: From Beltway to Jersey
— U.S. Sen. John Kennedy has announced his opposition to President Donald Trump’s criminal justice reform bill, the First Step Act. Kennedy’s opposition will prevent Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from quickly moving the bill with unanimous consent.
— Former state Sen. Marty Chabert of Terrebonne Parish has been named as the new chairman of the Board of Regents. He will officially take the gavel with the state’s top higher-ed board at their January meeting.
— Longtime education advocate Ronald Briggs is the new chairman of the Louisiana Federation for Children’s board of directors. Briggs replaces gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone, who stepped down from the post when he launched his campaign.
— Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Director Johnny Bradberry has tended his resignation to Gov. John Bel Edwards. In a statement, the governor’s office said Bradberry will be leaving CPRA Jan. 1 for an opportunity in the private sector.
— Former mayors Dud Lastrapes and Joey Durel have endorsed the proposed amendment to reverse the consolidation of Lafayette Parish’s government.
— Were you looking for a custom-made “I Voted” sticker on Election Day? While the state halted its production on the Blue Dog stickers, St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court Melissa Henry said her office handed out their own version at polling places earlier this month.
— Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be in New Orleans next month to address the annual meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States.
They Said It: Hewitt and Kennedy
“It seems those who have put deadlines on themselves before really haven’t been able to honor their own deadlines.”
—State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Mandeville, on making a decision on the governor’s race, in The News-Star
“If it is shutdown, it is a pox on all of our houses,”
—U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, on a government shutdown, on CNN
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.