The upcoming election, which includes an open primary for all city council seats, has been postponed to November 13 due to Hurricane Ida.
To give voters a chance to learn the policies, platforms, and personal attributes that their city council candidates plan to bring to office, Uptown Messenger has sent out questionnaires to all of the candidates in Districts A and B.
District A candidate Amy misko reveals his answers below.
City Council District A
Amy Misko, libertarian
Amy misko
Place of birth: Buffalo, New York
Schools attended: State University of New York College at Geneseo, New York Institute of Technology. 600 hours of training in real estate with a particular interest in real estate management and finance.
Current district: Lake view
Job: Semi-retired real estate professional
Memberships: National Association of Realtors, New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors, National Libertarian Party, Louisiana Sate Libertarian Party
Covid vaccine status: To have it and to have it. I promoted the vaccine early and publicly with signs outside my home that read ‘95% immunity to Covid-19 vs. 0%. I’ll take this vaccine, please!
What is your vision of the neighborhood?
Restore our good reputation. Make it “easy in the big, easy to work, to prosper and to grow”. Rescind outdated, unfair, or discriminatory laws. Less regulation. Reduce or eliminate administration fees, fines and taxes throughout the parish. Make it easy for small and large businesses to grow here. Put an end to the corruption at the town hall. Close the scheduling and authorization services. Get off to a good start with lower costs for anyone looking to do business here at Orléans Parish. End political insider trading and corrupt transactions. Sell city owned properties to raise funds for us, the citizens of New Orleans. Invest Covid money in public safety services throughout the parish. Prohibit all members of the municipal council and the mayor from getting us into debt without our explicit consent. All budgets must be approved by the voters in advance.
What would be the first ordinance or resolution that you would present?
End all mandates and open our city 100%.
What should be the spending priorities for the $ 388 million the city will receive from the US bailout?
First, restore our public security services: NOPD, NOFD and EMT. Then complete all new street construction and repair all roads. Finally, dismantle the Wastewater and Wastewater Authority, sell the assets and invite new suppliers to come to the parish of Orléans for all utilities and energy.
What would you do to better fight against juvenile delinquency?
End the “war on drugs” and legalize victimless crime. End pot tickets. Invest in more educational choices for parents and all children of all ages. I provide free K-6 workbooks to learn all day every day through my education charity, Libertarians for learning, at the service of the citizens, children and parents of this city.
Should the cash deposit be removed?
Yes.
What ideas do you have for bringing jobs and non-tourism economic activities to New Orleans?
The barriers to doing business are enormous and very costly. Remove all barriers to business. Lower fees, eliminate license fees and burdensome requirements. End the vicious cycle of pay-to-play corruption. Make it easy for yourself in the Big Easy to start a new business. Keep the city council and the mayor away. Take away the power that they have enshrined in law. Not all laws are fair, good, or just. Most of our current laws prohibit and prevent us from working or dealing directly with each other. These terrible laws separate us from each other. It’s not freedom, it’s tyranny. And the current city council is doing nothing to stop the tyranny of Mayor LaToya Cantrell. They all have to go.
How can the city increase the supply of affordable housing faster?
Eliminate planning and permit services. Stop zoning our property rights. Give every business, big and small and smaller, and developers real, sustainable tax credits, not just foreigners or big guys. Hire a real estate professional to serve at town hall.
Does the city successfully manage licensing and enforcement of short-term rental licenses?
No. The cause of the Airbnb mess is entirely created by the town hall. It starts with very high tax rates on hotel rooms and car rentals. City hall “mandated” tax rates are to blame. Why would a tourist voluntarily spend up to 26% more for an overnight room in a hotel, if he had a cheaper alternative? Private homes are that cheaper alternative.
City Hall seriously injured, crippled and destroyed one of our biggest economic engines. He may not come back. We must act now and drastically reduce hotel taxes to encourage hotel traffic. And we have to have a safe city that people want to visit. We also need a public relations campaign. The mayor threw this town so far under the bus, I’m afraid we’ll never get over it. The French Quarter is not at all safe today. And more stops. Open! Open! Open our city!
What can the Sewerage & Water Board do to reduce flooding in the streets outside hurricanes?
Invest the billions of dollars they collect from us and build new pumping stations and restore old sewer and water inlet and outlet pipes. Stop paying city council to (itself) sit on its board. Put an end to the blatant corruption of the department. Remove the culprits. Reward the honest … wherever they are. If they are found.
Ultimately, I support opening up our city to many utility providers. When businesses need to win the business of customers, everyone benefits. We need more choices for electricity, gas, communications, water, sewage, garbage, the Internet, and all other utilities. Government monopolies are bad for us citizens.
What is the most important personal attribute you would bring to city government?
Honest and trustworthy. I love this city. I want to see us prosper, grow and prosper! All of us together again.
The deadline to register to vote in the November 13 election is Wednesday October 13 in person or by mail or October 23 through the GeauxVote online registration system.
Advance voting is October 30 to November 6 (except Sunday October 31. The deadline to request a mail ballot is November 9 at 4:30 pm Mail ballots must be received by the Registrar of Electors on November 12 at 4:30 p.m.
See here for a full list of candidates. See here to find out what your ballot will look like.
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