Louisiana Voice

By William Khan, guest columnist

New Orleans business owner

Republicans and conservatives, especially in Louisiana, generally claim to support and rally around three principles: self-sufficiency, fiscal responsibility, and local decision-making—as opposed to edicts from detached levels of government, bench legislators, or bureaucrats. When it comes to Orleans Parish’s fight to fix its infrastructure and pull itself up by its bootstraps, support for Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s initiative should come from all corners of the state and across the political spectrum in the Louisiana legislature.

Louisiana can do tremendous things when people look past party labels and work toward the common good. Our state should not underestimate what we can accomplish when we work together. In fact, Louisiana must work together to tackle massive challenges like restoring our coastline and protecting vulnerable communities.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our state worked hard to bounce back. If we want to preserve what we have painstakingly recovered and continue moving forward, Louisiana lawmakers should support communities trying to address their flooding and water risks with modern infrastructure and smart funding policies.

Louisiana and the Who Dat Nation got the attention of the entertainment, media, and sports world when they unified, spoke up, and convinced the NFL to revise its rules for the upcoming football season. Officials who are usually polar opposites like Steve Scalise, Cedric Richmond, Bill Cassidy, and Helena Moreno found common cause, mobilized, and achieved results. If our state’s diverse and proud representatives can come together to demand action after a sports gaffe, surely they can put aside labels to address a growing, tangible, and existential danger to Louisiana’s largest city and its economic engine.

When New Orleans and Louisiana landed a new office from DXC Technology despite intense competition, the company ranked Louisiana high on a number of metrics but it suggested that the state could improve on regional cooperation, multi-parish collaboration, and a reputation for self-centered political thinking. In the past, Louisiana has struggled with a perception of politicians asking companies, “What’s in it for me?”

To those companies, families, and investors thinking of relocating to Louisiana, our state can send them a powerful message. By voting in favor of smart, sustainable solutions for infrastructure improvement in New Orleans, Baton Rouge legislators can make a strong statement about Louisiana’s potential for regional—even statewide—cooperation, its openness to innovative public policy, and its ability to set aside special interests for the long-term common good.