At any given time of the day, being the mayor of New Orleans can is both the best elected job in Louisiana and the worst, says Jeremy Alford in his latest column.
“One moment you’re leading a second line in a city that long ago captured the imagination of the world and the next you’re trying to explain to said world why people keep getting shot on Bourbon Street,” he writes. “But there’s no denying that New Orleans’ mayoral post—just the municipal-level seat—is a jewel of Southern politics.”
Through economic booms, natural disasters and all the problems of a major American city, Alford says mayors there often become change agents whether they like it or not.
“The seat is an important one to Democrats. On more than one occasion the national apparatus has leaned on Mayor Mitch Landrieu to help raise money and work crowds,” he writes. “Simply put, it comes with a bit of celebrity. That’s why the Oct. 14 mayoral primary will be highly competitive. And probably rather colorful.”
Alford says that If you enjoyed seeing a reality television star who’s also successful at business running for president, then New Orleans garbage executive Sydney Torres IV has a storyline you’ll enjoy following. CNBC has reportedly bankrolled 50 billboards going up in the city to promote its new show The Deed, which features Torres as a sort of fixer for property investors. Torres has told reporters that he’s thinking about running for mayor, but hasn’t yet made a firm decision.
“Several other politicos are also dancing around the seat without actually announcing,” Alford writes, adding that even “a handful of legislators are eyeing the possibility of becoming candidates.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
