Squandered Heritage

The role that Ed Blakely played in the role of the demolition of the Rosedale Baptist Church was an interesting one. According to one of the members of the Church the former Recovery Czar had admonished the Church with the statement that God was angry at them for not repairing the church in a more timely fashion. So the Church, while engaged in a protracted legal battle with the insurance company was also fighting off the recovery czar who was already setting the stage for this demolition.

Post Gustav Ed Blakely did his best to show a strong show of force, and in some ways it would seem that Gustav was Blakely’s perfect storm. One that did little damage but emptied out the City of pesky residents. In fact one of the first times I met Dr. Blakely he was crowing about his suspending council meetings in Oakland after the fire. His assertion was that he could cut through the red tape if it just didn’t exist. Employing the same logic post Gustav he worked with the Mayor to craft an Executive Order to cut through that red tape and ultimately tread on constitutional rights.

Obviously Ed Blakley had political aspirations when he ran for Mayor of Oakland in 1998 and lost to Jerry Brown. He garnered 14 percent of the vote which I would consider a stunning loss considering he was running on his role in the recovery after the Loma Prieto earthquake in 1989 as well as the 1991 Oakland fire.. A role which he declared made him one of only “5 or 6 people” who could do the job of managing the recovery of New Orleans.

Interestingly enough when I was searching for some information on the earthquake and the numbers of homes destroyed {12,000 homes} , lives lost {57 directly, 6 indirectly} and other after effects, there was a surious lack of information about the role that Blakely claims to have played, in not just the earthquake but also the 1991 Oakland fires.

In fact the only reference to the work he claims to have done on both of these disasters was written in the Unified New Orleans Plan it would seem the inclusion in that document was self serving at best.

I found this foot note in a wiki entry on the Oakland fires.

The book “Almost Home: America’s Love-Hate Relationship with Community” contained a chapter of critical assessment of the social aftermath of the fire. It highlighted how the selfish and individualistic desires by some of the victims of the fire overwhelmed any preliminary voice of community togetherness, including fraudulent and greedy practices towards charity and insurance claims.

So it would seem that even Oakland after the fires suffered the realities of imperfect humankind.

Ed Blakley summonsed me into a meeting after I appeared in various national media outlets calling out the City on it’s lack of due diligence in the demolition process, a lack of due diligence which led to the consent decree that the City entered into in Federal Court which arose out of the Joshua vs The Ciity of New Orleans

Joshua et. al. vs. City of New Orleans and Mayor Ray Nagin, a second class action case on behalf of New Orleans residents whose homes have been demolished and are slated to be demolished without prior notice and opportunity for hearing

Dr. Blakely led a meandering and often pointless meeting where he seemed to be trying to determine my motivations, he asked me questions about who I worked for and seemed to lack a basic understanding of the complex nature of City government, mistaking agencies and chain of command. At one point he seemed to be asking me if I had a “program to sell” the City to help make the demolition process more effective.

I would suggest that Ed Blakely does not like red tape, but red tape takes time to negotiate and red tape is there for a purpose, often the purpose may be outdated and obscured, so then it is up to those who oversee the red tape to get a new roll. And it is up to the citizens to demand it.

Good luck with your next job Dr. Blakely and I hope for your sake your next employer does not know how to use google

In Ed’s own words I would say to his new boss “read it and heed it”

This past Monday and Tuesday the case of The Rosedale Baptist Church vs C. Ray Nagin was heard in federal court in front of the Honorable Judge Martin Feldman.

The 6 person jury, oddly none of which reside in Orleans Parish heard 2 days of testimony about the post Gustav demolition of the Rosedale Baptist Church in New Orleans East. At the time the City was working overtime to demolish a number of structures post Gustav, it was revealed in Court that the funds for these demolitions were more readily available Post Gustav than they had been Post Katrina and Ed Blakely, former recovery Czar was coordinating efforts to ensure these demolitions would take place swiftly. The demolition contract, awarded to Metro Durr on this building was over 58,000.00. Clearly someone had an incentive to see this building demolished, a building which had been gutted the week before Gustav after a lengthly legal battle with the Insurance company.

The task at hand was to determine if the building was in fact in Imminent Danger of Collapse and if so who made that decision and how was that determination made.

In opening the Judge said that this was “a simple straightforward and important case because it involved the constitution” and the lawyer for the plantiffs, Henry Klein laid out a case which stated that the civil rights of the members of the Church were denied because they had not been offered due process. No notifications nor attempts to notify were made on the part of the City.

The city failed to fulfill it’s obligation to present a clear, complete and legible inspection report. Pages missing and incomplete forms as well as unsigned documents were presented.

After day 1 it was clear that the city had little ground to stand on and the best they could do was mitigate whatever damage had been done. One of the church members told me after Mondays court session the City called with an offer of $100,000.00, the Church refused and court was again in session today.

Franz Ziblich attorney for the City seemed to be suggesting that the demolition was a windfall for the plantiff’s and that they stood to gain by the unwanted City mandated demolition. In a grabbing at straws final argument Ziblich presented a confusing mathamatical equation which no one seemed to buy.

Jury was out for an hour..the verdict..The City of New Orleans violated the constitutional rights of the Church members and Rosedale Baptist Church was awarded $300,00.00 in damages.

Well not really. It is actually City Budget Time.

CITY COUNCIL HEARINGS ON 2010 PROPOSED BUDGET

The Council will hold hearings on the Mayor’s proposed 2010 budget, beginning on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. in the City Council Chamber. Hearing dates for individual departments and agencies are:

CITY COUNCIL BUDGET HEARING SCHEDULE -2010

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6


BUDGET OVERVIEW CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

TAX LEVY

CAPITAL BUDGET

REVENUE BUDGET

PANEL DISCUSSION PENSION SYSTEMS:

POLICE PENSION

FIRE PENSION

MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM

MONDAY NOVEMBER 9

PANEL DISCUSSION -JUDICIAL and PAROCHIAL OFFICES, PART 1:

MUNICIPAL COURT

TRAFFIC COURT

PANEL DISCUSSION - JUDICIAL & PAROCHIAL OFFICES, PART 2

CRIMINAL SHERIFF

CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT

CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT, CLERK’S OFFICE

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

CORONER

PANEL DISCUSSION - JUVENILE JUSTICE

JUVENILE COURT

HUMAN SERVICES

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10

PANEL DISCUSSION QUALITY OF LIFE, PART 1:

HEALTH (EXCL. EMS )

SANITATION

MOSQUITO & TERMITE CONTROL BOARD

PANEL DISCUSSION - QUALITY OF LIFE, PART 2:

PARKWAY

RECREATION

N.O. MUSEUM OF ART

N.O. PUBLIC LIBRARY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11

PANEL DISCUSSION - PUBLIC SAFETY:

POLICE

FIRE

HEALTH (EMS ONLY}

ORLEANS PARISH COMMUNICATION DISTRICT

THURSDAY,NOVEMBER 12

PANEL DISCUSSION - INFRASTRUCTURE & MAINTENANCE:

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

PUBLIC WORKS

PANEL DISCUSSION - LAND USE REGULATION & PERMITTING:

CITY PLANNING COMM.

HISTORIC DISTRICT LANDMARKS COMM.

VIEUX CARRE COMM.

SAFETY & PERMITS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13

PANEL DISCUSSION -ADMINISTRATIVE & SUPPORT SERVICES:

CHIEF ADMINSTRATIVE OFFICE

FINANCE

CIVIL SERVICE

LAW

INSPECTOR GENERAL

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16

Note: Hearings on the proposed budgets of the following outside agencies, enterprise funds, and special districts may be re-scheduled to a later date]

PANEL DISCUSSION- NON-CITY AGENCIES:

ALGIERS DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY

New Orleans TOURISM MARKETING CORPORATION

PANEL DISCUSSION - ENTERPRISE FUNDS and SPECIAL DISTRICTS:

DELGADO ALBANIA PLANTATION CORP

MUNICIPAL YACHT HARBOR CORP

FRENCH MARKET CORP, and UPPER PONTABLA BUILDING RESTORATION

PIAZZA D’ITALIA CORP

RIVERGATE DEVELOPMENT CORP

CANAL STREET DEVELOPMENT CORP

New Orleans BUILDING CORP.

New Orleans AVIATION BOARD

New Orleans BUSINESS & INDUSTRIAL PARK

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

TUESDAY,NOVEMBER 17

CHIEF ADMINISTATIVE OFFICER PRESENTATION:

MISCELLANEOUS & CIVIC AFFAIRS

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS

MAYOR’S OFFICE {ALL DIVISIONS}

COUNCIL & ALCOHOL BEVERAGE CONTROL BOARD

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18

AS NEEDED FOR BUDGET COMMITTEE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20

AS NEEDED FOR BUDGET COMMITTEE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30

AS NEEDED FOR BUDGET COMMITTEE

Many of you have heard of Stay Local a great initiative that enables you to find a multitude of goods and services close to home.

