On the eve of a New Orleans City Council vote on a Sewerage & Water Board plan to double the rates it charges its customers and rebuild the water board's crumbling infrastructure, Mayor Mitch Landrieu exhorted local residents to "call your city councilman and give them the courage to do what needs to be done." Speaking at the New Orleans...
On the eve of a New Orleans City Council vote on a Sewerage & Water Board plan to double the rates it charges its customers and rebuild the water board's crumbling infrastructure, Mayor Mitch Landrieu exhorted local residents to "call your city councilman and give them the courage to do what needs to be done."
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu Speaking at the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency, Landrieu tied the city's economic future to the repair of the city's infrastructure, which he said has "reached a breaking point."
Landrieu also tied the S&WB vote to his efforts to reduce the city's homicide rate. Creating jobs is a key element of "NOLA for Life," the comprehensive murder-reduction plan he announced last May, and work on the sewerage and water system potentially will put thousands of New Orleanians to work "rebuilding their city," as the mayor put it.
Critics, however, have long charged that raising fees for basic utilities disproportionately affects low-income and working class residents.
Listen to an excerpt of Landrieu's Chamber speech, focusing on his "NOLA for Life" initiative.