Mitch Landrieu

Mitch Landrieu
61st Mayor of New Orleans
Assumed office
May 3, 2010
Preceded by Ray Nagin
51st Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
In office
January 11, 2004 – May 3, 2010
Governor Kathleen Blanco
Bobby Jindal
Preceded by Kathleen Blanco
Succeeded by Scott Angelle
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 90th district
In office
1992–2004
Preceded by James St. Raymond
Succeeded by Timothy Burns
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 89th district
In office
1988–1992
Preceded by Mary Landrieu
Succeeded by Pete Schneider
Personal details
Born Mitchell Joseph Landrieu
(1960-08-16) August 16, 1960
Broadmoor, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Cheryl Quirk
Children Grace
Emily
Matthew
Benjamin
William
Alma mater Catholic University of America
Loyola University, New Orleans
Religion Roman Catholicism

Mitchell Joseph "Mitch" Landrieu[1] (/ˈlændruː/ LAN-drew;[2] born August 16, 1960) is the Mayor of New Orleans. Landrieu previously served as the 51st Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 2004 to 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

He is the son of former New Orleans mayor and Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Moon Landrieu and the brother of the former U.S. Senator from Louisiana, Mary Landrieu. In 2007, he won a second term as lieutenant governor in the October 20, 2007 nonpartisan blanket primary by defeating two Republicans: State Representative Gary J. Beard and Sammy Kershaw.

He was elected Mayor of New Orleans on February 6, 2010, garnering 66 percent of the city-wide vote and claiming victory in 365 of the city's 366 voting precincts. He was reelected mayor on February 1, 2014, with nearly 64 percent of the vote in a three-candidate field.[3]

Early life

Landrieu was born and raised in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans, the fifth of nine children of Maurice "Moon" and Verna Satterlee Landrieu. After graduating from Jesuit High School in 1978, he enrolled at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he majored in political science and theatre. In 1985 he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Loyola University Law School in New Orleans.

Landrieu is married to Cheryl P. Landrieu, also an attorney. The couple has five children: Grace, Emily, Matthew, Benjamin, and William.

Landrieu has been a practicing attorney for fifteen years and was president of International Mediation & Arbitration, Ltd. He is a member of the Supreme Court Task Force on Alternative Dispute Resolution which was responsible for developing the pilot mediation program in Orleans Parish. Landrieu is trained in mediation and negotiation by the Harvard Law School Negotiation Project, the American Arbitration Association, and the Attorney Mediator's Institute. Landrieu has also taught alternative dispute resolution as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Law School.

Political career

Legislator

Landrieu was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1987, where he served for sixteen years in the seat previously held by his sister and before her, his father.

Landrieu led the legislative effort to reform Louisiana's juvenile justice system with a focus on rehabilitation and reform as opposed to punishment and incarceration. As lieutenant governor, he continued to chair the Juvenile Justice Commission, the entity created by the legislation to implement the reforms. In January, 2004, Governor Kathleen Blanco endorsed the Commission's recommendations.

Landrieu also led the effort by a coalition of artists, venue owners, and other interested parties who were successful in repealing the Orleans Parish "amusement tax", a 2% tax on gross sales at any establishment that features live music. As an attorney, Landrieu brought a case to court that resulted in the tax being ruled unconstitutional. He continued the fight by bringing the issue to the New Orleans City Council, who voted to repeal the tax. As a legislator, Landrieu sponsored a bill to repeal the law that allowed the tax to exist.

Landrieu crafted legislation to fund the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans, a partnership between the Louisiana State University and Tulane University Health Sciences Centers. The cancer center will house state-of-the-art cancer research equipment and laboratories, significant because Louisiana has the nation's highest cancer mortality rate according to the American Cancer Society.

One of Landrieu's most ambitious projects as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana has been the creation of the World Cultural Economic Forum (WCEF). The Forum, held annually in New Orleans, is directed towards promoting cultural economic development opportunities through the strategic convening of cultural ambassadors and leaders from around the world. The first WCEF took place in October 2008. He has carried on this project as mayor and has even established a formal cultural economy office at City Hall.

1994 New Orleans mayoral election

In 1994 Landrieu made an unsuccessful bid for the office of Mayor of New Orleans; the office went to Marc Morial, the son of another former mayor (the contest between sons of former mayors prompted some commentators to joke about establishing a tradition of primogeniture for the city's top office).

Lieutenant Governor

Mitch Landrieu's 2003 campaign for Lieutenant Governor was his first bid for statewide office in Louisiana. In a field of six candidates, Landrieu garnered 53 percent of the vote and won outright in the Louisiana open primary, thus avoiding a general election. His principal opponents were three Republicans, former U.S. Representative Clyde C. Holloway of Rapides Parish, former Lieutenant Governor Melinda Schwegmann of New Orleans, and businessman Kirt Bennett of Baton Rouge.

