In July 2005, PSG started work with the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism (DCRT). Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and Secretary Angele Davis began working with my colleague, Dr. Camille Cates Barnett and a PSG team on a transformation project. The goals - for both the department and the Lieutenant Governor's Office - were to become high performing government organizations that produce excellent results for their citizens and to help the state leverage tourism and the "cultural economy."
At the onset of our partnership work together, Angele Davis said, "When this administration began, we integrated the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Department to work as one agency, creating immediate efficiencies. Now, working with PSG, we will build on this foundation, exploring opportunities for public-private opportunities, innovations and economic growth for the State of Louisiana." She couldn't have known how prophetic she would be.
Then, Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Four parishes in Southeast Louisiana, including New Orleans, were severely damaged. Families were torn apart, lives and homes were lost. Suddenly, "budgeting for outcomes" took on a new urgency - including the need to support the monumental task of rebuilding New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. The Louisiana team turned their attention to marshalling every resource to help these areas rebound.
Just three weeks later, on September 20, 2005, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu unveiled Louisiana Rebirth: Restoring the Soul of America, a strategic plan to rebuild Louisiana's tourism and cultural industries. Joined by industry leaders - including, Roger Dow of the Travel Industry of America, Richard Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Jonathan Tisch of the Travel Business Roundtable - Landrieu issued this four-point plan -
- Rebuild Louisiana to worldwide preeminence as a top tourist destination.
- Make Louisiana's Cultural Economy the engine of economic and social rebirth.
- Build better lives and livelihoods than before for all Louisiana's people.
- Make Louisiana's recovery the standard for high performance, accountability, and ethical behavior.
For each of these results, Louisiana Rebirth identifies strategies, indicators to track progress, next steps, and ways to help. Here's a quick summary of the work FOR LOUISIANA'S REBIRTH:
RESULT #1: Rebuild Louisiana to worldwide preeminence as a top tourist destination.
| Indicators of Success
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- Total Visitor Spending/Total Number of Visitors
- Jobs in the tourism industry
- National intent to visit
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Tourism is a critical economic driver for Louisiana. As the state's second largest industry, tourism accounted for 120,000 jobs and visitor spending reached $9.9 billion in 2004.
The plan states, "The challenge is to re-create and surpass previous achievements. The first emphasis will be on promoting the majority of the state's tourism industry that is still open and operating, in order to restore and retain visitor spending. Simultaneously, we will offer short-term and long-term business assistance to all tourism entities within the state. Workforce development will be an immediate component of rebuilding infrastructure. Research will be the key in determining a long-term national and international image campaign, which will be focused upon rebuilding and restoring the image of New Orleans and Louisiana."
RESULT #2: Make Louisiana's Cultural Economy the engine of economic and social rebirth.
| Indicators of Success
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- Number of jobs related to the Cultural Economy
- Number of citizens/visitors accessing cultural programs and products
- Spending by residents and visitors attributed to Cultural Economy assets (economic impact)
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Louisiana's Cultural Economy was a $202 million industry that employed over 140,000 people in 2004. Disciplines that made up the cultural economy include: entertainment and performing and visual arts, humanities, historic preservation, archaeology, design, and culinary arts.
The effort to re-create jobs through the cultural industries will be guided by a comprehensive research study conducted by Mt. Auburn Associates, Louisiana: Where Culture Means Business. This study, unveiled at the Lt. Governor's Cultural Economy Conference on August 25th -- days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall -- sets forth objectives and action plans for the economic growth of Louisiana's cultural industries.
The Louisiana Rebirth plan states, "We will make our Cultural Economy the engine of Louisiana's economic and social rebirth. First, we will ensure that those cultural assets that were damaged by the storm and flooding are restored to good condition, and those assets that fortunately remain undamaged are properly conserved and maintained. We will make investments that rebuild capacity within our cultural industries, enhance our distribution outlets, promote cultural education, and create marketing to help fuel this rebirth."
RESULT #3: Build better lives and livelihoods than before for all Louisiana's people.
| Indicators of Success
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- Percentage of Louisianans whose family income exceeds pre-Katrina levels
- Percentage of Louisianans living in their own non-movable housing that exceeds pre-Katrina levels
- Percentage of Louisianan youth demonstrating grade-appropriate school readiness that exceeds pre-Katrina levels
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The plan states, "Rebuilding people's lives and their livelihoods is the centerpiece of rebuilding Louisiana. People -- all people -- and the quality of their lives within their communities must be the centerpiece of the recovery strategy."
To help accomplish this important goal:
- The State Library will serve as a clearinghouse, offering people a gateway to information that will put them in contact with the resources available to rebuild their lives.
- The Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation was established to receive and distribute relief funds.
- The Louisiana Serve Commission will engage America's youth in the rebuilding effort. One objective is to double AmeriCorps membership to 150,000 youth, with at least half having full stipends and serving full-time.
- State Parks will provide space for temporary and transitional housing. Group cabins and camps will be used until October. RV camping spots will be used for housing for up to one year.
RESULT #4: Make Louisiana's recovery the standard for high performance, accountability, and ethical behavior.
| Indicators of Success
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- Extent to which the right results got to the right people, on time and on budget
- Independent confirmation that the money was not lost or misused.
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"The State of Louisiana must restore neighborhoods and communities as well as the public's trust in their government," Landrieu said. "This will require accountability for using every dollar of recovery spending to deliver the right result, to the right people, on time and on budget, without any of the money being misspent. Louisiana's response must be focused, fast, fair, and fiercely accountable."
To reach the highest standards of accountability and performance management, the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism will:
- Publicize the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation fund that is being utilized by the Department and will gain 501-c (3) status to ensure long-term stability and progress.
- Identify and work to remove any bureaucratic barriers in the form of laws, rules, and procedures for using the money effectively to achieve results. Safeguards will be maintained to protect against fraud and abuse.
I'm impressed! I love the clear results, indicators, plans - and that the first steps have been identified in every case. I applaud how clearly you can see how the arms of the Department each contribute to the results. I am especially awed, as I know that some of the people working on this were without a home themselves during its creation. This work is truly transformative. In this state, the 'recreation' department is significantly contributing to the 're-creation' of the entire state.
As Governor Kathleen Blanco said, "We will rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding communities of Southeast Louisiana. We look forward to returning . (to) a safer and more secure Louisiana: vibrant, just, and diverse, her cultural wealth restored to the world." And, as the Lieutenant Governor says, "This great city will rise again. It will be a rebirth, a chance to build better than before. It will take all of us - the multicultural gumbo that defines us - working together to make it happen."
This hurricane is nation changing. Let it be for the good.
To view the entire Louisiana Rebirth plan, log onto www.crt.state.la.us or http://apollonew.crt.state.la.us/LouisianaRebirth/Plan/LouisianaRebirthPlan.pdf.
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