Coast group wants seats for Obama’s visit

Roberta Avila, executive director, STEPS Coalition

The STEPS coalition is hoping to get seats at a town hall meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday in New Orleans to make their voices heard on hurricane recovery issues.

Members of the group, which is made up of several advocacy organizations, have been involved in recovery efforts here, and they say they have been registering online to attend the meeting at the University of New Orleans. They will also send letters to the Obama administration asking for a focus on restoring wetlands along the Gulf Coast and the need for a presidential commission to study how federal funds are being spent. They will also write the president about what they say are unmet housing needs here.

“If we’re lucky, some of us will get in,” said Roberta Avila, executive director of the STEPS Coalition.

The group began to organize a trip to the meeting after learning that Obama wouldn’t be coming to South Mississippi during the trip billed as one to visit Hurricane Katrina affected areas. Obama had promised to visit the Katrina-damaged areas by the end of his first year in office, and his trip Thursday is the first to the region since he took office. The visit won’t include other Gulf Coast areas that are still recovering from the devastating storm.

Last week, the STEPS Coalition asked the president to reconsider and requested locals send e-mails, make phone calls and write letters to senators, representatives and the White House.

“We implore the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community and its supporters to let President Obama and his administration know that the Mississippi Gulf Coast deserves to be included in his visit to the recovering Gulf Coast,” their statement said.

Many South Mississippians have been frustrated by what they perceive as being overshadowed by New Orleans in Hurricane Katrina-related national news coverage, even though Mississippi was hard hit by the storm.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper also reported last week that Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Mary Landrieu, D-La., and other elected officials said a town hall wouldn’t be enough for the president to understand the issues in the area. The office of U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafeyette, also said in the article the president should see Cameron Parish, which is rebuilding from hurricanes Rita, Gustav and Ike. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is expected to meet with Obama.

According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, Obama and at least three Cabinet officials will visit New Orleans Thursday. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will accompany the president, the Advocate reported.

The White House says Obama will visit a charter school in New Orleans before heading to the town hall at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Campus. Obama visited New Orleans five times between being elected and his inauguration, but the trip is his first as president.