Tulane Hosts Mayoral Debate

With an election looming on Feb. 6, the race for the next mayor of New Orleans is in high gear. Candidates are slated to appear at Tulane University on Tuesday (Jan. 12) to debate issues important to young adults.

Candidates for mayor of New Orleans are busy campaigning across the city, as shown by this collage of their political posters and signs. (Photo illustration by Paula Burch-Celentano)

The debate will be held from 7:30–9 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium on the uptown campus. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the debate is free and open to the public.

"This mayoral debate is being planned and run by students," says organizer Matthew Simmons, a Tulane junior majoring in political science and history. "We hope that this debate will offer the community new insight into the candidates' platforms."

New Orleans voters recognize the importance of this election as the city continues its recovery from Hurricane Katrina. In a poll conducted last year by the Tulane political science department in conjunction with the nonprofit Democracy Corps, 55 percent of New Orleanians consider the 2010 mayoral election the most important election in their lifetime.

"Citizens of New Orleans are paying close attention to the candidates who would lead the city into the next stage of the recovery," says Brian Brox, assistant professor in the political science department.

The Tulane debate will be moderated by Clancy Dubos, a columnist and political analyst for Gambit and WWL-TV. Dubos will ask the candidates a series of questions that have been pre-selected by students and professors from the Department of Political Science at Tulane. No audience questions will be accepted.

Currently, 11 candidates are in the race, among them attorney Rob Couhig, businessman John Georges, management consultant Troy Henry, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, fair-housing advocate James Perry and Civil District Court Judge Nadine Ramsey. Long-shot candidates are Jonah Bascle, Manny "Chevrolet" Bruno, Jerry Jacobs, Thomas Lambert and Norbert Rome. Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin is ineligible to run due to term limits.