New Orleans – Newly re-elected Mayor C. Ray Nagin immediately began trying to mend ties with political opponents and crucial leaders Sunday as he looked ahead to another four years to oversee reconstruction of the city.
“We’re going to bring this city together. It’s my intention to reach out to every segment of this community,” Nagin said a day after defeating Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. “This is our shot. This is our time.”
Nagin said he reiterated his desire to work together in conversations with President Bush and Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
Bush called to congratulate Nagin and said he would rather finish rebuilding with the mayor because the two had weathered Hurricane Katrina together, Nagin told parishioners at St. Peter Claver Church.
Nagin said he pressed Bush to help accelerate the rebuilding and to help with the removal of tons of debris still littering neighborhoods. He also raised questions about the pending end of federal aid for some evacuees.
Nagin begins a second term May 31, a day before the start of hurricane season.
“We’ve taken Mayor Nagin through the crucible, and he survived the test of the storm,” said Landrieu, who called Nagin a friend before and during the campaign. “It’s really about the future; it’s not about who’s sitting in the mayor’s office.”
