Survey Asks Mayoral Candidates About Local Business Issues
The Urban Conservancy distributed a survey about local business issues to the eleven candidates for New Orleans mayor.
Through The Urban Conservancy’s Stay Local! initiative, the organization supports over 1900 locally-owned businesses. This is the first year the survey has been distributed.
The survey is 10 questions long and asks candidates everything from “Have you ever owned a business?” to “How would you make City Hall more responsive to the needs of small business owners?”
While The Urban Conservancy does not endorse any candidate for public office, the survey was designed to educate busy local business owners on where candidates stand and decide which of the ten candidates best serves their interests.
Responses to the survey are due January 21, 2010, and the assembled results will be available online at https://www.urbanconservancy.org.
The ten questions posed to the mayoral candidates follow.
The Urban Conservancy’s Local Business Survey for 2010 Mayoral Candidates
- Have you ever owned or managed a small business? Please describe.
- What are the three greatest challenges facing local businesses (both start-ups and established) that the mayor can affect? How would you respond to these challenges?
- Economic development money and tax incentives seem to be focused on attracting larger businesses to our area rather than retaining and growing our local businesses. What changes would you make to address this inequality?
- Barriers such as high insurance requirements prevent many small businesses from doing business with the city. How would you allow more small businesses into the city purchasing process?
- How would you address the issues created for existing local businesses located in the footprint of the LSU/VA hospital complex?
- Local business owners are often frustrated by lost time and revenue due to delays or errors when dealing with city government. How would you make City Hall more efficient and responsive to the unique needs of small business owners?
- What are the most important ways the “Buy Local” concept can strengthen our community? And in your role as mayor, how will you support this concept?
- Describe your views regarding Redevelopment Agencies, including whether or not you support them. If so, what is the major function of NORA as it relates to the local economy?
- Are there specific areas of the city in which local, independent businesses face particularly difficult challenges, and how will you go about prioritizing and dealing with these issues?
- What steps would you take to ensure that after mandatory evacuations, small business owners could re-enter the city and resume business operations as quickly as possible?
Want to know more about the candidates?
Check out the Times-Picayune’s calendar of upcoming forums for New Orleans races. Also plan to attend the icehouse mayoral speakeasy series sponsored by The Urban Conservancy and Trumpet.
By Lynn Cunningham, Online Editor
Calendar of political forums for New Orleans mayor’s race and other Feb. 6 elections
By The Times-Picayune
January 11, 2010, 7:00PM
Wednesday, Jan. 13
Mayoral candidate forum
When: 7 to 10 a.m.
Where: WBOK radio, 1230 AM or http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wbok-1230-am—new-orleans
Sponsor: WBOK radio
Mayoral candidates at breakfast
When: 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Where: Zea’s restaurant on St. Charles Avenue
Sponsor: Greater New Orleans Women’s Breakfast
Cost: $10 per person
Mayoral candidate forum on civil rights and race relations
When: 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Urban League of Greater New Orleans, 2322 Canal St.
Sponsor: Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee, League of Women Voters
City Council District E candidates
When: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: City Church, 13123 I-10 Service Road
Sponsor: Renaissance Marketplace of Eastern New Orleans with support from City Church and Fountain of Youth Foundation
Thursday, Jan. 14
Economic development forum for top five mayoral candidates
When: 6:30 p.m.
Where: NOCCA’s Lupin Hall, 2800 Chartres St., New Orleans
Sponsors: Public-Private Partnership Coalition, comprised of the Horizon Initiative; Black, Hispanic, Asian and New Orleans chambers of commerce; Board of Trade; Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region. WWL Radio’s Garland Robinette to moderate
Charity Hospital and recovery forum for mayoral candidates
When: 6:00 to 8 p.m.
Where: Holy Angels 3500 St. Claude Avenue
Sponsor: A Community Voice, formerly known as Louisiana ACORN
Friday, Jan. 15
Mayoral candidate forum on corruption
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Roussel Hall, Loyola University main campus
Sponsors: New Orleans CityBusiness, the Loyola Society for Civic Engagement, the Student Government Association, the Black Student Union, College Republicans, University Honors Program and others. a forum on corruption for the major candidates for mayor of New Orleans. WWL-TV anchor Katie Moore to moderate
Saturday, Jan. 16
Mayoral candidate forum
When: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: Xavier University administration building
Sponsor: Delta Sigma Theta sorority
Mayoral candidate forum
When: 10 to 11 a.m.
Where: St. Dominic Catholic School gym, 6326 Memphis St., New Orleans
Sponsor: Lakeview Civic Improvement Association
THURSDAY, JAN. 21
Mayoral candidate forum on the future of public education in New Orleans
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Warren Easton Senior High, 3019 Canal St., New Orleans
Sponsor: Loyola’s Institute for Quality and Equity in Public Education
Monday, Jan. 25
Mayoral candidate forum
When: Noon
Where: Student Life Center gym, Delgado Community College, 615 City Park Ave.
Sponsor: Delgado Office of Institutional Advancement. WWL-TV anchor Dennis Woltering to moderate
Wednesday, Jan. 27
City of New Orleans mayoral candidates: A panel discussion
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Ralph’s on the Park, 900 City Park Ave., New Orleans
Sponsor: The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS); $25 SMPS members; $40 non-members)
Mayoral candidate forum on city management and regionalism
When: 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Nunemaker Hall, Loyola University
Sponsor: Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee
Candidates for City Council Districts A and C
When: Noon
Where: Lac Maurepas Room, Student Life Center, Delgado Community College, 615 City Park Ave.
Sponsor: Delgado Office of Institutional Advancement
Thursday, Jan. 28
Televised mayoral candidate forum
When: 9 p.m.
Where: WVUE-TV, FOX8
Sponsor: WVUE-TV, FOX8
Saturday, Jan. 30
Mayoral forum on crime, blight and other issues important to Gentilly neighborhoods
When: 10 a.m.
Where: Lawless Memorial Chapel, Dillard University
Sponsor: Gentilly Civil Improvement Association and Dillard University Community Development Corporation
Monday, Feb. 1
Mayoral candidate forum on housing and transporation
When: 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of Holy Cross College, 4123 Woodland Drive, Algiers
Sponsor: Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee
Thursday, Feb. 4
Televised mayoral candidate forum
When: TBA
Where: WWL-TV
Sponsor: WWL-TV
Tuesday, March 2
A “frank discussion” with the mayoral runoff candidates
When: TBA
Where: Dillard University
Sponsors: Dillard University and the Gentilly Civil Improvement Association
To submit information about other candidate forums, e-mail citydesk@timespicayune.com, mkrupa@timespicayune.com or mcarr@timespicayune.com.
The Times-Picayune is maintaining a regularly updated calendar of candidate forums.