New Orleans Mayor's swipe at NY

[vwwh1 0]

From New Orleans Newspaper Times-Picaynne

www.nola.com

Nagin takes swipe at NYC in defending local recovery efforts

From staff and wire reports

Apparently annoyed with insinuations that New Orleans’ recovery is lagging, Mayor Ray Nagin takes a swipe at the pace of New York’s redevelopment of the World Trade Center site on a TV news show that will air Sunday.

On a tour of wreckage in the devastated Lower 9th Ward, Nagin said much of the debris has been removed from public property. When a “60 Minutes” correspondent pointed out flood-damaged cars on the streets, Nagin shot back, “You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed, and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair,” according to CBS.

The program is scheduled to air Sunday night. Text and a video clip from the Nagin piece were posted on CBS’ Web site Thursday.

Nagin’s comment apparently rankled some New Yorkers.

The chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the agency created to oversee the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and downtown Manhattan, pointed out that New York sent firefighters, police officers and engineers to New Orleans to help in the days after the hurricane.

“We understand how difficult rebuilding a city after such destruction can be,” Chairman Kevin Rampe said.

Rampe said “tremendous progress” has been made in lower Manhattan, with the Freedom Tower, a transportation hub and a memorial to the nearly 3,000 attack victims now under construction.

The agency is set to go out of business this fall after the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack because it has completed its mission, Rampe said.

A spokesman for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said lower Manhattan is thriving.

“Record numbers of people live downtown, and new cultural attractions are making the area a vibrant, 24-hour-a-day community,” Stu Loeser said. “We wish the same bright future for New Orleans and continue to stand ready to provide any help we can, just as we did in the immediate aftermath of Katrina.”

Nagin did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. His spokeswoman, Ceeon Quiett, offered a more nuanced version of what the mayor intended with his remarks.

“In this time of recovery and rebuilding, perspective is needed to help increase understanding about the journey — not sprint — involved in rebuilding this city,” she wrote. “New York City and New Orleans have experienced tragic devastation and loss of life in historic proportions and rebuilding and recovering will take time. At this sensitive time in our city, it is critical that we maintain our perspective and focus.”

About 22 million tons of construction and demolition debris were created by Katrina. In comparison, Louisiana’s largest landfill handled only 1 million tons of debris in an average year. About 400 other facilities statewide were opened to handle the enormous amount of debris created by the storm and floodwaters.

(Staff writer Gordon Russell contributed to this story. He can be reached at grussell@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3300.)

Send your thoughts to the kind mayor to:

http://www.cityofno.com/Portals/Portal35/portal.aspx

[Truck4 48]

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_236190836.html

[roeems87 0]

Lets be honest here... There was no leadership coming from that man throughout the entire ordeal. Not once did you see our mayor on the TV yelling at the government for not helping. Not once did you see him complain or take a dig at the president. Instead you saw a leader. A man capable of leading a city through its worst days. New Orleans unfortunately has none of that. They have someone who was totally incapable of handling the situation and ungrateful for every piece of help he got from EVERYWHERE in this country (including the very city he takes a swipe at). He is a disgrace to leadership. He always has been, and always will be. I just wish that city would see that, but apparently they would rather follow along in his political--and quite frankly ignorant--rhetoric.

[Guest]

Ray Nagin is not qualified to be Dog Catcher let alone Mayor.

He did very little to prepare when Katrina hit (except BS) and then when things went sour he started blaming everyone else starting with the Feds. It's never his fault!

And now he has his sights set on NY.

From New Orleans Newspaper Times-Picaynne

www.nola.com

Nagin takes swipe at NYC in defending local recovery efforts

From staff and wire reports

Apparently annoyed with insinuations that New Orleans’ recovery is lagging, Mayor Ray Nagin takes a swipe at the pace of New York’s redevelopment of the World Trade Center site on a TV news show that will air Sunday.

On a tour of wreckage in the devastated Lower 9th Ward, Nagin said much of the debris has been removed from public property. When a “60 Minutes†correspondent pointed out flood-damaged cars on the streets, Nagin shot back, “You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed, and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair,†according to CBS.

The program is scheduled to air Sunday night. Text and a video clip from the Nagin piece were posted on CBS’ Web site Thursday.

Nagin’s comment apparently rankled some New Yorkers.

The chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the agency created to oversee the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and downtown Manhattan, pointed out that New York sent firefighters, police officers and engineers to New Orleans to help in the days after the hurricane.

“We understand how difficult rebuilding a city after such destruction can be,†Chairman Kevin Rampe said.

Rampe said “tremendous progress†has been made in lower Manhattan, with the Freedom Tower, a transportation hub and a memorial to the nearly 3,000 attack victims now under construction.

