Strachan, Kaplan continue close fundraising race as election draws near

 Posted by at 4:43 pm  city government, elections, politics
Oct 292012
 

LaToya Cantrell, Dana Kaplan, Marlon “Buck” Horton and Eric Strachan

With the latest campaign finance reports filed in the District B City Council race, the pattern established earlier in the contest may be holding: Eric Strachan continues to hold a lead in fundraising, but Dana Kaplan appears to have nearly as much or more cash on hand in the final week before the Nov. 6 election.

LaToya Cantrell’s campaign continues to trail both Strachan and Kaplan in total money raised and spent, although her fundraising did outpace Kaplan’s during one part of the reporting period, the reports show.

Finally, Marlon “Buck” Horton filed a report stating that he did not raise or spend any money during the latest period. Continue reading »

Owen Courreges: The Owen Courreges voters’ guide to the District B City Council election

 Posted by at 5:30 am  city government, elections, opinion, politics
Oct 292012
 

Owen Courreges

There’s an old “Bloom County” cartoon I recall reading once.  They’re holding a political convention, and Milo Bloom, ever the political realist, is at the podium speaking about the sundry scandals and distractions that will govern the upcoming election.  Watch a few minutes of cable news commentary and you get the same effect.

All of a sudden Opus (who, incidentally, is a penguin), shouts out, “ISSUES!” Milo says, “What’s that?” Opus then responds: “I THINK AN ELECTION SHOULD BE ABOUT ISSUES!”

In the final panel, Opus is seen tied upside-down to tree, his mouth taped shut, below a large sign emblazoned with the word “BLASPHEMER.” Continue reading »

Owen Courreges: 10 questions for the District B City Council candidates (and their answers)

 Posted by at 5:29 am  business, city government, opinion, politics
Oct 292012
 

Owen Courreges

Hello, dear readers. What follows are the results of a policy questionnaire that I sent to all the candidates in the city council District B race. I received responses from Marlon Horton, LaToya Cantrell and Dana Kaplan, but did not hear back from Eric Strachan.

Please bear in mind that positions taken during a campaign are not set in stone and that working as a single member of a legislative body requires negotiation, trade-offs, and prioritization. Sometimes politicians fail to take specific positions during campaigns to avoid alienating voters or being called hypocrites later. When that is the case the electorate itself is mostly to blame.

I would like to thank all the candidates who responded. Their candor was refreshing, and I hope that these questions and their answers will assist District B voters in making their selection. Continue reading »

District attorney endorses Strachan for council, lashes out against firearms amendment to state Constitution

 Posted by at 10:26 am  city government, court, crime, elections, politics, public safety
Oct 262012
 

Eric Strachan

Standing at the same intersection where a local attorney was gravely wounded after being shot during a carjacking in his driveway, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro Jr. endorsed Eric Strachan for City Council on Thursday as the best candidate for criminal-justice reform and denounced a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would make it more difficult for the legislature to pass gun-control laws. Continue reading »

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Jean-Paul Villere: My date with the DMV

 Posted by at 11:25 am  city government, opinion, state government
Oct 242012
 

Jean-Paul Villere

Recently en route to a morning meeting, I got pulled over by the NOPD, with good reason: my license plate had long expired.  And I knew it, and I knew what was next.  My inspection sticker?  Expired.  Insurance?  Legit, but no proof therein.  The only saving grace was that my license to drive happens to be aces with nothing attached, plus I operated the vehicle in a stellar manner.  Okay, the officer didn’t use the word ‘stellar’, that’s my own embellishment.  But trust me, I’m a good driver, just maybe not always a 100-percent legal one. Continue reading »

Wendell Pierce plans next Sterling Express location for gas station on Tchoupitoulas

 Posted by at 1:53 pm  business, city government
Oct 232012
 

Actor Wendell Pierce describes his proposal for a Sterling Express store anchoring a gas station on Tchoupitoulas at St. James before the City Planning Commission on Tuesday afternoon. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)

Actor Wendell Pierce plans the next location of his fresh-food convenience store concept, Sterling Express, for Tchoupitoulas near the old Market Street power plant in the Lower Garden District, but the proposed gas station he wants to put it in received a split decision from a city panel Tuesday on its request for two bays for large trucks. Continue reading »

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Office, community center proposed for corner of Leonidas and Willow

 Posted by at 5:10 pm  business, city government, neighborhood groups
Oct 222012
 

Article by Marta Jewson, for UptownMessenger.com

An undated image of the building at the corner of Leonidas and Willow from Google Maps.

The owner of a building at the corner of Leonidas and Willow is proposing to change its zoning from residential to neighborhood business for a contractor-training office and community space, raising some questions among surrounding neighbors. Continue reading »

Owen Courreges: The Rise and Fall of DJ Luddite

 Posted by at 9:47 am  arts, books and music, city government, opinion
Oct 222012
 

Owen Courreges

D.J. Luddite is no more.

Some explanation is required.  My day-to-day persona is that of Owen Courreges, Attorney at Law.   However, on Thursday evenings I have been breaking out my 1923 Brunswick suitcase phonograph at the Bayou Bar in the Hotel Pontchartrain.  There, I play 78 rpm records as my alter ego – D.J. Luddite (because D.J. Luddite eschews modern technology).

