will the circle be unbroken July 26, 2008
We had the first of three Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee (OPDEC) endorsement meetings on Thursday night. It was a 4-hour meeting where the Democratic candidates for congress and district attorney gave pitches the then we voted on which to endorse.
We voted to endorse James Carter for the second congressional district, and Jim Harlan for the first congressional district. For district attorney, the majority chose Jason Rogers Williams. We voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for president and Mary Landrieu for senate, unsurprisingly, since there are no other Democrats running.
Karen Carter-Peterson, an OPDEC member and state representative for District 93, made a pitch for Obama, saying that while New Orleans Democrats are voting overwhelmingly for Obama, Democrats in other parts of the state still need to be convinced. She said that the campaign will soon be hiring a state director as well as 15-25 regional and field directors. Jason Hughes, OPDEC District B chair and regional manager for Landrieu’s campaign, made a strong pitch for her. Hughes is a good speaker. He’s someone to watch.
Karen Carter-Peterson was also there to support city councilman James Carter for William Jefferson’s congressional seat.
Here are my impressions of the candidates:
Second Congressional District - Helena Morena and Byron Lee did not show up nor did they send representatives. I heard that Moreno did not make a good impression at the Alliance for Good Government forum and that she can’t speak without a teleprompter. That’s too bad, because her opponents are all excellent speakers who are very good at getting their ideas across. Byron Lee is reportedly a tool of Derrick Sheppard and I don’t think he has a chance.
Stephanie Butler, an OPDEC member and District Manager of William Jefferson’s local office, read a statement from Jefferson. He touted the federal dollars that he has brought in for New Orleans, stated that he is not distracted by his current legal fight, he has the support of his congressional colleagues and the AFL-CIO. Well, that’s all fine and good, but I think it’s time we had a representative who can do all that and not steal everything that isn’t nailed down.
James Carter, the current city council member, said that the most important federal issue to him is hurricane and flood protection. Carter also, as he has always done, spoke of the importance of criminal justice reform. He talked about getting federal dollars to put more police on the streets. He also addressed the issues of health care and education reform, energy reform, economic development and ethics. Carter’s buzzword is “best practices.” He comes across as having a seriousness of purpose. He was not the best of the speakers, but he’s very good at getting his ideas across. He is vehemently against the Iraq War.
Troy Carter was one of the best speakers. I have no idea how all these Carters are related to one another, but I gather that at least Troy and James are not. He is a former city council member who represented District C before Jackie Clarkson and now James Carter. He said that the most pressing national issue is our continued dependence on foreign oil. He knows the history of New Orleans and correctly pointed out that we had serious problems before Hurricane Katrina pointed the national spotlight at us. He spoke of transparency in government, inclusiveness, and the need to be honest with people.
Jimmy Farenholtz is a former school board member and the only white guy in the race. As such, I doubt if he has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning. He’s also got a legal challenge to his candidacy which hasn’t been resolved as of this writing. Farenholtz came across as one of the good guys on the school board in the documentary “Left Behind.” He said that he was “born and raised” a Democrat. His biggest issue was the failure of leadership. He also spoke passionately about rebuilding our housing stock and getting our people to move back to New Orleans.
Cedric Richmond has been the the state representative for District 101, New Orleans East, for 9 years. Oyster has done some digging on Richmond and didn’t like what he found. I find Richmond to be an engaging speaker but kind of a glib politician. He said that the state legislature is the best training ground for congress and that he has crossed racial, geographic and party lines to “get things done.” Political horse-trading does not really impress me, I gravitate to people who I think stand for something. Richmond stated that the most important federal issue is levees.
Kenya Smith is, as Adrastos says, a former Nagin lackey. Smith is the son of a Baptist preacher and his florid speaking style shows it. He spoke of New Orleans having a sad tendency toward cultural inbreeding, but retaining its spirit to thrive. He believes that his connections in Washington will allow him to get money that is stuck in bureaucracy freed to bring in federal dollars to New Orleans. He has never been elected to political office and, to me at least, he seemed rather green compared to the others.
When the votes were cast, it went overwhelmingly for the two Carters and they went into a run-off with James Carter squeaking by on the second vote. I was surprised by the mere handful of votes for Dollar Bill. I think Farenholtz got one. Cedric Richmond, who received the endorsement of the Alliance for Good Government, came in third.
