by Tom McClimon and Elena Temple
May 22, 2006

Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, Chair of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports Committee, led a special committee meeting in New Orleans, May 3-5 to help the city restore its arts and cultural programs. In addition to Diaz, seven other mayors along with arts and community experts attended the meeting.

Diaz underscored how eager mayors are to assist New Orleans revive its cultural community, saying, “Mayors understand all too well the connection between the cultural industry and city revenue. We are pleased to be able to support the city’s economy by working to expose New Orleans’ heritage and traditions with the rest of the country on a broad scale.”

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, in welcoming the Committee members to his city, stated that the Conference of Mayors has been the most effective out of all the national organizations in lending support to the city. “Since Katrina, the Conference of Mayors and mayors from across the country have offered their support, detailed advice, human resources and technical assistance to New Orleans,” stated Nagin. He outlined four areas in which the city needed assistance in rebuilding its arts and cultural institutions. They are (1) re-establishing community arts centers; (2) marketing New Orleans as a world class arts capital; (3) teaching arts and culture to young people; and (4) helping to establish a National Jazz Center and Park.

Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran joined with Conference Vice President Dearborn Mayor Michael Guido in talking about the efforts and activities the organization has taken since Katrina to assist New Orleans.

Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, who oversees the state’s cultural and arts activities, also addressed the group. He encouraged the mayors to do what they can to assist New Orleans and stressed the importance of the arts to business and jobs in both New Orleans and Louisiana.

Scott Aiges, Director of Louisiana’s Music Export Office and Shirley Trusty Cory, President of the New Orleans Arts Council, encouraged the mayors to support local artists and musicians by bringing them to their respective cities for performances. Nina Ozlu, Chief Counsel for Americans for the Arts and Lina Garcia, Director of Local Arts Policy addressed the group about the use of establishing cultural districts and preserving public arts programs. Grover Mouton III, Director of the Tulane University Regional Urban Design Center shared with the mayors some urban design concepts gained from his work in China and St. Bernard’s parish.

Travel and tourism promotion and legislative issues were discussed by Chuck Merin and Courtney Fox from the Travel Business Roundtable. The encouraged the mayors to stay abreast of what was happening with the Western Hemisphere Initiative.

The highlight of the meeting was a tour of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (the local high school where Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr. got their start and was honored at the Conference of Mayors January meeting with the Arts Education Leadership Award); and Musicians’ Village, a housing development for musicians and artists who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina. The tour also included a stop at Harrah’s to learn about a new development being done with the city to add a cultural and entertainment district. A reception at Harrah’s restaurant with Chef John Besh, winner of the Food Network’s “Iron Chef” competition, concluded the tour.

While on the tour, the mayors planted a tree in the historic Esplanade Ridge neighborhood and joined with the Home Depot Foundation Community Tree Program in presenting a check for $20,000 to the Parkway Partners to continue its work of planting new trees in areas that lost trees to Hurricane Katrina. DeAnn Fordham and Fred Wacker of the Home Depot Foundation participated in the tree planting ceremony as well as addressed the mayors on the work of the foundation on affordable housing programs and community trees.

Along with Diaz, Nagin and Guido, other mayors who participated in the meeting were Macon (GA) Mayor Jack Ellis, North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns, Rochester (MN) Mayor Ardell Brede, Mt. Vernon (NY) Mayor Ernest Davis and Franklin (TN) Mayor Tom Miller.