Mayoral candidates Desiree Charbonnet and Latoya Cantrell discussed water issues at a debate Wednesday night.
But it wasn’t much of a debate. Turns out, they actually agree on more than they disagree when it comes to water issues.
Councilwoman Cantrell and Judge Charbonnet were asked questions that touched on everything from coastal restoration to urban infrastructure.
Both candidates emphasized the importance of coastal restoration. Noting, for example, that the barrier islands along the coast provide important protection from storms.
Both Cantrell and Charbonnet said Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans should be overhauled from the top down.
Floods this summer revealed that the city’s pumping and drainage system is plagued with technical problems. The Sewerage and Water Board oversees most of that system.
Both also said they’d like to see the public utility communicate better with city departments like the Department of Public Works — which also maintains part of the stormwater drainage system.
They did differ on the issue of whether to sue oil and gas companies for coastal damages.
Several coastal parishes have done so in recent months. Those parishes claim that industry development has made land loss worse, and that it’s left them more vulnerable to flooding and storms. So far, the City of New Orleans hasn’t filed any lawsuits.
Charbonnet said she would change that.
“The lawyer in me says sue,” she said.
Cantrell was less committal. She considers legal action to be “on the table.”
The mayoral runoff election will be held on Nov. 18.
Support for the Coastal Desk come from the Walton Family Foundation, the Coypu Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and local listeners.