2006 New Orleans mayoral election

Landrieu in 2007

In February 2006, Landrieu officially announced he would run for mayor of New Orleans in the April 22 election. Before Hurricane Katrina the incumbent Ray Nagin was widely expected to be reelected with little difficulty, but post-disaster problems and controversies had left many New Orleanians interested in new leadership.

In the election of April 22, preliminary results showed Landrieu with the second most votes, with 29% of the vote to Nagin's 38%. Nagin and Landrieu faced each other in a run off election on May 20. Had Landrieu won, he would have been the first white mayor of New Orleans since his father left office in 1978.

With unofficial results showing 53% of the vote for Nagin, Landrieu conceded defeat shortly before 10:30 pm on election night.

2010 New Orleans mayoral election

Although Landrieu had at first indicated he did not plan to run for mayor, in December 2009 he announced he would be running in the 2010 New Orleans mayoral election,[4][5] in a bid to succeed Ray Nagin, who was term-limited.

Landrieu won with some 67% of the vote, with wide support across racial and demographic lines. His outright victory over 10 challengers in the first round of voting eliminated the need for a runoff election.[6][7] Although Landrieu has African-American blood through his great-grandmother, he is considered the first white person to hold the post since his father left office in 1978.

Mayor of New Orleans

Shortly after taking office as Mayor of New Orleans, Landrieu announced the appointment of Ronal W. Serpas as the new Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department until the latter's resignation in August, 2014.[8]

Spike Lee documentary

Landrieu was one of the participants in filmmaker Spike Lee's documentaries When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts and If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise.[9]

Humanitarian causes

In 2009 Mitch Landrieu became a supporter of The Jazz Foundation of America. He flew to NYC to present Agnes Varis with the coveted "Saint of the Century" Award at the Jazz Foundation of America's annual benefit concert "A Great Night in Harlem" at the Apollo Theater[10] in support of Varis' and the Jazz Foundation's work to help save jazz musicians, especially those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Election history

State Representative, 90th Representative District, 1987

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 24, 1987

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 4,525 (50%) Elected
Lyn "Mrs. Woody" Koppel Democratic 2,973 (33%) Defeated
Others n.a. 1,484 (17%) Defeated
State Representative, 89th Representative District, 1991

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 19, 1991

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 8,522 (63%) Elected
Marilyn Thayer Republican 4,939 (37%) Defeated
Mayor of New Orleans, 1994

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, February 5, 1994

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Donald Mintz Democratic 56,305 (37%) Runoff
Marc Morial Democratic 49,604 (32%) Runoff
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 14,689 (10%) Defeated
Others n.a. 32,104 (21%) Defeated
State Representative, 89th Representative District, 1995

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 21, 1995

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 6,692 (57%) Elected
Jeff Crouere Jr. Republican 3,049 (26%) Defeated
Others n.a. 2,057 (17%) Defeated
State Representative, 89th Representative District, 1999

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 23, 1999

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 6,575 (70%) Elected
Randy Evans Republican 2,765 (30%) Defeated
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, 2003

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 4, 2003

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 674,803 (53%) Elected
Clyde Holloway Republican 249,668 (19%) Defeated
Melinda Schwegmann Republican 215,402 (17%) Defeated
Others n.a. 141,006 (11%) Defeated
Mayor of New Orleans, 2006

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, April 22, 2006

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Ray Nagin Democratic 41,561 (38%) Runoff
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 31,551 (29%) Runoff
Ron Forman Democratic 18,764 (17%) Defeated
Robert "Rob" Couhig Republican 10,312 (10%) Defeated
Others n.a. 6,160 (6%) Defeated

Second Ballot, May 20, 2006

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Ray Nagin Democratic 59,460 (52%) Elected
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 54,131 (48%) Defeated
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, 2007

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, October 20, 2007

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 702,320 (57%) Elected
Sammy Kershaw Republican 376,336 (30%) Defeated
Gary Beard Republican 130,978 (11%) Defeated
Others n.a. 31,544 (2%) Defeated
Mayor of New Orleans, 2010

Threshold > 50%

First Ballot, February 6, 2010

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Mitch Landrieu Democratic 58,276 (66%) Elected
Troy Henry Democratic 12,275 (14%) Defeated
John Georges Democratic 8,189 (9%) Defeated
Robert "Rob" Couhig Republican 4,874 (5%) Defeated
Others n.a. Defeated

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mitch Landrieu.
Louisiana House of Representatives
Preceded by
Mary Landrieu		 Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 90th district
1988–1992 		Succeeded by
Pete Schneider
Preceded by
James St. Raymond		 Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 89th district
1992–2004 		Succeeded by
Timothy Burns
Political offices
Preceded by
Kathleen Blanco		 Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
2004–2010 		Succeeded by
Scott Angelle
Preceded by
Ray Nagin		 Mayor of New Orleans
2010–present 		Incumbent
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