The mayor has erected signs all over New Orleans announcing big plans for future development. Tuesday’s Times-Picayune says he did this “hoping to boost public confidence.”

The question that occupied much of Monday night’s meeting of the City Council, however, was whether such signs inspire the citizens of this city or anger them. Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell said, “Instead of signs saying what we’re going to do, why not put up signs saying what we’ve completed?”

Sure would save a lot of money on signs.

In the three years and three months since Hurricane Katrina devastated this city and regions around us, our mayor and his administration have developed incredible skills at announcing plans and program. Numerous press conferences have been called to unveil architects’ imaginative plans for developments on this block or in this neighborhood. The paper gives the hoopla front page coverage the next morning, and then nothing happens. Pretty soon, another conference is called, another drawing is unveiled, another front page heralds the news, and then nothing.

The citizens have long since grown skeptical over any announcement emanating from City Hall.

Instead of learning, however, Mayor Nagin and his people want to invest more money in bigger and better signs of their plans.

I’m with Ms. Morrell. Tell us what you’ve done, not what you’re planning.

In Monday night’s marathon council meeting, members grilled administration officials on the lack of progress in restoring our libraries, playgrounds, and fire/police stations.

Council member Jackie Clarkson said, “I am fed up. Nothing has to take this long. Something is really wrong. So little is getting done. I can’t get a handle on this.”

The administration has excuses. Red tape from the government, bureaucratic mazes they have to negotiate, foot-dragging Washington officials, you name it.

Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis said, “People are afraid” to make changes or to think for themselves. “The attitude seems to be, ‘Until I get seven pieces of paper in writing, I won’t move.'”

Mayor Nagin told the council there are 450 projects at some point in production, either in design, under construction, or finished. He quickly heard from council members who rebutted those numbers. Many of those projects, the mayor was told, are actually parts of larger rebuilding efforts such as the roof on a fire house.

Somebody is trying to pull a fast one, it would appear. Smother the critics with information and overwhelm the council with numbers and statistics, hoping no one will notice. But it’s not working.

Rebuilding the city should not be this difficult, members insisted. Councilmember Stacy Head mentioned the $1 million which was earmarked for tree-planting and streetscape renovations in Broadmoor and along Freret Street and Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. These projects were designed 18 months ago and the money was voted, but nothing has been done. Ms. Head says, “These are simple tasks. Why can’t we get past concepts to dirt-turning?”

Part of the administration’s problem, according to some council members, may be too many cooks. Council member Arnie Fielkow asked whether the Nagin administration was delegating authority to too many offices. Parts of the construction work the city is planning are overseen by William Chrisman, capital projects administrator for the city, while others fall under Recovery Director Ed Blakely, the chief administrative office, and the city’s capital projects management consultant, a company named MWH.

“I think we’re set up wrong,” Arnie said. “We’re missing the quarterback for people to report to.” (Fielkow used to be the general manager for the Saints, so the football analogy came naturally to him.)

“We need to figure out a better way,” he said. “The public doesn’t care about shortages of staff or funding. They want to see things like new fire stations. And they aren’t coming back without it.”

A few thoughts about hope….

Hope is a fragile commodity. Hold it out there to inspire people to give their best, then frustrate them by taking it away and you quickly forfeit their trust.

Hope is a first-cousin to faith. Faith is a confidence in present realities that are unseen but which you have cause to accept, while hope involves future realities.

Hope has to have a basis if it is to inspire anyone to do anything. That basis must always be what has been done in the past, not what one is promising.

We can name certain religions of the world which are promising spectacular heavens after this life, but which have absolutely nothing to show their people to inspire such hope. What they demand from followers is blind faith and baseless hope. Most of us are unwilling to go that route.

Thank God He does not require such from His children.

“This hope we have as an anchor for our souls,” said the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 6:19). In a world which was persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ, the writer (whoever it was; no one knows) points out that “we have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” (6:18)

What is the “blessed hope” of believers? It’s all the future God has promised in Christ—the return of Jesus, eternal life after this life, the Father’s house as our dwelling, and the everlasting nearness of our Lord, among other things.

And what is the basis for such hope? Answer: all the things God did in Christ. His life and teachings, His works and ways, His death, burial, and resurrection, and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers which are in harmony with all God did in Jesus.

And so, the next time some religious outfit knocks at your door with grand promises about the future awaiting you if you adopt their program, take a tip from the New Orleans City Council and ask them on what basis you should believe them. Ask what have they done before you buy into what they are claiming.

“By their works (fruits) you shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20)

Trust them according to what they have done, not what they are promising.