Morrell versus Willard-Lewis for Senate District 3

17th October 2011   ·   0 Comments

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

Two incumbent African-American State Senators from New Orleans will face one another in next Saturday’s election, a result of New Orleans’ loss of a Black majority seat in the Upper House. How both will deal with that reduction in the city’s influence in Baton Rouge is the underlying theme of the below debate between the candidates.

The race is close. J.P. Morrell has garnered the majority of the endorsements, from the Alliance for Good Government to Mayor Landrieu to this newspaper. However, has some geographic advantages in her re-election bid. She lost very few of the Orleans voters that elected her just over a year ago in the redistricting process. Morrell was not so lucky. The Lakefront precincts from Gentilly to New Orleans East that helped put the young Senator in the legislature are now in Ed Murray’s district.

Morrell, however, is the only candidate who has run previously in Jefferson Parish, and he holds an advantage over Willard-Lewis in those suburban precincts. And, he has tirelessly courted voters in the new parts of District 3 in Arabi and Chalmette.

Why are you running for re-election to the legislature?

Morrell: I am running to continue to serve the people of Louisiana and my constituents in District 3. People deserve a candidate that will stand with them on the principles they believe in and I want to be their voice in Baton Rouge.

Willard-Lewis: The 3rd Senatorial District was the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina and six years after the storm home and business owners are still struggling to recover due to the ineptitude, incompetence, and incomprehensible insensitivity of state and federal agencies. As the former City Council member of District E and as Senator of the 2nd Senatorial District, I have bonded with those displaced and those still struggling to return and recover. For many, I have been their only voice in government. Fighting the Urban Land Institute from reclaiming our property as

How does your past experience uniquely qualify you for this office?

Morrell: I have successfully served in the House and the Senate for five years. I have the leadership experience and know-how to get legislation passed and I stand up for Southeast Louisiana in this current economic and political climate. I am also one of the youngest chairmen in history of both the Louisiana House of Representatives and the State Senate, an attribute to the leadership skills and experience I possess.

Willard-Lewis: As an Urban Planner under former Mayor Dutch Morial I understand the planning process required to rebuild and preserve the unique character of our neighborhoods and community. As the former Councilmember of District E, I have the experience of building major municipal projects not once, but twice (pre-Katrina and post-Katrina). Thanks to my leadership, $40 million was funded to reopen Methodist Hospital.

What are your three top campaign platform planks?

Morrell: Crime prevention, redevelopment of blight, protection of public employee healthcare and retirement systems.

Willard-Lewis: (1) Ensuring the delivery of state resources to return quality health care to our district; (2) fighting crime, including using intergovernmental agreements; and (3) bring jobs/commerce to the district.

Do you support a single board for Higher Education? Without closing historically Black Univ­ersities and regional colleges, how can we merge academic programs to get more “bang for our buck”? Should SUNO have been merged into UNO?

Morrell: I was in opposition to the SUNO and UNO merger and very vocal about my dissent for the merger bill. The merger of the two universities would have decreased the accessibility to higher education for a significant portion of the population in Southeast Louisiana

Willard-Lewis: I do not support a single Board for Higher Educator or the UNO/SUNO merger. I am afraid that consolidation would destroy our historically Black universities and regional colleges. I believe we would benefit instead by an objective study of how to control costs and I would support a Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education to offer cost control recommendations. Hopefully, such a study would offer recommendations on how to rein in and reduce the expenses of these expansive institutions.

Do you support a single board for the Port systems of Louisiana as State Senator Conrad Appel has proposed?

Morrell: No.

Willard-Lewis: Managing the Port of New Orleans was more than enough for a single board to handle. While I understand the potential cost-savings of consolidation, I fear a single board for the Port systems of Louisiana would put the smaller ports at a competitive disadvantage. Smaller port authorities, such as the Jefferson Parish Port District, ensure that port facilities along Harvey Canal remain an economic engine for the Westbank.

Considering how many local government bodies have rolled forward millages after rolling them back thanks to higher revenues from rising assessments, do you support a state law that would require a public referendum and voter approval before millages could be rolled forward? Will you support the bill to mandate that?

Morrell: I have voted for that bill each time it has come up, and I would support it in the future. It is about transparency.

Willard-Lewis: In 2009 the Legislature enacted Act 542 that requires non-elected taxing authorities to seek voter approval before millages could be rolled forward. I believe the Legislature will want to see the impact of this legislation before imposing further restrictions on local governments. I believe this is a prudent course of action.

