[StBernard] Open Letter

[Westley Annis]

I know da-parish.com has a wide readership. Consider this an open 
letter to citizens and their leaders everywhere who could learn from  
the lessons that Katrina has taught us the hard way-trial and error, 
hit and miss, and rules that come and go from various entities as 
government attempts to help us recover.

First, a foreword.  Leadership-it's like art. Hard to define, but you 
know good leadership when you see it.  It requires effective leadership 
that produces results.  Too often we and the leaders we count on  judge 
leadership by how many hours leaders work, or how much personal 
sacrifice they put into the task, or how well they are liked by others, 
or how much passion and care and commitment they have.  But ask any 
coach and you will hear that their effectiveness as a coach is counted 
in wins and losses only. So too when evaluating our leadership (whether 
its those elected to office or those hired into a position). To be an 
effective leader requires wins and results that achieve the goal. The 
other things are qualities they possess, but not a measure of whether a 
person is effective and achieving results. The nicest coach with a long 
resume who puts in works long hours  is not effective if the athletes 
don't win games because the intended results weres not achieved. The 
coach shouldn't get defensive if judged ineffective for not winning 
games. Likewise with government leaders who take it personally if 
criticized about measurable results not being achieved. We appreciate 
their dedication and sacrifice, and hard work, but that is not how 
leadership is measured.

To see St. Bernard's long-term vision and goals, go to 
www.louisianaspeaks.org. But in a nutshell, I summarize our goal as to 
restore our community as a place to live, work, and play at a quality 
no less than before the storm, with an opportunity to make it even 
better (my words).

Here are just some short term goals that I consider to be the ruler for 
measuring effectiveness of leadership during recovery, in no particular 
order:

Level of debris remaining on the streets
Number of homes and businessess remaining to be repaired or demolished.
Number of residents able to live in the community.
Number of businesses able to operate in the community.
Vehicles and boats remaining to be removed and disposed of legally.
Water, sewerage, drainage, telephone, internet, cable, natural gas 
services restoration.
Parish services restored-properly staffed local government, free and 
legal public disposal areas, traffic and street signage and lights, etc.
Educational system restored.
Medical system restored.
Fire protection system restored.
Sheriff's department restored.
Hurricane and Mississippi River flood protectionn system restored.

Without these essentials, private citizens,businesses, churches, etc.  
cannot recover.  Ask yourself where are we as we are about to enter 
month 11. I'm sure there are other key areas that you could add to this 
list. So here's my letter to other states which I am sure you have 
suggestions for more than these six.
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Dear Citizens and Leaders:

Our deepest sympathy to your community upon this devastation. You now 
share our pain. Learn from us. Do not repeat the same mistakes and do 
not make waste of precious time and money and volunteer help that is 
available to help you recover. You are now the new crisis that  FEMA, 
Red Cross, Congress, et al will focus upon and we will become forgotten 
as they come to  your aid. America, an parts of our own State, have 
grown tired of our problems, laughed at our corruption and scandals, 
and thinks it has thrown enough resources at us. We in St. Bernard 
Parish will be on our own now left to recover as best we can with the 
little remaining resources we have left until the next time.


#1 Not all federal rules will make sense or be fair or be 
cost-effective, BUT PLAY BY THEIR RULES. It is far better to get the 
results you want than to enter a spitting match with the federal 
government over who to hire, what to pay them, etc. The federal 
government holds all the cards, and your community is at their mercy. 
Play the game their way or they'll take their toys and go home.

#2 Residents and businesses and non-profit property owners need firm 
deadlines. Those communities that set deadlines for cleaning property, 
declaring intentions, and taking responsibility for their properties 
will recover sooner. Those that set deadlines last or keep postponing 
them will find that property owners have put off hard decisions and 
your community will be severly blighted even a year after the storm. 
Somehow the banks, churches, franchise businesses, etc. will 
restore/demolish what they own in the other communities with deadlines, 
but yours will languish if you don't.

#3 When local government passes new ordinances, they need to be very 
specific and have "teeth". Vague ordinances are subject to wide 
interpretation and cannot be enforced. They just give the appearance of 
being a tool to recovery. There must be local staffing to enforce 
existing and new ordinaces continually or you will have illegal 
signage, illegal dumping, construction of a type you do not want, etc.  
Continually publicize the community's rules that are remaining in force 
and the new ones that are created from the federal, state, and local 
level. The average citizen is overwhelmed and needs constant reminders.

#4Collect  your sales taxes, collect your property taxes, collect your 
permit fees,even if at a reduced rate. If you have no source of income, 
you will not be able to provide the basic services the community needs. 
Without income, you will have to cut your government staff and lose 
essential services like a complaint department, planning and permit 
department, etc.  FEMA will not pay for routine services that your 
local government has always provided to the community. You cannot keep 
going into debt to pay operating costs.

#5 Communicate with the people via all means-radio, television, paper, 
internet quickly and keep it accurate and current. When involving an 
agency that could change its rules, you have to stress that to the 
public. Today FEMA may pay for some service, tomorrow they may not. 
Make public the proceedings from all public meetings. Have one 
community official who is the spokesperson that speaks with authority 
and knowledge so the public knows that there is a leader who everyone 
is following. Make sure that leader has answers and solutions, and not 
just makes public appearances that are about how frustrated they are, 
or how the federal goverment is not cooperating, etc. That will be 
true, but what the public wants to hear is what that leader is or plans 
to do about achieving recovery goals.

#6 People love the word "free". Stress that free, volunteer help is 
subject to come and go. As time passes, as it gets more physically 
difficult to do, as the attention wanes, as support services to  house 
and feed volunteers disappears, so to will the free help. Always stress 
to the public that the free help is not a promise, but a option that 
may be available for a short period of time and to relatively few 
people due to the demand.


Deborah Keller

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