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Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Why not say what they actually do?

I don't mean to pick too much of nit with this article about Cantrell's City Council endorsements. I will say that I appreciate the headline doesn't blast the phrase "MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL..." at us for SEO purposes the way almost every bit of news that even tangentially mentions her tends to do. And there's nothing really wrong with the story.  It's just that, I think sometimes when we describe these candidates in one or two sentences it would be helpful if we mentioned the very relevant fact that some of them are realtors and landlords. 

So here we have Freddie King described as " a lawyer, youth mentor and former constituent services director in the district." 

In District C, Cantrell said King -- a lawyer, youth mentor and former constituent services director in the district -- “works in the trenches and understands the issues that matter.”

"Freddie knows constituent services and knows that you have to be responsive to the people you serve," Cantrell said. 

That's three whole things! You can shove a lot of information in between those dashes when you know what you're doing.  So maybe let's find a way to also say that he is a realtor. The notoriously verbose DSA voter guide got it in there. It only took a couple of sentences. 

It’s unclear how King vows to Fight the Red Tape of City Hall and Review the Permitting Process,” or what that even means. However it is clear in his duties of City Council that he will be one of the arbiters of land use and zoning, and pass regulation on matters around short term rentals. He formerly worked for then-Councilmember Nadine Ramsey as a coordinator of constituent services. Ramsey was notoriously awful when it came to affordable housing, and worked to remove minimum affordability requirements for big developers. That’s a big red flag for renters and housing advocates hoping to advance a rental registry.

King is a lawyer who lives in Algiers with his wife, Casandra. Together they own and operate LeBeouf Street Properties, a Gretna-based real estate company with a handful of properties in Algiers.

Anyway, we just mentioned Monday that King, who says, "I believe in a capatalistic society" is all in on shoving more Airbnbs into the French Quarter.  So this little bit about how he makes his money seems relevant.

There's another one of those in here whose real estate money might be even more relevant.  But it's hard to know that. The article only says he's a "veteran" of the politics wars. 

The first of Cantrell’s endorsements came Monday, when she threw her support behind the 31-year-old Glover, who also claims support from several former primary rivals and other community leaders. Glover, a former St. Roch neighborhood association leader and current nonprofit director, is taking on Eugene Green, a veteran of local politics and government who is twice Glover’s age.

Again, I don't really want to pick on this article, the T-P or any reporters in particular. They actually often do mention that Eugene Green is a real estate broker. They just did it yesterday, in fact.  

The other candidate in that race, real estate broker Eugene Green, said he would allocate city funds to support programs that turn blighted properties into affordable housing.

Green's assertion about wanting to create "affordable housing" demands interrogation, though.  Especially given the nature of his business interests.  Green isn't just a realtor. He's a landlord. Again, one sentence from the DSA guide

He is the president and owner of the generic-branded Nationwide Real Estate Corporation, making him a massive property manager throughout the city.

Have the properties Green owns and operates been a safe and healthy answer to the affordable housing crisis in New Orleans?  Might want to ask his tenants about that.

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