Quotes by Mark Lewis

“[As a result, Nagin himself has become part of the debate over how best to rebuild the devastated Big Easy. Critics suggest the qualities that endeared him to Orleanians before Katrina, among them his political inexperience and his shoot-from-the-hip approach, make him the wrong man for the massive, labyrinthine job ahead. But his supporters, especially members of the business community, say the reconstruction project offers Nagin, 49, a chance to dramatically change not only New Orleans skyline but also the more larcenous and dysfunctional side of its free wheeling culture.] Im still high on him, ... Hes the right leader to bring the city back?especially when you consider that the corrupt old guard could try to exploit this disaster and come back into power.”

“Im still high on him. Hes the right leader to bring the city back?especially when you consider that the corrupt old guard could try to exploit this disaster and come back into power.”

“We believe that a $1,000 tax reduction equals about $10,000 more on the overall value of your home, ... If you were in the buyers market and you were considering two similar homes on the same block, and one has taxes of $10,000 and the other $9,000, wouldnt you pay $5,000 or even $10,000 more for that home? Most people would, since they usually plan to stay there for at least 10 years.”

“Its an unfair system, ... You can go to one particular block in Long Island, for example, where 11 houses got a tax reduction last year because they filed grievances. The remaining 4 homeowners who didnt file a grievance are still overpaying. In most municipalities, if you dont file it means you accept the assessment value of your home.”

“Side letters are often needed to allow a pension fund to invest in a hedge fund without violating the terms of the pension funds charter documents or the provisions of ERISA. Driving this trend is a significant increase in the funds allocated to the alternative investment sector in all jurisdictions - from Japan and Dubai to the UK and the BVI.”

“People who want to go shouldnt be frightened off by difficulties of getting tickets or the challenges of finding accommodations.”

“I didnt give them anything more than the building number so I could see how well they can find their way around.”

“The drill went very well. It was a simple exercise, and Clean Harbors response people had no problem getting on post or finding the right building.”

“We conducted this drill to make sure that our spill response contractor is familiar with the route to the installation. I also wanted to get the response team familiar with the procedures of getting onto the post.”

“Knowing its going to work is the rarest part of that equation. It was all at once for us.”