NAME: Mitch Landrieu
YOUR CAMPAIGN WEB ADDRESS: http://www.mitchformayor.com
PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
PROFESSION: Lawyer
PRESENT EMPLOYER/POSITION:
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION:
Juris Doctorate
APPLICABLE TRAINING:
22 years of government service in the Louisiana House of Representatives and as Lt Governor
Experienced lawyer with extensive training in mediation and conflict resolution
Civic Experience:
Loyola University New Orleans Board of Directors
Community Advisory Board at the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center
Tulane Cancer Center Community Advisory Board
LSU Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry Advisory Board
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS:
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: 2004 -present
Member, Louisiana House of Representatives, 89th District, in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans, 1987 - 2003
1. What changes in the organization of City government do you favor? Which of these could the Mayor implement? Which of these would require amendment of the City Charter?
During my 22 years of public service, I have had an unyielding commitment to effective, honest, and open government. As Mayor, I will have zero-tolerance for corruption, incompetence, and waste. I will bring a culture of open and honest government that guarantees New Orleanians from all walks of life have a seat at the table.
I am a fiscal conservative who believes that city government needs to live within its means and focus on results. Upon entering office in 2004 as Lt. Governor, I launched a multi-year transformation project for the Office of Lt. Governor/ Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. As part of the transformation project, we pioneered Budgeting for Outcomes, an innovative budgeting process which is now being implemented across state government. The goal of Budgeting for Outcomes is to cut smart, reorganize and invest in what works. Currently, the City of New Orleans claims to use this process, but it does not. I will institute a true Budgeting For Outcomes process to eliminate waste and fraud to ensure that taxpayer money is being used wisely. I will consider cutting out non-essential functions and downsizing the city workforce after a thorough analysis.
In addition, I will create a level playing field for those who want to do business in our city, support participation by disadvantaged businesses in city contracts, work closely with the Office of Inspector General, and reorganize the way the city grants professional service contracts.
The Mayor can do a great deal without an amendment to the City Charter and at this point none of my reforms will require amendments to the City Charter.
2. What steps would you take to improve communication and cooperation between the Mayor's Office and City Council?
The relationship between the Mayor's Office and City Council needs to be open, respectful, and collaborative. Everyone in city government must work together. My administration will have open and regular communication with council members on many issues. Specifically in regard to budget issues, I will host regular meetings as budget proposals are drafted. In fact, I will immediately bring together the City Council and my fiscal team to initiate a thorough review of the current budget and financial management system.
3. How will you and your administration respond to reports by the Inspector General?
I understand that we will never grow a diverse and prosperous economy if we do not make sure that everyone has the ability to do business with and in the city. We must have a level playing field and ensure small and disadvantaged business participation in city business.
The city's inspector general is a key asset in a well-run city government, I will respond to reports by the inspector general and work with him or her to root out waste and to make sure our tax dollars work for the benefit of all our residents.
In addition, I will ask the inspector general and other community representatives to identify three leading models for professional services hiring to guide me in the development of a sound process for awarding and monitoring professional service contracts.
4. Would you make changes to the budgeting process? If yes, explain.
The city faces a major revenue shortfall caused by inconsistent property and sales tax collections, fiscal mismanagement and political wrangling. My top priority is to change the budgeting process to operate government efficiently and honestly, while providing a better level of services. I will make sure tax dollars are used wisely, minimize the tax burden faced by New Orleans' citizens and businesses, and institute a Budgeting for Outcomes process to instill a sense of fiscal discipline and accountability.
In the last five years, I pioneered the Budgeting for Outcomes process and transformed the Office of Lt. Governor/Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism from a respectable bureaucracy into an engine for economic development and a model of good government. Using Budgeting for Outcomes, I saved taxpayers $16 million through smart cuts, reorganization and outsourcing while continuing to deliver quality services. The city claims to use a Budgeting for Outcomes model, but it does not. As mayor, one of my first acts will be to assess all city programs and departments to identify functions that can be reorganized or cut out entirely and use the saved money to expand successful programs and shore up the budget. I will work closely with the city Inspector General's Office during this process.
5. Do you plan to develop and implement a comprehensive City-wide recycling program? If so, how will you fund it?
As mayor, I will search the budget for efficiencies and available dollars to pay for a citywide recycling program. I will also explore a regional partnership with surrounding parishes for curbside recycling. Currently, we are wasting money land filling materials that could easily be recycled and reused. New Orleans needs a comprehensive waste management program with recycling at the forefront and I will work towards that goal.
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