Stay Local isn’t just a local directory it is a database of all our local home grown businesses as well as a project of the Urban Conservancy which celebrates and protects our built environment and local economies. Behind all of this is David Baker and Dana Eness.

Here is a photo of Dana attempting to engage our Mayor…

Next week Dana will be presenting to the Council Economic Development Committee the new report just released by the Urban Conservancy

Thinking Outside the Box: UC Releases Economic Impact Report

This 2009 collaboration between The Urban Conservancy and Civic Economics shows that compared to leading chain competitors, local New Orleans retailers generate twice the annual sales, recirculate revenues within the local economy at twice the rate, and on a per square foot basis, have four times the economic impact while consuming a fraction of the land.

The entire report can be downloaded here at the U.C. site. And if you are looking around the site you may also notice that I am on the Board, so I know from the inside how hard they work on making sure New Orleans continues to foster and promote it’s local businesses.

I really became aware of how important locally owned businesses were during Hurricane Gustave, within 2 days Roberts Supermarket was back up and running with limited staff and the owner himself, Marc Robert stocking shelves, meanwhile the Walgreens next door stayed shut for about 10 days, because most of the staff were bused out of the City during evacuation. Local businesses are more sustainable and more likely to stay open even in an economic downturn.

So please think about coming on out to the Urban Conservancy Fundraiser on Oct 21, we will be there and we hope you will be too

The Times-Picayune is a daily newspaper

Established as The Picayune in 1837, the paper’s initial price was one picayune

A picayune was a Spanish coin worth half a Spanish real. Its name derives from the French language picaillon, which is itself from the Provencall language picaioun, meaning “small coin.” By extension,picayune can mean “trivial” or “of little value.” It became The Times-Picayune after merging with its rival paper, the New Orleans Times, in 1914.

Samuel Irving Newhouse, Sr. was a United States of America broadcasting businessman, magazine and newspaper publisher.Born in 1895, his original name was Solomon Neuhaus bought the Times-Picayune and the other remaining New Orleans daily, the States-Item, in 1962, and merged the papers in 1980.

The last year has not be a kind one for the media industry in general and the newspaper industry specifically. Since most of us who read the paper think of the bldg at Howard Ave as the home of the Times Pic it is important to remember that the real home, the one where the decisions are made, does business in NY under the name Advance Publications Inc.

The number of newspapers under the guidance of the Advance Team in impressive. Over 20 daily publications across the country. Newspapers which will all feel the pressure of losses at Newhouse/Conde Nast and Advance. And it is not just newspapers that will feel the pressure it is the community that the newspaper serves. And it can not be overstated that media is in service to the community in which it exists.

There is an old saying “When the U.S. get’s a cold Mexico get pneumonia.” But in this case you could replace the U.S with Advance/Newhouse and Mexico with the T.P. But even that analogy is too weak in this case.

For a business in the business of publishing news they have been slow to react, and it seems that react was all they did. This past year at the Times Picayune there have been mandatory furloughs. This is the questionable practice of forced unpaid days off, days and sometimes weeks. Last year came furloughs for the staff at the T.P and then came buyouts. Now I hear there has been another round of buyout offers to the entire staff. For an industry that is famously underpaid, the average reporter starts at around 30k a year and caps out at 70k after 20 years, the idea of staunching the losses by asking the lesser compensated to tighten the belt may be palatable but for the fact that nickle and diming your way out of this mess will only serve to hurt veteran reporters and do little to rearrange the calculus losses.

Perhaps this explains some of the logic behind the decision to pick off people at the bottom of the foodchain, buried in a long piece in May 31 issue of New York magazine was this sentence,

No one in the family believes the newspaper business is coming back.

So while the media landslide continues at Conde Nast those of us who look to the Times Picayune as a source of news are finding more and more the paper version is becoming thinner and nola.com is becoming more and more of a punchline joke as it features an assortment of stories about giant pumpkins and 7 foot dogs. Pumpkins and dogs that don’t even live here they might as well be reporting on unicorns sitings. Or big foot…

This recent piece in Newsweek entitled “Just How Much Did Conde Nast Lose?” contains this gem.

The company is headed by S. I. Newhouse, the magazine mogul, and Donald Newhouse, who runs the battered newspaper division. As a result of the historic economic reversals, Donald’s wealth slipped by a half billion to $8 billion this year, according to Forbes magazine’s recent list of the nation’s 400 richest persons. Meanwhile, S.I.’s estimated wealth plunged to $4.5 billion from $8 billion.