Do you support efforts by Gov. Jindal to change the law and allowing the executive branch to be able to cut across the board 10% of budget in times of deficit? If not, how would you solve the budgetary shortfall without raising taxes or hobbling higher education and health care?

Morrell: I support more surgical and specific approaches to deficit reduction.

Willard-Lewis: Across the Board cuts proposed by the Admini­stration put education progress and vital healthcare programs at risk. And, voting to raise personal income taxes and doubling legislator pay as my opponent has done imposes a hardship on citizens in a very difficult economy. I support efforts by the Streamlining Com­mission to identify redundant, obsolete, and ineffective state programs that can be eliminated to maximize savings without imposing further hardships on our citizens.

Where do you stand on the new LSU/VA Hospital in Mid-City? What will become of “Big Charity” and will there be enough money to revitalize the property?

Morrell: The new LSU/VA facility will provide a huge and much needed economic development boost to the entire region. Between the healthcare services that will be provided and the commerce it will create, we are lucky to see the project moving forward.

Willard-Lewis: While my priority is reopening Methodist Hospital in New Orleans East, I support LSU/VA Hospital in Mid-City.

What can you do as a legislator to help main streets across Louisiana, and particularly downtown’s Canal Street, be reborn?

Morrell: I worked tirelessly last session to secure funding for the Louisiana Submerged Roads Program which is currently repaving many of our main thoroughfares and revitalizing the surrounding areas. I also supported the funding to refurbish the Saenger Theater on Canal Street, which will help boost the Canal Street business corridor.

Willard-Lewis: A partnership between the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and the Canal Street Development Corporation (CSDC) could result in a revitalization of historic Canal Street. As Senator, I will urge a closer relationship.

Would you support a continuation of the RSD? What should be the long-term future of those schools?

Morrell: The RSD schools should eventually make their way back into the OPSB system, once they are performing at the same caliber of the rest of the schools. I authored legislation to mandate community input and transparency in school assignments in the RSD OPSB Master plan and believe that will result in a better future for local schools.

Willard-Lewis: I do not favor long-term continuation of RSD. Ultimately, schools under RSD should be returned to the Orleans Parish School District where parents and the community have a voice in our children’s future.

The RSD has already taken over schools in other parishes outside Orleans. Should the model be the same? What is your stand on a state mandated Charter Magnate School in every parish?

Morrell: No Opinion Given

Willard-Lewis: I do not believe RSD is the model for other parishes nor do I believe Charter Magnate schools should be mandated for every parish. But I do support all funding uses to get our children in the best schools possible, and I will push for stronger accountability.

Would you revisit the post-New London constitutional amendment that outlaws the use of Eminent Domain to take blighted properties?

Morrell: Eminent domain played a vital part in securing the land for the VA/LSU hospital; I recognize the serious implications of eminent domain, and believe the seizure of any property should be meticulously assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Willard-Lewis: I believe the New Orleans City Council adequately Willard-Lewis: I believe the New Orleans City Council adequately addressed this issue in August 2006 to ensure the removal of blighted properties while protecting property rights.

What would like to tell the voters about you or your candidacy?

Morrell: I am the candidate that can maximize our region

Willard-Lewis: When I was elected to the Senate last October, redistricting was a fait accompli although the redistricting session wasn’t to call attention to how redistricting was disenfranchising voters and diluting the legislative delegations of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard. Regrettably, the Senate used census reports that accounted for where people were renting, not rebuilding.

In my first Regular Session as State Senator, I returned to the Senate with a laser focus to win state funding to speed the reopening of Methodist Hospital. While the Orleans delegation was united in support of funding, I was the only Senator willing to put up my discretionary money to ensure that Methodist Hospital made it into the Capital Outlay bill. Because I was willing to fight for Methodist Hospital funding, the hospital won $8 million and got that much closer to re-opening.

As New Orleans East, Lower Ninth Ward, St. Bernard, Gentilly, and West Jefferson continue to struggle to recover and rebuild from Katrina, citizens need a senator who is a fighter. It goes without saying, some in the Senate would prefer a more passive colleague

While I understand why those outside of the 3rd District are tired of hearing Katrina, how can we ever forget? Six years later, how can people still be waiting for Road Home money? How can people still be rebuilding? How can business owners still be struggling to open and hire? Until our citizens are made whole I will use my seat in the Louisiana Senate as a bully pulpit to fight for our people; to fight for the disenfranchised; to fight for those displaced; to fight for all who want to rebuild and recover.

This article was originally published in the October 17, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper