Ray Nagin Biography Quotes 9 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Clarence Ray Nagin Jr., widely known as Ray Nagin, was born on June 11, 1956, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in the city he would one day lead and attended Tuskegee University, where he earned a degree in accounting. His New Orleans roots and business training shaped a pragmatic outlook that later informed both his corporate career and his approach to public office.

Business Career and Civic Profile
Before entering politics, Nagin worked in the private sector and developed a reputation as a capable manager. He rose through the ranks at Cox Communications, serving as a local executive overseeing cable operations in the New Orleans area. The role gave him visibility with the citys business community and experience in budgeting, customer service, and infrastructure management. During this time he also gained civic experience through public board service, including a position on the New Orleans Aviation Board, which broadened his familiarity with city governance and public assets.

Entry into Politics
Positioning himself as a political outsider focused on reform, Nagin ran for mayor of New Orleans in 2002. He campaigned on improving city services, increasing accountability, and reducing corruption. In a crowded field that included prominent figures such as former police superintendent Richard Pennington, Nagin advanced to the runoff and defeated Pennington, drawing support from voters seeking a new direction after years of political factionalism. He succeeded Mayor Marc Morial, who was term-limited, and took office with a mandate to modernize City Hall.

First Term Priorities
As mayor, Nagin emphasized technology upgrades, more transparent procurement, and business-friendly policies intended to boost jobs and stabilize the citys finances. He moved to streamline permitting and sought to professionalize the administration. He brought in new leadership at City Hall, notably including technology chief Greg Meffert, as he tried to digitize services and present New Orleans as a city ready to compete for investment and tourism.

Hurricane Katrina and Crisis Leadership
Nagin's tenure became inseparable from the history-altering impact of Hurricane Katrina. On August 28, 2005, he issued the first-ever mandatory evacuation order for New Orleans as the storm approached. In the catastrophic days that followed, levee failures inundated much of the city. Nagin made urgent public appeals for assistance, including emotional radio interviews that drew national attention to the humanitarian crisis. Coordination with Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and the federal government, including President George W. Bush and FEMA Director Michael Brown, was strained as the city grappled with overwhelmed shelters at the Superdome and Convention Center, mass displacement, and breakdowns in communication. Within the New Orleans Police Department, Superintendent Eddie Compass and later Warren Riley were central figures in trying to stabilize the city as order and services were reestablished.

Rebuilding, Controversy, and Reelection
The early reconstruction period was marked by deep disagreements over planning, pace, and equity. Nagin faced criticism over debris removal, permitting delays, and long timelines for restoring neighborhoods. He also drew scrutiny for remarks about the future demographics of New Orleans, which sparked controversy and debate about inclusion and representation in the recovery. Despite the upheaval, he won reelection in 2006 in a runoff against Mitch Landrieu, then Louisianas lieutenant governor, in an election complicated by the diaspora of displaced residents. Federal and state partners, including Senator Mary Landrieu and Governor Blanco, remained influential voices in how resources flowed, how federal programs were structured, and how the citys long-term footprint was drawn.

Second Term and Ongoing Challenges
Nagin's second term unfolded amid persistent fiscal constraints, a housing shortage, and public safety concerns. City Hall faced urgent choices about blight, infrastructure, and how to rebuild schools, parks, and transportation. Relationships with the City Council and community groups were often tense as different constituencies vied for limited funds. While tourism and parts of the economy slowly recovered, the pace remained uneven across neighborhoods, and the administration drew criticism for a leadership style that could be combative in the face of public and political pressure.

Ethics Probes and Indictment
Even as recovery proceeded, federal investigators scrutinized City Hall contracts and vendor relationships. Attention fell on technology deals and on figures close to the administration, including Greg Meffert, who later pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges, and vendor Mark St. Pierre. Businessman Frank Fradella also emerged in court filings connected to the broader probe. In January 2013, a federal grand jury indicted Nagin on counts including bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering tied to city contracting during and after the Katrina period.

Trial, Conviction, and Sentencing
Nagin pleaded not guilty and maintained that he had acted in the citys best interest. In early 2014, a jury in federal court convicted him on multiple counts. He was subsequently sentenced to a 10-year term in federal prison. The conviction marked a dramatic fall for a mayor who had initially taken office as a reform-minded outsider and became a defining coda to his years in public life.

Imprisonment and Later Developments
Nagin reported to federal custody in 2014. During his incarceration he continued to assert his innocence. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was moved to home confinement under broader federal measures designed to mitigate health risks in prisons. After his release from custody, he kept a relatively low public profile compared with his mayoral years.

Publications and Commentary
In the years after Katrina and before his indictment, Nagin published accounts reflecting his perspective on the disaster and its aftermath, defending his decision-making and offering a critique of intergovernmental response and media portrayals. His writings contributed to a wider debate in which voices from local government, the state, the federal level, and community advocates examined failures and hard-won lessons following one of the most consequential urban crises in modern American history.

Personal Life
Nagin is married to Seletha Nagin, who was a visible presence during his time as mayor. She and other family members were frequently seen at community events and during commemorations of the storm. Though the family largely stayed out of the spotlight during his legal battles, they remained central figures in his personal narrative and in public perceptions of his resilience and resolve.

Legacy
Ray Nagin's legacy is complex and contested. He will long be remembered as the New Orleans mayor who ordered a mandatory evacuation before Katrina, who voiced the citys anguish in blunt and emotional terms, and who presided over the earliest, grimmest months of recovery. He will also be remembered for a federal corruption conviction that undercut the reformist image that first carried him into office. His tenure sits at the intersection of disaster leadership, urban rebuilding, and public ethics, a cautionary and instructive chapter for city leaders, voters, and the national officials who worked alongside him, from Governor Kathleen Blanco and Senator Mary Landrieu to President George W. Bush and FEMA Director Michael Brown. Mitch Landrieu, who defeated Nagin's preferred successor candidates and later succeeded him as mayor, inherited and reshaped the recovery landscape, providing a later point of comparison for how the city charted its post-Katrina course.

Our collection contains 9 quotes who is written by Ray, under the main topics: Justice - Leadership - Decision-Making - Tough Times - Teamwork.