The agency is set to go out of business this fall after the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack because it has completed its mission, Rampe said.

A spokesman for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said lower Manhattan is thriving.

“Record numbers of people live downtown, and new cultural attractions are making the area a vibrant, 24-hour-a-day community,†Stu Loeser said. “We wish the same bright future for New Orleans and continue to stand ready to provide any help we can, just as we did in the immediate aftermath of Katrina.â€

Nagin did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. His spokeswoman, Ceeon Quiett, offered a more nuanced version of what the mayor intended with his remarks.

“In this time of recovery and rebuilding, perspective is needed to help increase understanding about the journey — not sprint — involved in rebuilding this city,†she wrote. “New York City and New Orleans have experienced tragic devastation and loss of life in historic proportions and rebuilding and recovering will take time. At this sensitive time in our city, it is critical that we maintain our perspective and focus.â€

About 22 million tons of construction and demolition debris were created by Katrina. In comparison, Louisiana’s largest landfill handled only 1 million tons of debris in an average year. About 400 other facilities statewide were opened to handle the enormous amount of debris created by the storm and floodwaters.

(Staff writer Gordon Russell contributed to this story. He can be reached at grussell@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3300.)

Send your thoughts to the kind mayor to:

http://www.cityofno.com/Portals/Portal35/portal.aspx

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[27east 19]

Ray Nagin is not qualified to be Dog Catcher let alone Mayor.

He did very little to prepare when Katrina hit (except BS) and then when things went sour he started blaming everyone else starting with the Feds.  It's never his fault!

And now he has his sights set on NY.

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Of course it wasn't C. Ray's fault. We all know that the criminal Bush ordered Rumsfeld and Cheney to create the hurricane, and then we also all know that it was always the job of the Feds to evacuate the people in the path of any storm....

....oh wait....

[JBE 328]

And how many neighborhoods in NO have been rebuilt?? I would ask one question of this JO pi$$ poor excuse for a mayor, "WTF would you have done in a situation like that, where the devastation was not anticipated??" You saw Katrina coming and you did nothing but complain instead of getting out there and helping. Spineless POS. I feel sorry for the residents of NO to a point, didn't they vote this JO back into office??

PS, Giuliani is a few levels better than this guy, but not by much.

Edited August 25, 2006 by JBE

[Guest WolfEMT]

In the days immediately before 9/11 we had no advanced warning of what was about to happen. In the hours, days, and weeks after, Rudy Giuliani - as controversial as he may have been previously - exemplified the qualities of a true leader.

Conversely, Ray Nagin had several days worth of notice that Katrina was strengthening and would produce a catastrophic aftermath when it finally made landfall. Yet, he did nothing except twiddle his thumbs, wait for handouts, and formulate his half-cocked idea of a "chocolate city."

To even compare the two events shows an ineptitude so great that it is beyond understanding; it is a slap in the face to those who gave their lives both then and now, in addition to the survivors. My advice to Ray Nagin is to quit whining, grow a spine, and shut the hell up, especially when it comes to matters that he knows nothing about.

[Amato122 0]

I'd never think I would defend Giuliani(who's no friend of FD or EMS but thats a topic for another time.), but Ray Nagin is possibly the worst mayor of any large city in America. New Orleans before and after Katrina hit was a banana republic that has more in common with Rio or Mexico City than it does with a modern American city like New York or Chicago. Before the storm the city had vast slums, substandard public schools, rampant violent crime and corrupt politicians taking bribes and generally neglecting the well being of the people they were elected to represent. Nagin and the governor of Lousiana(I forget her name) had absolutely no contingency plan in place to deal with a major hurricane and flooding, a scenario that has occurred many times throughout the history of New Orleans. Did they think that this couldnt happen? New Orleans is below sea level, key word below sea level. I have to agree the feds did drop the ball. It was obvious on day one that Nagin and the governor were completely incompetent. Sorry Bush and Cheney...you get no brownie points from me.

I watched that Spike Lee documentary the other night on Katrina and I found it funny that many people who were relocated to other cities have decided to stay where they are. These people no longer have to fear for their lives when they leave their homes, their children are actually being educated, they have jobs and their local politicains are only semi-corrupt. New Orlean's day as a major american city is over. Rebuilding would probably bankrupt every insurance company and/or put a major strain on the American taxpayer, for a city that is below sea level with virtually 0 industry or fortune 500 companies. I am sympathetic to those who lost everything but the city is dead, and Ray Nagin is partly responsible.

P.S. It's scary this guy actually got re-elected.

[FirNaTine 370]

Take it with a grain of salt guys. This knucklehead is no different than those other incompetent, ignorant so called politicians like Sharpe James, Marion Barry, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton. Oh, and let's not forget Ernie Davis. The list goes on and on. They all do nothing but finger point to cover up for their lack of skills in administration and leadreship. What's even more frightening, is their number of followers who hold them in such high esteem and are to ignorant to see thru their BULL SH$T. They only see one thing and we all know what that is.

[ajsbear 11]

Everyone is correct here. We had no warning of the terrorist attacks. When they happened, New York did not sit back and wait for outside or Federal help. The Mayor and took control of the situation, had the Governer's full support. The original estamite to clean up the site 18 months was completed in 9 1/2. The site design has changed several times because of safety concerns due to future terrorist attempts. Some redesign issues about the memorial and the transportation links/center to be built below the buildings and coordinating all of these projects into one big picture. One building is already up on the site, 7 WTC has been structually completed. Temporary train stations below ground have been completed. A lot has been done. Nagin should check his facts before he ingages his mouth. The original WTC site took over 5 years to design before building began back in the 60's. You don't go to sleep one night and 7 sky scrapers appear. You're looking at creating over 1 million square feet of office space plus retail.

[res6cue 67]

What a chucklehead. Anyone here listen to or watch Imus? Bernard's impression of him cracks me up.

[Guest]

"Nagin’s comment apparently rankled some New Yorkers".

No kidding.

Oh I just have to join in...Favorite NO photo: the school buses spark-plug-deep in flood waters--because Nagin didn't think they were good enough to evacuate people...he wanted 500 luxury coach busses--from Bush. Yeah. Right. Sure.

Giulani=ACCOUNTABILITY

[Truck4 48]

Here's something to think about. The ABC affiliate and local newspaper (ABC26 and Times-Picaynne) in New Orleans conducted a poll of readers and viewers.

"Do you think Mayor Nagin's comments were insensitive to New Yorkers?"

Results:

49.3% YES

50.7% NO

After all, these are the people who elected this murderer.

[Doc 11]

LOL, what's more probable... another 9/11 attack in NYC or another hurricane hitting NO? I don't know either, but I'm sure Nagin will turn all compliments and smiles if he ends up mayor of Atlantis again.

[CAM502 6]

LOL, what's more probable... another 9/11 attack in NYC or another hurricane hitting NO? 

←

It could happen again next week. Currently tracking Ernesto in the Caribbean.

Storm Tracking

I wonder what he'll say if it does?

Edited August 26, 2006 by CAM502

[Remember585 815]

It could happen again next week.  Currently tracking Ernesto in the Caribbean.

Storm Tracking

I wonder what he'll say if it does?

←

I know, I know.....

"What hurricane? FEMA didn't tell me anything."

[Truck4 48]

Mayor Nagin's response on Friday from NOLA.com:

Asked during a Friday morning news conference to discuss the commotion he had caused, Nagin confessed that he could see how some might find it "a bit insensitive" that he called the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, which killed more than 3,100 people, "a hole in the ground."

Beyond that, Nagin said he feels he made a valid point.

"The comparison is relevant," he said. "It's difficult to recover from a disaster, whether it's a couple of blocks in New York or whether it's 80 percent of the city of New Orleans."

While Nagin admitted that, in the past, he has "kind of crossed the line" with his comments, he attributed it to his blunt style.

"I'm a very direct person," he said. "You guys know that. If you ask me a question, I'm going to answer it as best I appreciate it. Now, you may not like some of the words I use, but for the most part nobody has disputed the context of what I've been trying to say."

Asked if the World Trade Center reference crossed one of those lines, Nagin said, "I don't know, I haven't seen the piece. I haven't even seen the trailer.

"I think '60 Minutes' is being very smart about their business. They followed me around for three days. They've taken one quote and they're using it as a promo quote and it has created a little bit of controversy. So, I'm sure there will be a big audience watching it on Sunday."

With the eyes of the nation focused on New Orleans as the one-year anniversary of Katrina approaches, Nagin dismissed fears that his appearance on the popular news program might spark a national backlash against the city as it slogs along on its slow road to recovery.

"I haven't seen that," he said. "The last national poll says it all -- 70 percent of Americans think that New Orleans still needs help. So, if my comments were hurting us, I think you would have seen it in that poll."

[Remember585 815]

Asked if the World Trade Center reference crossed one of those lines, Nagin said, "I don't know, I haven't seen the piece. I haven't even seen the trailer.

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Does this idiot think they were talking about the movie? WOW!

I will answer that question as best I appreciate it......

This guy is slowly emerging as one my personal "Real Men of Genius."

[Guest]

The only concistant thing I am reading here is how N.O'S mayor is useless and incompetant. I'm sure you have all heard the phrase "you get what you pay for". Well, the voters of N.O. prevailed and apparently voted in a tard.

As for what has/hasn't been done to rebuild N.O. a year later. It never sieses to amaze me how everyone jumps in with their two cents when the news brodcasts it and spins it in a farce-like way.

Lets all take a deep breath.......AND GROW UP!!!!!! Nothing in this world is perfect. No branch of local/federal government is perfect. Nor are they run like they should be. It's nothing but a battle of the egos. Nothing happens overnight except for mass destruction of biblical proportions. FEMA is run by a bunch of helmet heads, and local government is "run" by a bunch of babies that need their hand held when a traffic light goes out.

We've suffered tragedy, devastation, mass deaths, anialation of property. We've overcome everytime. So instead of bashing, venting, passing the buck, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Otherwise, just sit back, relax, and be glad you still have a roof over your head and a job to support your family.

[res6cue 67]

Lets all take a deep breath.......AND GROW UP!!!!!!

I'm sorry, but were you attempting to chastise everyone who has posted in this thread by telling us to "GROW UP"? If so, heed your own advice first please. Calling someone a "tard" isn't exactly the grown up thing to do. We are all entitled to our opinions, especially since none of us voted this guy in the first time, and even WORSE, reelected him AFTER the entire Katrina fiasco. His comments weren't spun or taken out of context by the media, he said them on camera, and after being given more than a few opportunities to recant, he just tried to make it like he was "keepin it real". As to the rest of your post, it really doesn't even make sense. What do you propose we, as NY'ers, should "do" about Nagin other than comment here on what a moron he obviously is? Do tell.

[calhobs 110]

Dont worry all Homey the Mayor will reap what he sows. Keep in mind it must be hard to lead the most corrupt city in the state to recovery when you have Mayor Mc Cheese running things. Think maybe he should take my ICS 300 class and learn that diasters start local and end local

[Arrowxt 8]

From New Orleans Newspaper Times-Picaynne

www.nola.com

Nagin takes swipe at NYC in defending local recovery efforts

From staff and wire reports

Apparently annoyed with insinuations that New Orleans’ recovery is lagging, Mayor Ray Nagin takes a swipe at the pace of New York’s redevelopment of the World Trade Center site on a TV news show that will air Sunday.

On a tour of wreckage in the devastated Lower 9th Ward, Nagin said much of the debris has been removed from public property. When a “60 Minutes” correspondent pointed out flood-damaged cars on the streets, Nagin shot back, “You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed, and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair,” according to CBS.

The program is scheduled to air Sunday night. Text and a video clip from the Nagin piece were posted on CBS’ Web site Thursday.

Nagin’s comment apparently rankled some New Yorkers.

The chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the agency created to oversee the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and downtown Manhattan, pointed out that New York sent firefighters, police officers and engineers to New Orleans to help in the days after the hurricane.

“We understand how difficult rebuilding a city after such destruction can be,” Chairman Kevin Rampe said.

Rampe said “tremendous progress” has been made in lower Manhattan, with the Freedom Tower, a transportation hub and a memorial to the nearly 3,000 attack victims now under construction.

The agency is set to go out of business this fall after the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack because it has completed its mission, Rampe said.

A spokesman for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said lower Manhattan is thriving.

“Record numbers of people live downtown, and new cultural attractions are making the area a vibrant, 24-hour-a-day community,” Stu Loeser said. “We wish the same bright future for New Orleans and continue to stand ready to provide any help we can, just as we did in the immediate aftermath of Katrina.”

Nagin did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. His spokeswoman, Ceeon Quiett, offered a more nuanced version of what the mayor intended with his remarks.

“In this time of recovery and rebuilding, perspective is needed to help increase understanding about the journey — not sprint — involved in rebuilding this city,” she wrote. “New York City and New Orleans have experienced tragic devastation and loss of life in historic proportions and rebuilding and recovering will take time. At this sensitive time in our city, it is critical that we maintain our perspective and focus.”

About 22 million tons of construction and demolition debris were created by Katrina. In comparison, Louisiana’s largest landfill handled only 1 million tons of debris in an average year. About 400 other facilities statewide were opened to handle the enormous amount of debris created by the storm and floodwaters.

(Staff writer Gordon Russell contributed to this story. He can be reached at grussell@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3300.)

Send your thoughts to the kind mayor to:

http://www.cityofno.com/Portals/Portal35/portal.aspx

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[Arrowxt 8]

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YOU KNOW WHAT? NY , WOULD NEVER HAVE TRASH IN THE STREETS , HOW CAN YOU TELL ANYBODY TO REBUILD , WHEN YOU HAVE GARBAGE IN THE STREETS? CLEAN UP YOUR CITY, AND THE REBUILDING WILL START!