Is this Wise? Nagin Picks Director for Recovery Office

(Photo Credit: University of Sydney)

“In New Orleans, we have to look like we know what we’re doing,” Blakely said.

You remember, don’t you? The New Orleans Mayor nicknamed “Park the Bus” Nagin. This really isn’t about Blakely. Its about questioning why, if you are looking for success, do you still keep Nagin.

NEW ORLEANS — More than 15 months after Hurricane Katrina, Mayor Ray Nagin is ready to open a city office to direct New Orleans’ recovery, with a leading regional planner and disaster recovery expert in charge.

Ed Blakely, who helped coordinate recovery planning in California after two natural disasters and in New York City after Sept. 11, has been chosen to lead what is expected to be a five-person office and to serve as the leader for marshaling a recovery process that critics have derided as too slow.

It sounds good but do I really trust this as more than a publicity stunt? Not really. Even if this ends up being on the up and up… is there any reason to believe Nagin will be smart enough to know what to do with the info?

Nagin said in a recent interview a recovery director previously didn’t make sense because “I couldn’t really communicate to the person their authority, how the money was flowing, how (the recovery) would be set up. All that clarity is in place (now).“

Perhaps the clarity came at the threat of losing his job.

Blakley doesn’t add to the confidence level (and I may be alone on this).

“In New Orleans, we have to look like we know what we’re doing,” Blakely said.

Look like we know… odd words. Appearance seems to be king anymore. They call Blakely a visionary. Just hope its more vision than Nagin had when he didn’t call for people to leave in time and for not using his available resources to help.

Yes… there is one more thing.

“He’s a pillar of integrity,” said Robert Yaro, the president of the Regional Plan Association, a New York-based urban policy and planning group. “He has this amazing, Zen-like calm in this sea of emotion.”

I though religion being brought into the public square was a no no. That must be only for Christianity. Imagine someone saying he “brought amazing Jesus like qualities in to the job.” Like that would happen in the MSM. That’s even less likely than Nagin remembering to use the buses.

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