Key To New Orleans Recovery

It is time for City leaders to take note:

Researchers for the Virginia-based Mercatus Center are reporting the neighborhoods that rebounded the fastest generally had the strongest community leaders -- not the most government help.

Mercatus proposes that New Orleans do more to encourage expansion of neighborhood associations, which it says are better equipped to oversee local redevelopment than centralized city planning departments.

Mercatus said the future of New Orleans is dependent on the city government giving more flexibility to local neighborhood organizations to develop recovery plans that suit their special circumstances.

What they have been doing has not been working so why not try and follow this approach.

Will New Orleans Receive The Help?

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and all seven City Council members will lead a delegation to the nation's capital Wednesday and Thursday to lobby federal officials for more help with the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Nagin and the council members will be joined by officials from the Regional Transit Authority, Sewerage & Water Board, Chamber of Commerce and other groups.

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Let's hope everything works out.