Today, Mark Samuels, president of New Orleans based Basin Street Records, is quoted in an AP story on Governor Blanco’s Road Home Program and ICF, the contractor hired to run the program.

Read the least edited version I can find HERE.
For an abbreviated story with the best caption under a photo of Mark Samuels read HERE.

What they did not include from my interview is that I blame Governor Blanco 100%, and that if she hadn’t waited for the full funding from Congress, this program could have had at least a 6 month headstart. She knew she had approximately $6.2 billion in December 2005 for this program and others, but waited on the other $4.6 billion that was approved by Congress in June 2006 (read about that HERE) to set up the mechanism for distributing the funds. The system could have been put in place much earlier and the dollar figures could have been adjusted upward in the event the full funding was approved.

They also don’t note that Basin Street Records is located now in my home because I lost the office on Canal Street due to flooding as well. And they don’t note that my home, that was worth $700,000 and is currently probably only worth about $300,000 won’t be worth more than $400,000 after I put $250,000 in repairs into it.

Also note that Basin Street Records is being operated out of Mark’s gutted home because the office on Canal Street was also flooded.