So let’s all pass the tin cup for the Newhouse family. And watch the Times Picayune sink into irrelevance.

This week famous foreclosure “LaLaurie is adding a new chapter in it’s place in history.

Nicholas Cage’s French Quarter home is on the foreclosure chopping block. I guess New Orleans is through bucking the trends, that or Nick Cage needs to make more movies.

A recent article in The Salisbury Journal began this way:

Nicolas Cage has alluded to a terrifying life changing experience in New Orleans that had him fearing to return to the city.

Perhaps the terror was looking at his own bank statement

Please go to Regional Modernism for details

In late 2006 Jesuit applied to demolish 3 houses on S Solomon and Banks. I wrote about those demolitions at the time. link

And this one which they used as an office.

Eventually they were granted permission to demolish these homes but were told they needed to present a plan to create a parking lot and could not just throw down some gravel and park there.

Here we are 3 years later and this is the parking lot.

So it comes as no surprise that they are applying to demolish 3 more properties in the same block.

So carry on Jesuit…

Today’s NCDC meeting included 4 structures which were on the agenda to be demolished for a CVS Pharmacy. One of the structures caught my attention for a number of reasons one of which is it’s past use as a synagogue.

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Chevra Thilim Synagogue was built in June 1948 at South Claiborne Avenue and Jena Street and attracted many Jewish families to the area. Its congregation was already 50 years old at the time the Claiborne Synagogue was built. Prior to that time, the congregation used a building located on the northeast corner of Lafayette and Baronne Streets.

link

Along with the synagogue was a former fast food restaurant, a bank and a residential building. The demolition of all these structures to make way for a CVS tells a lot about the orientation of our commercial buildings and what will be the reality for Claiborne Ave.

According to Myron Katz, “The Chevra Thilim synagogue building was a powerful magnet in the early 1950’s “The Jews who lived in that neighborhood were very numerous… even to the extent that over 30% of the students at the public grammar school, Wilson, were Jewish; my two sisters, my brother and I attended that school, Wilson, at that time: 1950-1963″. His sister still lives in the neighborhood in the family home, purchased by his father in 1952, and located not far from the South Claiborne Avenue building.

There is more history of the Chevra Thilim here

While looking around for some information on this particular building I began to think about people who like to visit these kinds of places and how upon arriving in New Orleans they may be surprised to find the synagogue is now a CVS. Of course they may have been even more surprised when the synagogue was a Baptist Church as it has been for the last years of it’s life. If they need to take a break and digest it all they can visit the giant Walgreens across the street.

What was once a cluster of buildings that had a relationship to the surrounding neighborhood will now service the occupants of the cars that whiz by here on the way out of the CBD.

It also begs the question;what became of the plans to create a better Claiborne Ave, one that services the surrounding areas? And how will these 2 giant drugstores play nice together. Will we see another vacant structure in the near future when the question of sustainability is answered with one of them declaring defeat and leaving another vacant commercial building? Time will tell.

to see the full results of the meeting click here {results} the P.R.C. is doing a great job of cataloging and posting the agenda.

UPDATE

One of our readers left a link to this photo in the comments section. I thought it was a nice addition.

Thanks to Francine and Sergio

link

Hoffman School is no longer threatened but approved for demolition.

The RSD said they would look for some money to rebuild. Check your sofa cushions for spare change. I can’t imagine a school will ever be rebuilt there in my lifetime.

“We are now treating medicine as an industrial product.”

Listening to this podcast that line stuck out as just a pretty apt definition of what is wrong with our attitude towards the LSU/VA hospital. The lack of planning and transparency is on a par with the lack of transparency when it comes to health care.

The audio is part of a documentary called Money Driven Medicine and while there are a lot of extreme examples of the disconnect between health and health care let me leave you with this example:

While being treated for breast cancer I was eligible for medicade. The afternoon that I was given my last herceptin infusion I was no longer eligible. A treatment that cost about $78,00.00 a year was allowed under the plan but the post chemo therapy drug tamoxifen was not allowed. The cost of tamoxifen is fairly inexpensice compared to herceptin but the ability to get a prescription is far more difficult.

The system now invests heavily in keeping us from dying but little to nothing to keep us living healthily.

The fight over Charity best exemplifies our fetishistic obsession in New Orleans with someone or something to ride in and save us. Everyone waits for a hospital to provide us with prosperity instead of wondering when we will demand compassionate and realistic care. So we wait for the hospital to be built to house the sick we are creating today. Our new economic development model.