I voted for C Ray Nagin. I thought that he would be a good mayor. And he was great if you compared him to the Morial, who added to corruption instead of cracking down on it. Nagin had a few great advances, but he is not longer welcome as my mayor.

Why do I get to choose whether or not he is mayor? Because I am a citizen of this city. I HAVE THE RIGHT TO ELECT A MAYOR. The election for mayor of New Orleans is February 4th (and a runoff on March 4th). This election has been delayed indefinitely. Why is this country allowing me to be disenfranchised? If you don’t think this is a big deal, please read about C Ray Nagin.

Today, he decided to announce that he will make sure that New Orleans will be “a chocolate city.” He even said that “God wants New Orleans to be a chocolate city.” What if he had said that the God wanted the city to be a white city? I don’t care what damage control he tried to spin afterwards. This was the most racist comment that I have heard from a public official. He actually singled out Uptown as a white section of the city that he didn’t want. It should never matter what color anyone’s skin is. I am not racist and I am appalled that my mayor is.

Perhaps it’s important to note that it is Mayor C Ray Nagin who decided that he didn’t want to use the school busses and drivers that he had available to shuttle people out of the city. He had signed off on his emergency plan which dictated that he would do this – instead he did nothing. He has done a disservice to the city by stupidly, publicly criticizing FEMA when he often wasn’t talking directly with them to begin with. Instead of helping to fix problem, he complained and criticized which didn’t help solve them, but instead angered those who were working to fix the problems. There is no question that there were a lot of problems with the Federal response, but it’s undeniable that Mississippi cities are getting a much larger percentage of the federal aid because they cooperated and prioritized instead of just complaining. The city has seen much less money from the government as a direct result of Nagin’s actions.

Mayor Nagin will no doubt talk out of both sides of his mouth. This will not be the first time. To the city and business community (desperate for the economy to rebound) he has stated his unwavering support of Mardi Gras. Often on the same day, he has spoken to displaced citizens and stated that he is against holding Mardi Gras this year.

The city of New Orleans desperately needs a leader not someone who panders to whom he is currently speaking. More then ever, we need a leader. We will not get through this without one. Let’s find a new leader now. And let us elect that leader to replace our current lame duck.