Ray Nagin’s tenure as mayor of New Orleans ends with inauguration of Mitch Landrieu

New Orleans’ new mayor sworn in, Nagin steps down

NEW ORLEANS — There’s a new mayor in New Orleans. Ray Nagin’s tenure has ended with the swearing in of Mitch Landrieu (LAN’-droo).

Landrieu, city council members and other city officials took the oath of office Monday morning at a historic government building in the city’s central business district.

Landrieu, who is vacating the lieutenant governor’s post, was elected in a landslide in February with broad cross-racial support. Nagin was prevented by term limits from running again.

Landrieu becomes the first white mayor of the mostly black city since his father, Moon Landrieu, left office in 1978.

Among the problems he faces are corruption probes of city police, violent crime and an uneven recovery from Hurricane Katrina.