Saturday, October 21, 2006

Benny the Chin?

Billboard Ben must really be worried about that federal investigation, because the Picayune reports that he's putting on a crazy act that might have actually worked for Vincent Gigante:
New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board members leapfrogged Wednesday among a bevy of critical issues, from rebuilding sewer lift stations to selling hundreds of flood-damaged public vehicles for scrap, to the agency's long-running negotiations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over reimbursement for infrastructure repairs.

And though it wasn't on the agenda, veteran board member Ben Edwards jumped into the mix with an item of his own: hanging pictures.

Saying he recently had toured government offices in other towns, Edwards told Mayor Ray Nagin, who is board president, that "they have pictures of the mayor in all the buildings that you go into." He advised New Orleans do the same.

. . . . . . .

TRAVELING PREACHER: In pushing for Nagin's portrait, Edwards said he had just returned from visiting "six cities in the past seven days."

But when pressed after the meeting, he refused to say exactly where his journey took him or what business, if any, he undertook at public buildings in a half-dozen towns outside New Orleans.

I suppose that it might have been simple sycophancy. After all, Edwards' term has expired and the mayor has expressed a desire to "refresh" the city's municipal boards, but to think that Nagin was serious, really would be crazy.

The link for "refresh" really is worth reading. Even Library Journal has gone from writing positive stories about supporting the city's recovery to editorializing against the mayor, calling him "shortsighted" and "intransigent." What happened to the "visionary" that Clancy praised?

New Orleans City Business is also getting into the crazy act, but in a way that's just crazy enough to be scary:

Nod to Jefferson could signal Nagin's run for Congress

by Mark Singletary
.......
Under the peculiar circumstances Congress operates under, it is likely an indicted Jefferson can remain the unconvicted Jefferson if he accepts a deal to resign from Congress.

If that happens, a special election will likely be held in late spring 2007 to replace him.

Enter congressional candidate Nagin with a big pile of money, mostly raised somewhere other than in Louisiana, to fund his campaign for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District.
.......
Could the mayor walk away from his job with three years left to serve with the city still trying to recover? Two sets of circumstances could dictate such a stroll.

The first instance is the city's recovery starts going well. In that case, the mayor would be as popular as he was before the storm and electable.

The second scenario is the city remains a complete mess. Road Home problems and out-of-control crime remain too much for the mayor to handle.

In that case, it makes sense for Nagin to distance himself from the governor, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the City Council and blame our problems on everyone else. He convinces himself and his supporters the best way he can help us is by going to Washington and having a national voice.

Comments:
I personally think Nagin is going Hollywood after his term.
 
So man, in a few years, Adrastos might end up blogging about the new Nagin movie, man.
 
Periodically, Singeletary floats some whack-ass political scenario that will never occur.

This qualifies. Nagin repaid a campaign "debt" to Dollar Bill. There's no grand strategic motive at work here. Nagin is particularly unsuited for Congress-- much more so than mayor.
 
Very nice! I like it. killing games to play online
 
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