1
www.lesliejacobsformayor.com
By Leslie Jacobs 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? As a private citizen, I started a movement, 504ward, aimed at retaining our talented 23-35 year olds. Representatives from a broad spectrum of New Orleans organizations united to address the issues pertinent to this 23-35 year-old dynamic: career prospects, social engagement, and opportunity for impact. Critical to retaining our young talent is reducing crime and improving our public schools, so they chose to stay here and raise a family. Most importantly, we need to grow our economy so there are more and better job opportunities for all our residents, including young professionals. Areas ripe for growth include the creative digital media sector, where Louisiana has competitive tax incentive and New Orleans offers the ambiance and culture that attracts this industry. We have opportunities in the healthcare, with the building of the VA Hospital, the University Medical Center, the Cancer Research Consortium and the BioSciences Economic Development District. Additionally, this young talent is very entrepreneurial, and New Orleans was recently on the cover on Entrepreneur Magazine, highlighting this new energy. The next mayor needs to encourage new business development by streamlining the permitting and licensing process and encouraging better access to capital for emerging businesses. 2. What capacity role will police play in educating our youth?
Leslie Jacobs’ answers
2 A key priority in reforming the New Orleans Police Department is emphasizing neighborhood policing and strengthening ties with schools, nonprofits, churches and local citizens. As part of that effort, police officers need to interact more with our youth in positive ways. I would also explore ways of expanding the Cops for Kids program. 3. What is your position on the Youth Study Center? The physical conditions in the Youth Study Center are absolutely untenable. There is no excuse for these youth to be detained in such a rundown facility when there is money on the table to build a new facility. As mayor, I would consider locating the new facility on the school board-owned property on Almonaster near the Interstate 10 overpass. Not only is a new facility needed, but so is a more effective program. These youth need access to health care, drug prevention, educational services and more structured activities. The Juvenile Detention Center in Jefferson Parish provides an example of what New Orleans should be providing these youth. 4. What qualities are you looking for in a new police chief?
Our Police Superintendent must also be just as committed as I am to reducing violent crime, and that person has to be willing to be held accountable to measurable improvements.
1.
2.
3.
4.
These are four criteria I will insist on in our new top crime fighter: A Police Chief who can lead the department, instill a culture of accountability and is committed to working in partnership with all parties of the criminal justice system A Police Chief with a proven record of neighborhood policingbuilding trust with and engaging neighborhoods and nonprofits in the effort to reduce violent crime A Police Chief committed to accountability up and down the line, who will have a transparent, open reporting system on tracking crime neighborhood by neighborhood; A Police Chief who is able to use the latest technology to protect our citizens.
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? I fully embrace the goals of 10 for 2010: Mayoral Leadership to champion for children and youth; Streamlined and coordinated public and private Resources; Expanded Opportunities for youth to learn and work; and increased youth voice
Leslie Jacobs’ answers
3 in municipal decision-making. Many of the recommendations do not require additional funds and can be readily implemented. However, I am reluctant to commit to those requiring additional funding until we get a better handle on the city’s budget problems.
6. If Mayor, will you restart a recycling program? Will you eliminate people’s trash bill if they pay a monthly fee for recycling? Again, I am fully supportive of the idea, but there are higher priorities. Until I am actually elected mayor and can fully assess our city’s financial situation, I can’t answer that question. 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 RSD and FEMA are currently negotiating a lump sum payment to rebuild public schools in New Orleans. If this settlement is reached, there will be close to $2 billion to rebuild schools. As a city, we need to explore how to leverage resources, so the gyms, playgrounds, auditoriums and fields can be used to provide quality programming outside of the school day. Additionally, more schools are extending both the school day and the school year. I would urge partnering opportunities with non profits to provide quality programming within the extended school time, so our youth have more exposure to sports, the arts and other activities. Finally, I would explore ways to maximize national foundation and grant money to help both schools and the city’s nonprofits provide more quality programming. 8. As Mayor, will education have a place in your administration? Educating our youth has been a passion of mine for decades. As mayor, I will use the power of the office to advocate for children. I would like to see an annual “report card” that captures the welfare of our children, including two key education benchmarks: how well are our 4th graders reading and what percentage of our graduating seniors are going on to college 9. How will you ensure/create more opportunities to prepare our youth for career opportunities or for college? We need to raise the expectations of our children- they need to believe that a quality job and post-secondary education are within their reach. As mayor, I would:
Leslie Jacobs’ answers
4 -
-
Work with area high schools to urge them to take advantage of Louisiana’s dual enrollment program, which allows high school Junior and Seniors to take college courses free and receive both high school and college credit Have schools partner with businesses to provide job shadowing, internships and exposure to careers; Set a goal that with the senior class of 2015 (freshman class of 2011), half will be go to college after high school.
10. How do you plan to decrease the drop out rate? There are usually ample warning signs that a student will drop out of high school. A key one is attendance. As mayor, I will work with the police department and the schools to put in place a stronger truancy prevention program.
11. What are your plans to fix NOPD and NORD? I believe that essential to helping turn around NOPD is hiring a new police chief with demonstrated success in neighborhood policing, creating a strong system of accountability, restoring the trust of our citizens in the police, focusing on violent crime, employing 21st Century tactics and tools for crime fighting, and investing in our children to stop crime before it starts. My full plan is at www.lesliejacobsformayor.com, as of December 9, 2009.
Investing in our Children: NORD: Finding meaningful ways to engage our youth is an equally important tool in reducing crime. Investing in NORD will be a key priority: - Prioritizing some of the city’s CDBG and/or FEMA funds to restore NORD facilities - Restructuring the governance of NORD as proposed by the Citizens Advisory Council - Re-envisioning NORD not only as a provider of activities, but as a partner and facilitator with other non-profits in maximizing resources, so we can provide more quality and diverse programming for our children.
12. If you were to number your priorities as mayor, what number are youth on your priority list?
Leslie Jacobs’ answers
5 My key priorities are safer streets, better schools, more jobs and an honest and responsive government. These goals cannot be achieved without a focus on our youth and integrating services for youth into the city’s priorities. 13. Are you in favor of the current school system? Why or why not? I support the current system, and was instrumental in its creation. It has led to improved educational opportunities for our students- fewer schools are failing, more seniors are graduating; more students are performing on grade level. These reforms are working and are receiving national recognition. When President Obama visited New Orleans last month, he called our education system “a model for reform nationwide.” 14. How can the city address special needs youth? What are your plans to fix this issue? Public schools in New Orleans need to provide a quality education for every child. Historically, New Orleans Public Schools have not served its special needs population well, and that problem continues today. Schools, both chartered and traditional, need to do a better job providing services to these students. Questions? Contact Devin Johnson at (504) 881-3273. 1
Leslie Jacobs’ answers