His new job is bound to revive talk of presidential aspirations, but his colleagues, and political analysts in Louisiana, say thatвЂ™s premature, and not necessarily why Landrieu, 61, is willing to tackle the job. He knows that youвЂ™re never going to get everything absolutely right, but if you donвЂ™t make a decision and get moving, youвЂ™ll definitely get it wrong.вЂќ Because heвЂ™s willing to take a risk to get something done. вЂњEvery time IвЂ™ve provided him with counsel, when it involves being more cautious, eventually, he overrules my advice. вЂњHeвЂ™s willing to take the risks and heвЂ™s generally fearless,вЂќ Isaacson said. LandrieuвЂ™s new job, directing large amounts of money for highly sought, complex projects, involves political risks for the lifelong politician. Also worth noting, Kopplin said, is LandrieuвЂ™s strong track record of involving minority businesses in city projects.

That echoes plans the White House touted early this year, while selling the infrastructure package, to вЂњredress historic inequitiesвЂќ in transportation projects - such as highways that divided communities like the historically Black neighborhood of Treme in New Orleans. вЂњAnd racial equity will be a core focus of the implementation of this historic infrastructure package.вЂќ вЂњWe get to fix a lot of roads, bridges, ports, rail lines and airports,вЂќ Landrieu, 61, said in a statement issued Monday morning. While his new role places him, again, in charge of major infrastructure undertakings, matters of race are still involved. His father, Moon Landrieu, was a two-term mayor who brought Black politicians into city government in the 1970s, served in President Jimmy CarterвЂ™s Cabinet and later became a judge. He promoted a book, provided some political commentary on CNN and devoted time to the E Pluribus Unum project, a nonprofit he started to break down racial divides.ДЄ former state legislator and lieutenant governor, Landrieu was steeped in progressive politics since childhood. He discounted talk of national ambitions and never entered the race. Nationally, however, he was sometimes mentioned as a possible 2020 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, particularly after the removal of the Lee statue and a speech decrying the monuments as part of вЂњa fictional, sanitized Confederacy.вЂќ And he was on the defensive toward the end of his tenure over violent crime, the slow pace of some projects and myriad problems at the agency overseeing street drainage and drinking water systems. Charles Avenue was unpopular among some white voters. LandrieuвЂ™s doggedness in taking down monuments like the larger-than-life statue of Robert E. Mary Landrieu, by then, had lost her seat to Republican Bill Cassidy and the state had gone big for Donald Trump in 2016. Although he had twice won election as lieutenant governor, his prospects for another statewide run were dubious in a reliably Republican state. He was term-limited when he left the mayorвЂ™s seat in 2018 and his political future at that point was murky. Landrieu won landslide mayoral victories in 20. Landrieu also led development of a new state-of-the-art international airport, something state and city leaders had been talking about for decades. Under Landrieu, New Orleans secured federal money for repair and revitalization of fire and police stations, libraries, school buildings, roads and drainage and public recreation areas that were devastated when federally built levees failed during the storm. LandrieuвЂ™s administration wiped out a nearly $100 million deficit and drew billions of dollars in federal aid to step up a plodding recovery from Katrina under former Mayor Ray Nagin, who later went to prison for corruption. вЂњHe was always focused on having the resources hit the ground at the right time, and thatвЂ™s whatвЂ™s critical with the coordination that heвЂ™s going to be tasked with.вЂќ вЂњThere will be a thousand billion-dollar projects in this trillion dollar bill,вЂќ Kopplin said. вЂњHe loves the geeky details of infrastructure and he loves bringing people together for great projects.вЂќДЄndy Kopplin, a deputy mayor under Landrieu and chief of staff to two former Louisiana governors, said LandrieuвЂ™s skill with logistics will be a strength in his new role. вЂњHeвЂ™s the perfect person for this job,вЂќ said Walter Isaacson, the New Orleans-born historian, journalist and author who played a role in Katrina recovery efforts.

Adjusting the backs in cabinet vision