1
georgesformayor.com
1. What will you do to bring more young professionals to the city? Also what are your plans to retain more New Orleans professionals that we lose to Houston and Atlanta? The best way to recruit young professionals is to turn the economy around in New Orleans. For starters, bring a hub airline to the city to assist tourism. Second, develop the biomedical industry beyond building new hospitals and actually develop centers of excellence in cancer and diabetes research. We can accomplish this by bringing Ochsner into the mix with Tulane and LSU. We also need to market more commercial development by bringing national retailers like bass pro shop. We also need a highly-structured approach to attracting young professionals to New Orleans and retaining those who are already here. Our colleagues at GNO Inc. are already doing some good work in this area and so is the Business Council of New Orleans. I would appoint a person in my Economic Development Office to be a liaison between GNO Inc, the Business Council and City Hall to combine those resources into the recruitment and retention of young professionals. Networking between New Orleans businesses and young professionals throughout the U.S. is essential. I would personally involve myself in this, hosting a breakfast every month for all those involved. My personal concern would be that we need real programs to recruit and retain, not soft philosophical talking . 2. What capacity role will police play in educating our youth? The police can assist in literacy and mentor children through the establishment of explorers programs. The key to having police officers influence children is placing police offices in schools. In many parishes, including Jefferson, police officers teach the DARE (anti-drug, anti-alcohol) program. Other officers are assigned to high schools and middle schools. While these officers have a law enforcement function, they also become role models and confidantes for many children. It isn’t realistic to think that police officers assigned to district stations would have time to reach out to children. That isn’t their function. But, if we can include it in the budget, specific police officers should work in our schools, getting to know the children and developing relationships with them. Out of these relationships can come specific programs involving athletics or after-school tutoring where cops and kids become friends and develop personal relationships. John Georges’ answers
2
3. What is your position on the Youth Study Center? First of all, the Youth Study Center needs a new name to reflect a new mission. it needs to provide a nurturing environment for troubled youth where trained professionals will work to rehabilitate the entire child – mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. More dollars are needed to invest in specialized programs. It may be necessary to assign a grant writer to the facility to seek foundation grants that will provide the funding we need for program development. I would personally get involved to bring together the medical schools and the universities in our community to assure that there is oversight that guarantees the effectiveness of this re-named facility that works with troubled children. 4. What qualities are you looking for in a new police chief? The new police chief must have significant years of experience, be familiar with the challenges of New Orleans, and have a track record of successful leadership. The chief must know the latest technology and understand grant programs. I would prefer someone from the within the region, but I would look for the best in the nation. I would assemble a team of local experts including the District Attorney, local sheriffs, federal officials, citizens groups and members of the academic community to assist me in picking the next police chief. The chief must have knowledge of best police practices from around the nation, be familiar with and open to the newest law enforcement technology, as well as have an awareness of our region, our culture and our history. I’m committed to a thorough search to find the best qualified candidates who really want the job and have a burning desire to succeed. The new Chief also needs to be surrounded by people who have budgeting skills and experience in money management 5. If all the candidates agree with the 10 for 2010, how will they execute the ten points and bring them to fruition? Are you willing to make cuts to city personnel, or city perks, such as cars? All of the 10 for 2010 proposals must be fleshed out completely and given a fiscal note in order to determine what can actually be done. Only at that point can action plans be made. As for making cuts, we are facing a fiscal crisis unlike any in the past. We will need to look at any and all solutions and there can't be any sacred cows when trying to provide the best possible services with a limited revenue base. I will only cut personnel and perks, such as city cars, if I conclude that is the most efficient way of reorganizing city government. But I intend to do a full financial and organizational analysis of city government. I would not cut personnel or perks just to prove that I can do it. Whatever steps I take will be based on the realities of the situation. 6. If Mayor, will you restart a recycling program? Will you eliminate people’s trash bill if they pay a monthly fee for recycling? John Georges’ answers
3
I promise to strongly look at recycling on a city-wide basis. However, we need to make certain that it is economically feasible and that enough of our citizens are willing to participate to make it viable. As for cutting fees, that is a question that needs to be answered after I take office and determine our exact fiscal situation. 7. As Mayor, how will you work with the New Orleans Public School System to ensure that children and youth get access to quality after school programs? The first thing I would do is bring together the leaders of the public schools and the charter schools, as well as parents and educational specialists in my administration. We need to find out what kind of after-school programs are needed, determine where the funding should come from and develop a plan to implement and underwrite the afterschool programs that will help our kids improve their test scores and their skills that will enable them to succeed in school. 8. As Mayor, will education have a place in your administration?
Because the public school system operates as a separate political entity from the City, my ability to affect education would be limited to what help, assistance and support I could lend to those who are charged with running our schools. With that said, I will do everything possible to ensure our children are given the opportunities they deserve and need to succeed and help rebuild New Orleans. As I said in my announcement, our children are one of the reasons I am running for Mayor. Every child deserves a quality education. 9. How will you ensure/create more opportunities to prepare our youth for career opportunities or for college? Job One has performed well in helping our youth prepare for and enter the workforce. But I would instruct staff to work more closely inside the schools with career days, job shadowing, and other programs that help educate students as to what kinds of careers are out there and what training is necessary to succeed in those careers. I would also encourage the business community to offer more internships so that our youth get a first-hand look at different careers. I would also encourage additional programs like CafÊ Reconcile where students get first hand experience. 10. How do you plan to decrease the drop out rate? I want to do whatever is possible to help children who are struggling. There needs to be a better system in place to identify students who are at risk of dropping out. Then, we must make sure the system doesn't let them down and provides the proper counseling and resources to keep them in school. Also, as I stated above, my administration will work to support our educational leaders and to help programs such as the Afterschool Partnership give our children the school environments and recreational opportunities that will make them want to succeed in school and in life. John Georges’ answers
4
11. What are your plans to fix NOPD and NORD? The NOPD must be given proven and effective leadership in a new police chief. Once that person is in place, it will be up to him or her to tell me what is needed to bring the department in line with best practices and with the needs of New Orleans. It will then be my job to give them the tools they need to succeed. As for NORD, I think the new NORD formula that is being developed where NORD operates more independently will create an exciting new foundation upon which NORD can rebuild. This new program should be given a chance to succeed . Further more, continuity of leadership, will be crucial to this new program’s success. 12. If you were to number your priorities as mayor, what number are youth on your priority list? Crime has to be number one and the economy has to be number two. However, given the importance that our children play in the future of New Orleans, I think we could rank our children as one(a) and two(a) because they are integral to any solution for either issue. 13. Are you in favor of the current school system? Why or why not? The current educational environment in New Orleans, while complex and somewhat convoluted, is producing some of the first tangible progress we have seen in a very long time. Now would not be the time to attempt another change in governance or systems. I feel that we need to monitor the progress, see if it is sustainable and explore what options may be available to us in the future. We must remember that the children are the future of New Orleans. 14. How can the city address special needs youth? What are your plans to fix this issue? As we address the overall need for medical care in the city, including the plan for the Charity/VA Hospital complex. We need to ensure our special needs children are included in any of our plans. Just like our elderly population, our children are the most vulnerable of our citizens, and we need to do all we can to protect them.
John Georges’ answers