The Bayou Buzz notes that, even after their response to Katrina demonstrated the gross incompetence of local public officials, to judge by the elections, the cry for change in New Orleans was “muted” at best. Most of the incumbents for council and mayor were either re-elected or ran well enough to get into runoffs.
The election results underscore the importance of not rebuilding the old New Orleans. While formers residents dispersed to Houston and Atlanta are enjoying the benefits of living in areas with a more vital economy and functional government, those who stayed behind seemed to be captive of their traditionally low expectations. Both of the two top finishers are core members of the local political establishment that did such a brilliant job in preparing the city for Katrina. Despite the incumbent Mayor’s nearly criminal ineptitude in confronting the storm, Nagin, whose campaign for mayor was organized around racial solidarity, led the first round of voting with 38 percent. He won somewhere between five and 10 percent of the white vote. He’ll face Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, the brother of the current senator Mary Landrieu and son of the last white mayor, “Moon Landrieu” in the runoff. Mitch Landrieu had 28 percent of the vote (with almost a third of his support coming from African-Americans) while third place finisher Ron Forman, who is also white, finished with 17 percent. In the “Big Easy” accountability is hard to come by.