One of the theories regarding urban quality of life is that infrastructure, streets, drainage, sewerage and public buildings must constantly be renewed. These facilities are under constant stress from hard use. During our administration, we brought together business-labor-civic coalitions that overwhelmingly passed two bond issues. The first, $300 million in 1995, was a record bond issue for New Orleans. It generated funds for the renewal of both the city infrastructure and the city's public schools, many of which are more than 100 years old and had not been renovated in years. The second bond issue, $150 million in 2000, generated funds for the continued renovation and rebuilding of the city and $27 million for improvements to law enforcement facilities. These bond issues generated thousands of construction jobs in New Orleans and the Metropolitan Area.

Our Office of International Relations & Trade Development has played an important role in the City of New Orleans' re-emergence in international commerce. During the 1950s the City of New Orleans held the title of "Gateway to the Americas." It has been the primary goal of our administration to reclaim that title. Since 1994, the City of New Orleans has made significant strides in reestablishing relations with countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. Among the accomplishments of the office:

• Encuentro Las Americas '97, one of the premier trade conferences in the United States.

• U.S. Treasury Department "Summit of the Americas" meeting of Western Hemispheric Finance Ministers.

• U.S. Department of Transportation Western Hemispheric Transportation Ministers Summit.

• U.S. Department of Energy Hemispheric Energy Ministers Summit.

• 41st Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank.

• Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's visit in April 1997.

• The Mayor's Honorary Ambassador Program, which now has 37 Honorary Ambassadors representing New Orleans' interests in countries as diverse as China and India.

• Drafted and negotiated trade agreements with Managua, Nicaragua; Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras; San Salvador, El Salvador; Santiago, Chile; Tucuman, Argentina; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Oranjestad, Aruba; Caracas, Venezuela; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

• Organized trade missions to Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Haiti,
  El Salvador, Nicaragua, Austria, Mexico, Spain, Cameroon, Aruba, Ghana and South Africa.

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