New Orleans Goes to the Polls

Today is election day in New Orleans. A huge turnout is expected.

It's Ray 'Whiplash' Nagin versus Mitch Landireu.

Nagin was as incompetent as it comes in the runup to Katrina and in dealing with the aftermath (reversing himself on numerous decisions so many times that I started calling him Whiplash) and brushes off his incompetency by blaming the legendary corruption in Louisiana politics.

The Times Picayune endorses Landrieu.

Whoever wins will face a huge task ahead of them. Much of city remains heavily damaged or destroyed. Half of the city's population has been scattered around the country, and unless critical infrastructure is rebuilt (including fire, police, and health care systems) and all the millions of tons of debris are cleared so that people can get a fresh start on rebuilding, the impending bankruptcy of the city only looms larger. The city needs people to come back to rebuild - especially for its tax base - and that will happen only when the rebuilding of privately owned property is streamlined. Ensuring that there are enough inspectors to sign off on repairs will improve matters greatly.

Ultimately, it is up to the current and former residents to decide who will do a better job rebuilding the city. Let's hope that they make the right choices for the right reasons. Otherwise, New Orleans' misery will only continue.