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Governor-elect Mitch Landrieu greets supporters at after his election night party in New Orleans on Saturday.

Governor-elect Mitch Landrieu greets supporters at after his election night party in New Orleans on Saturday.

Louisiana: New Orleans picks first white mayor in 32 years

NEW ORLEANS — In an event-packed weekend here that included the New Orleans Saints' first-ever trip to the Super Bowl and seven Mardi Gras parades, Mitch Landrieu, the state's lieutenant governor and scion of a well-known Louisiana political family, captured enough attention to become the city's 61st mayor.

Rick Jervis | USA Today | Published: 02/08/2010 10:12

Landrieu received 66% of votes at the polls Saturday, avoiding a runoff. His landslide victory over 10 opponents brings to a close the tumultuous eight years of Ray Nagin, who has been the public face of New Orleans since the floods following Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. Nagin had served the maximum number of terms allowed by law.

A litany of tasks await the new mayor: lowering one of the highest crime rates in the nation, rebuilding schools and streets and the ongoing recovery from the 2005 floods.

In a recent interview with USA TODAY, Landrieu said he plans to create a unified strategy for recovery.

"We have a bunch of disparate plans being pushed by a bunch of different organizations. It needs to be brought together coherently," he said.

(...) Landrieu, a lawyer and a Democrat, grew up in New Orleans and served 16 years as a state legislator and the past six years as lieutenant governor. He's the son of former mayor Moon Landrieu and the brother of Sen. Mary Landrieu, also a Democrat.

"We took a huge leap forward into the future today," Landrieu, 48, said at his victory party. "The city of New Orleans showed America what it takes to rebuild a great place. We're all going together, and we're not leaving anybody behind."

Landrieu is the first white mayor in 32 years in a city that is more than 60% African-American.

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