Elected by winning an overwhelming majority of the white vote while hanging onto a respectable 40% of the black vote, this ex-cable TV executive had a checkered first term.

Although widely perceived as an anti-corruption force after the Marc Morial administration the city continued in its slide toward mediocrity. Crime was returning to epic proportions as the CJS disintegrated. The police under Eddie Compass seemed to be gradually deteriorating. City Administration improved technologically under Greg Meffert but an amazingly poor CAO, Kimberly W. Butler, made matters worse overall. Other departments remained mired in bureaucracy and unable to improve.

The stage was set as August 29'th 2005 approached. Everything else is about what happened after 8/29/5.