james singleton – the eye of the storm
photo by steed media service |
Chairman, Katrina Relief Committee
In a time of great men fulfilling the promise of legacy, New Orleanians look to their own heroic statesmen for direction and leadership, and they frequently find it in the towering almost larger than-life person of Katrina Redevelopment committeemen Jim Singleton. Following 28 years of civic service on the New Orleans City Council, the committed civil servant is back in the trenches working to repair the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. His work in the field of restoring the beloved Crescent City is an obvious mission of love intermingled with his trademark sense of political pragmatism.
“Immediately following the destruction from Katrina there were a number of measures that should have been in place but weren’t, and the result was devastating,” he says.
“The people of New Orleans face countless challenges. For instance, many of the low-lying neighborhoods are still vulnerable to flooding and some may never be rebuilt. But there are always signs of hope,” says Singleton, who as leader of the Central City political organization BOLD, controls a powerful voting bloc on the New Orleans political landscape.
In New Orleans’ Upper Ninth Ward, which is not only home to Singleton, but the district he represented for 28 years, there is significant redevelopment activity geared toward assisting people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “While things are nowhere near normal, we’re confident that we’ll get there. What’s important is that we forge ahead and hold individuals and administrations accountable and demand that the city and the people who live here get the assistance they need,” concludes Singleton. –roz edward