For the first congressional district, the vote went overwhelmingly for Jim Harlan. He is a retired businessman and a professorial type. I live in his district, and I would much rather have Harlan representing me than Steve Scalise. His opponent was Vinnie Mendoza, a military veteran who seems to think the most pressing issue in the country is getting everyone to use bio-fuel made from fish.
In the race for district attorney, Linda Bizzaro did not show up or send a representative and Phil Costa, an OPDEC member, has dropped out. That left us with Leon Cannizzaro, Ralph Capitelli and Jason Rogers Williams. These three look almost comically like lawmen from central casting. Cannizzaro is like a very unfunny Joe Pesci. Capitelli is a Humphrey Bogart look-alike. Williams is much younger than either of them, but he already has his tough-guy stance from practicing in criminal court.
Leon Cannizzaro has 30 years of experience as a prosecutor, criminal court judge and judge of the 4th circuit court of appeal. He boasted of having tried more jury trials than any other judge in the state. He established the “drug court” program at Tulane and Broad, which diverts drug abusers from jail and into treatment and home confinement. I can’t tell you what an intense speaker this man is. I can imagine that he runs a very tight ship.
Ralph Capitelli has 35 years of experience. He was the first assistant district attorney under Harry Connick, which means he ran Connick’s office. He now runs a successful law practice as a criminal defense attorney. Capitelli said that he has 100 former assistant DAs working on his campaign and that none of them want jobs. He stressed the importance of going after violent criminals rather than wasting judicial resources on prosecuting every jughead pot smoker in town.
Jason Rogers Williams is the lightest on experience of all of them. He has only 11 years practicing law, and he has never been a prosecutor. He is a criminal defense attorney and a former football player and class president at Tulane.
All three of these guys talked very tough about violent crime and the need to have better communications between the police and the assistant DAs. When it came time to vote, Williams won on the first ballot, with Cannizzaro second. My vote went to Capitelli.
- Posted in : main
- Author : dangerblond
Comments»
Canizzarro was the ultimate hard ass judge who hated granting continuances. I think both Capitelli and he are incredibly well qualified but they may cancel one another out.
Well- This is William Jefferson’s former political clog in the machine. Now run by James Gray. It is no wonder they voted black. If it were an experienced white person with the same ideas as Jason Williams, they would have voted for the next black person in line. I really do not put anything into these endorsements at all. Look at “the Alliance for Good Government” They just endorsed Robin Pittman who still puts her elementary school information on her resume, because she really hasn’t done anything. But- more shocking than that, she is the wife of KEITH PITTMAN- OLIVER THOMAS’ AID WHO’S BRIBERY SCAM TO GET A NO BID PARKING METER CONTRACT LANDED THOMAS IN PRISON. We just love New Olreans politricks- it is now so pradictable - hopefully the FEDS are catching on…
River, I take exception to much in your comment. OPDEC is not run by James Gray. He is the elected chairman. Each person in the group is very autonomous. Jason Williams gave a very good presentation, he had many of the same ideas as the other candidates. Robin Pittman was very impressive. She is an experienced lawyer who worked in the office of the disciplinary counsel. If Keith Pittman did as you say, why wasn’t he indicted?
Princess Bold was there to support James Carter, why am I not surprised? I was struck a couple of times by the way Oliver Thomas sounded a mentor talking about a protege when James Carter’s name came up. Then I saw Adrastos’ comments on this post of mine. In one of the comments I even quote something that you said about Carter.
I’d be much more impressed with Carter’s work on the criminal justice justice if he showed some interest in cleaning his own house. We saw what he meant by “best practices” when Fielkow tried to look at how much money the council pays on cable consultants. Carter’s decision to actively campaign for at least two judicial candidates in two years might be a natural outgrowth of his work on criminal justice issues, or it might be part of an attempt to build a power base. I find Carter scarier (for want of a better word) than Richmond.
I have become involved with the Richmond campaign because my husband has been so impressed iwth him in Baton ROuge. I have to tell you Rep. Richmond is a true statesman. His educational background is excellent - Ben Franklin, Morehouse College, and Tulane Law. He has been the Chair of the Judiciary Committee for the La. Legislature and has earned the respect of many D.A.s and Sheriffs. On a personal level, he is very kind and will listen to anyone’s views patiently. His campaign is run by his own mother, who is lovely. Please consider voting for him.