Regional Cooperation Is the Key to Shared Prosperity
From the March 10 issue of the Plaquemines Gazette, as Thoughts From the Publisher
By Dale Benoit, 2012 GNO, Inc. Board Chair
In the 10-parish region of Southeast Louisiana, cooperation offers a powerful way to address common challenges and promote sustainable growth. By joining forces, parishes and cities across the region can share resources, harness collective expertise, and align policies to tackle issues that cross parish lines-whether in economic development, environmental resilience, or legislative advocacy in Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C.
Following Hurricane Katrina, regional cooperation between the public and private sectors helped drive the rebuilding effort. But why should it take a disaster to bring us together? That seemed to be the message from Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc., when he recently convened a dinner with the newly elected Mayor of New Orleans, Helena Moreno, and the parish presidents from across the organization’s 10-parish region. Only a couple were unable to attend, but I am proud to say that Plaquemines Parish President Keith Hinkley was among those at the table.
Plaquemines Parish borders Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes, and sits only a stone’s throw from St. Charles.
We have much to gain by working closely with our neighbors. Our needs and concerns are often the same: coastal restoration, the growing threat to our drinking water supply from saltwater intrusion moving up the Mississippi Riv-er, the ongoing insurance crisis, and the need for strong flood protection. Collaboration and cooperation simply make sense.
In fact, some of that cooperation has been happening quietly for years. For ex-ample, sharing water and sewer capacity with Orleans Parish helped enable the development of subdivisions along Woodland Highway. Connections with Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes have also provided emergency water backups while our own treatment plants are upgraded to handle increased capacity.
Another example of regional cooperation has been joint task force efforts by law enforcement agencies, including Plaquemines, to keep crime down in the region. We may feel safe in Plaquemines, but we want to be able to venture out to Orleans and Jefferson and still feel safe.
Data is showing reduced crime rates throughout the region, which is good news.
Historically, however, Plaquemines Parish has often chosen to operate in-dependently. That approach stemmed from a desire to maintain complete control over local government.
The thinking was simple: if you take no one else’s money, you don’t have to follow anyone else’s rules. That was easier to accomplish in the days when parish oil revenues reached $50 million a year.
You could say we were “independently wealthy.”
But when Keith Hinkley took office, the parish was flat broke. It was the influx of revenues tied to the construction of Venture Global that finally allowed the parish to see a little daylight. Even so, Venture Global alone cannot sustain our future. We must continue attracting new businesses, industries, and residents.
Four years ago, when Keith Hinkley called me and asked for my support in his campaign for Parish President, I agreed. I believed in his vision, and I knew he understood the importance of regional cooperation. After his victory, I asked him for one favor-to meet with Michael Hecht and work with GNO, Inc. to help establish a professional economic development effort that would deliver real results.
Those steps have been taken, and the results are beginning to show. Work is underway to create Tax Increment Financing districts (TIFs) that can leverage additional state funding. Areas are being prepared and made more attractive for development. Plaquemines is receiving project referrals from Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and GNO, Inc., and the parish now has stronger relationships with regional and state economic development leaders than at any point in its history.
Regional cooperation also matters because of competition. New Orleans has been a globally recognized brand since before there was a United States of America. Yet today the city itself has fewer than 400,000 residents, with the greater New Orleans metropolitan area totaling about 1.1 million.
There is an old saying that New Orleans was the “Queen City of the South” when Houston was just a wide spot on a cattle trail, and Atlanta was little more than a camp along the Chattahoochee River. Today, Houston has more than 2.3 million residents and a metro population approaching 7.8 million, while Atlanta’s metro area exceeds 6 million.
Those are our nearest competitors.
And compete we do-often quite successfully.
But genuine regional cooperation will only strengthen our ability to compete and to deliver prosperity throughout Southeast Louisiana.
As we demonstrated during the Super Bowl, our region shines brightest when we work together. Let’s show the world-not just during major events, but every day-that what’s old can indeed be new again.