It’s kind of like Garth Brooks and his rock alter ego Chris Gaines, only far less lame and pretentious.  Well, at least less pretentious.

However, for the past few weeks I’ve been absent.  Music has been silenced at Bayou Bar.  This is regrettable, because Bayou Bar has a storied history in the music community.  Reportedly Cole Porter played here somewhat inconsistently on weekends for about twelve years.  Frank Sinatra and Frankie Lane used Bayou Bar as their watering hole, and are even rumored to have performed on occasion. Continue reading »

Kaplan wins endorsement of Mayor Landrieu, Congressman Richmond and five others

 Posted by at 3:23 pm  city government, elections, politics
Oct 172012
 

Dana Kaplan is surrounded by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond and other elected officials Wednesday afternoon in a news conference announcing their endorsements. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)

A week after grabbing attention with the largest remaining fundraising war chest, Dana Kaplan bolstered her campaign for the open District B seat on the New Orleans City Council by announcing endorsements Wednesday from Mayor Mitch Landrieu, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond and five other prominent elected officials.

“I’m very excited by this broad base of support,” Kaplan said after the news conference. “I didn’t run for office knowing I would get it.” Continue reading »

Owen Courreges: The steak-dinner pension plan

 Posted by at 11:55 am  city government, opinion, politics, state government
Oct 152012
 

Owen Courreges

Just a block over from my house is Mr. John’s Steakhouse. In my humble opinion, it offers the best steaks in the city. They use only the finest cuts seared in butter and cooked to perfection. And of course, like all of the finest steakhouses, they are not cheap. Mr. John’s is synonymous with special occasions.

This is not, however, the case for the Board of Trustees for the New Orleans Firefighters’ Pension and Relief Fund. Apparently, they believe in spending thousands of dollars at a time at Mr. John’s and other expensive restaurants in the city. Continue reading »

Allan Katz and Danae Columbus: The Republican party should love cities, but sadly does not

 Posted by at 12:55 pm  business, city government, elections, opinion, politics
Oct 112012
 

Allan Katz and Danae Columbus

The 2012 Republican Party platform is a voluminous document that is filled with wisdom and purported wisdom. But, sadly, one of the few possible subjects of Republican wisdom that is omitted is the fate and future of American cities. Now, to be fair, the platform does excoriate the City of Washington D.C. as an example of every urban failing that can be attributed to the incompetence of Big Government – i.e., the Democrats.

But, the fact of the matter is that American cities, including Washington D.C., Uptown New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, are filled with Republicans. And, in many cases, as often occurs in Uptown New Orleans, these registered urban-living Republicans reside right next door to conservative Democrats who regularly and predictably vote Republican in Presidential and other elections. Continue reading »

Jean-Paul Villere: To Boil Or Not To Boil?

 Posted by at 9:53 am  city government, health, opinion, public safety
Oct 102012
 

Sewerage & Water Board “work” on Freret Street. (photo by Jean-Paul Villere)

Jean-Paul Villere

Yet another rhetorical pop quiz from the Sewerage & Water Board this past Monday left Orleans Parish residents (read: me and likely you) wondering if our one and only water supply was safe for consumption.  And the solitary answer everyone can agree on equals “Maybe.”  Forget that it’s the 21st century, forget that Roman aquaducts remain a marvel to humanity and civilization on the whole, and forget too that over the next five years an Orleans Parish water bill will grow incrementally like a film of algae from a broken fire hydrant to the nearest street drain.  But remember this: your vote still matters.  And why this will always be important remains a let-me-speak-to-your-supervisor line of thought.  The S & W B does not answer to much, or do they?  So who’s in charge? Continue reading »

Private security patrols proposed for Freret neighborhood

 Posted by at 6:32 pm  city government, crime, neighborhood groups, public safety
Oct 092012
 

Violent crimes in the Freret area since mid-April, according to NOPD crime maps, include a teen being shot, a dispute in which a gun was fired, a fracas at a now-closed high school and a charge of illegal carrying of a weapon. (via NOPD.com)

The murder of a prominent Freret Street bakery owner 25 years ago is still regarded as the seminal moment in the commercial corridor’s long period of neglect. Now, even amid the street’s current renaissance, some residents still feel that they are living just on the edge of the next violent crime.

Several Freret residents and business owners have recently begun discussing the possibility of hiring private security patrols similar to those in other neighborhoods around the city, and Tuesday night, began what they see as a long conversation with their neighbors about whether to move forward. Continue reading »

After Isaac, will all streetlights in the city be repaired by year’s end?

 Posted by at 10:51 am  city government, crime, public safety
Oct 052012
 

Amid questions about whether the streetlights were working on the block where an attorney was carjacked and shot Tuesday evening, city officials say they are unsure whether they can fulfill the promise to repair every streetlight in the city by the end of the year, following setbacks and damage caused by Hurricane Isaac, reports Monica Hernandez of our partners at WWL-TV. Council president Stacy Head, however, says that money originally budgeted to the streetlight effort should have put the project much farther along by now.


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