NEW ORLEANS -- Two of the New Orleans City Council's so-called "reformers," who were elected after Hurricane Katrina, aren't running for re-election this spring.
But that doesn't mean they're not a part of the upcoming election.
Voters in Mid-City, Lakeview and Uptown, among other neighborhoods, in Council District A will either choose a new council member, or the man who held the seat before the storm.
“Recycling the same old politicians won't get us a new start,” said Susan Guidry, a lawyer and neighborhood activist who is hoping to take up where Councilwoman Shelley Midura leaves off.
“I hope people do not sit back in their Lay-z-boys and let name recognition be the reason that they cast a vote,” Midura said while endorsing Guidry in the race Monday.
Meanwhile, another neighborhood activist, Virginia Blanque, is drumming up local support, and said Midura's endorsement doesn't curtail her campaign.
“Council Member Midura is a Democrat. Susan Guidry is a Democrat. And Democrats endorse Democrats. I think there's where it is. I'm a Republican. I've been a life-long Republican. But I don't think this seat is about the party,” Blanque said.
Both she and Guidry are battling the man who held the seat before Katrina, Jay Batt. Shelley Midura unseated him, so what will her endorsement mean?
“I actually haven't given it much thought," Batt said. "It's the holiday season. I'm spending time with my family. My daughter just had her 13th birthday the other day. I really wish that our elected officials would spend time focusing on the budget problems instead of playing politics in the middle of the holiday season."
But with widespread name recognition, even the candidates recognize that Batt will be tough to beat, but his opponents say, not impossible. “They voted him out last time. They fired him once before. They did that with good reason. A leopard does not change spots. We need to have people that are responsive to the citizens,” Guidry said.
“Ms. Midura chose not to run for whatever reason. I'm not sure what that might be. But now she's getting back into the race by trying to hand-pick her successor. That's her call. That's her right. But during this time of year, it's not right,” Batt said.
“Your name can be positive or your name can be viewed negatively. Jay's been out there. He's run for the seat three times and lost twice,” said Blanque.
It's shaping up to be a tough neighborhood battle, with Batt from Lakeview, Blanque from Mid-City, and Guidry from Parkview, also in Mid-City.
High-speed rail advocate Fred Robertson is also running and hoping he gets the Uptown vote, as a life-long resident of the Carrollton area.
“I'm able to judge these issues on a case-by-case basis. I'm not polarized like some of the other candidates,” Robertson said.
In addition to battling the distractions of Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl, the candidates know they have an uphill battle on their hands, now just a month and a half until the primary.
James Carter in District C is the other post-Katrina council member not running for re-election.
Four people are vying for that seat.
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