Columnist Geoff Daily explores Lafayette’s economy and government, providing critical commentary about what’s working and what’s not.
The next couple of decades are going to be defined by the rise of Big Towns, communities no longer striving to be the next Austin but instead the next Chattanooga, Greenville, Sioux Falls — or maybe even the next Lafayette.
What’s tragic about Waitr’s demise is how close it got to being a defining success for Lafayette’s economy.
Lafayette Parish is growing faster than the national average, becoming more diverse and producing more jobs. We should tap into that strength, whatever its sources.
Lafayette used to be a high flier on the Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities report. Now we’re the fourth worst performing city in America.
The restaurant business has always been notoriously tough. Even more so in a place like Lafayette, where the bar has been set so high by so many establishments for so many years.
Lafayette has $28 million in federal coronavirus funds left to spend. It’s one-in-a-lifetime money that could do a lot of good.
Federal data shows Lafayette’s economy is behind a billion dollars. We can’t afford to be complacent.
Boulet’s next few months are going to be all about prioritizing which mess to clean first.
The mayor-president and council think the parish doesn’t need more tax revenue. They’re making the same costly mistake we’ve made for decades — in the name of politics.
Lost in accusations of corruption is a more basic accounting of the mayor-president’s performance. In short, he doesn’t measure up.
At $60 million, funding for superparks and other recreation projects represents Lafayette’s largest economic development investment since LUS Fiber. It may not pay off.
No one was asking for a new city courthouse. That means we’re paying a high public premium to subsidize a private development.
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