N.O. to receive federal manpower

New Orleans has been chosen as one of six cities to serve as a pilot site for the Obama administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), which aims to enhance governmental processes and strengthen economic initiatives from the local level upward.

In effect, the federal government will relocate Community Solutions Teams of experts from 12 federal agencies to New Orleans to execute the mission within the next two to three months. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the initiative during a press conference and town hall meeting at Gallier Hall last week.

“What this initiative is designed to do is to completely close the distance in time and in space between the federal government and the city government. And what that means specifically is that in the room, every day, will be somebody that speaks with authority for the federal government and the city government so when an issue arises that issue can be focused and that issue can be resolved immediately,” Landrieu said.

SC2 in New Orleans will focus on health services, the management of public safety and the rebuilding of public infrastructure. The initiatives three primary goals are: to improve how the federal government does businesses; to offer technical and planning assistance to local governments; and to provide partnering and growth opportunities across a broad spectrum of sectors.

Additional facets of SC2 include a fellowship program that will place early to mid-level professionals in government positions in SC2 cities; a $1 million economic planning challenge that other cities can compete for; and a National Resource Network, which will provide expert assistance to a greater number of cities.

This article was originally published in the July 18, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper