NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The power struggle between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is playing out in court and through state budget cuts, with several New Orleans-area projects losing funding.
Even before Attorney General Liz Murrill was indicted Thursday on charges of public intimidation and malfeasance in office related to letters she sent to the New Orleans mayor, district attorney and five Orleans Parish council members, tensions between the state and city had already cost New Orleans millions in funding. The cuts prompted Urban League President and former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial to call for national groups to respond.
“Veto $30 million of projects in the state budget because, quote, you’ve got a dispute with some legislators,” Morial said. “The people should know the impact. He vetoed money in the state budget for a brand-new playing field for the Edna Karr State Championship football team. So, when those young kids have to play on that broken field, that beat up field, the reason is, is because of Jeff Landry’s politics of divide, conquer, and division.”
Among the vetoes was a $1 million appropriation for upgrades to Behrman Stadium, home to Edna Karr’s football field. According to the Louisiana Illuminator, Gov. Jeff Landry also removed Legislature-approved funding for a Volunteers of America health care facility in New Orleans, an early learning center, Algiers economic development efforts, music outreach and operations for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Projects cut from the budget included:
$6.5 million for a Volunteers of America health care facility$1.7 million for an early learning center$150,000 for the Algiers Economic Development Foundation$2 million for the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music$1 million for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office
Landry also vetoed regional projects, including solar-powered storm hubs and housing aid in Terrytown.
Those projects included:
$1.75 million for four solar-powered resiliency hubs$3 million for Habitat NOLA’s Rising Oaks development in Terrytown
“They’re moving it out of legislative warfare,” Robert Collins, PhD, a FOX 8 political analyst, said. “They’re moving it to the court system.”
The funding dispute is unfolding alongside several legal battles. First-term Judge John Fuller is suing Landry over a law that reduces the number of Orleans District Court judgeships. Calvin Duncan is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court over the elimination of the clerk of court position to which he was elected but blocked from serving. The Louisiana Supreme Court is now involved in the Murrill indictment.
As the political disputes intensify, Collins said some are questioning what the ongoing battles mean for taxpayers and how much both sides are willing to lose.
“I think the city of New Orleans is looking into what it can do to fight back against the state,” Collins said. “They certainly don’t want to just roll over and let the state have their way with the city. The bottom line is, New Orleans is still the economic capital of the city. You’re not going to go to a Super Bowl or a Sugar Bowl or an Essence Fest in any other city in the state. only new Orleans can host those events.”
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