ORLEANS DA SEAT WIDE OPEN FOR CHANGE

Endorsements Key To Race, Researcher Says

Races for Orleans Parish district attorney have never lacked drama,
but when five-term incumbent Harry Connick announced in March that he
would step down from the office he redefined after taking it away
from another icon in 1973, the political stage was set anew.

No incumbent. No seemingly unbeatable Connick. New Orleans is in for
a brand-new district attorney for the first time in four decades, and
months before anyone can even qualify to run, several people have
launched campaigns for the wide-open seat.

"These are watersheds, politically," said Ray Teddlie, a media
consultant working for Civil District Court Clerk Dale Atkins in her
bid for district attorney. "It focuses the attention of all sectors
of the community. They realize they have a lot at stake."

So far, the race also has drawn lawyer James Gray II, former U.S.
Attorney Eddie Jordan and defense lawyer Gary Wainwright. Former
judge and Connick rival Morris Reed said last week that he hadn't
decided whether he would make a fourth run for the office.

Atkins showed interest in the race months back, but her campaign
pushed back events in light of her younger sister's death on May 11.
Davia Atkins, 38, died in cross fire at the St. Bernard public
housing complex. Dale Atkins' team expects her to formally announce
within weeks.

Qualifying is in August, with the primary on Oct. 5. While the
politically attentive voter may know Jordan or remember Gray from his
unsuccessful 1996 primary run, none of the candidates has anything
close to the near universal name-recognition Connick enjoyed,
observers say. The key to winning may come down to the right
endorsement.

"That's certainly what happened with Ray Nagin," said Susan Howell,
director of the Survey Research Center at the University of New
Orleans, about the new mayor who seemed to come out of nowhere until
big endorsements catapulted his profile.

"People are looking for cues," Howell said. "What side of the
economic-social divide is this person on?"

In the coming months, candidates will be fighting for the backing of
political action groups and as many heavyweights as possible.
Endorsements from Nagin, Marc Morial or perhaps Jefferson Parish
Sheriff Harry Lee would help define the field.

Another possible booster is, of course, Orleans Parish Sheriff
Charles Foti Jr., a three-decade incumbent who sided with Atkins and
others up for re-election last year as the "Justice Team."

Connick also will have an enormous interest in who succeeds him,
spokeswoman Zully Jimenez said. He plans to invite candidates into
his office to talk about procedures and daily operations before
backing anyone, she said.

What's it like for a candidate in a race with no incumbent?

"It's easier to raise money," Gray deadpanned. "I do think we need a
change. I think people have new expectations."

Gray, who endorsed Connick in his 1996 run-off with Reed, said he's
confident voters will rally behind a candidate based on platform, not
big-name endorsements. "By the time we get to election day, I think
voters will have taken a close enough look that they can make the
decision for themselves," he said.

Without an incumbent, the candidates have no veteran politician's
record to attack. Instead, the talk will be of change and promises to
lower crime rates and improve prevention programs. And if they make
digs at Connick's past administration -- Gray's leaflets mention "a
dismal conviction rate" -- there is no incumbent punching back.

Jordan, who announced his candidacy before Connick bowed out, is
taking the fresh-canvas approach in his campaign.

"Mr. Connick's retirement offers us the unprecedented opportunity to
reshape our criminal justice system, particularly the district
attorney's office," Jordan said. "How do we make our city safer? How
do we prevent crime? How do we improve our business climate?"

He has plans: work more closely with other law enforcement agencies,
create a violent crime unit especially for the worst cases and offer
more community service programs.

Jordan's competitors speak along the same lines, with talk of
prioritizing cases and helping the mostly young staff of assistant
district attorneys deal with staggering caseloads and marathon
workweeks.

But the race won't lack for colorful debate as long as it has
Wainwright, the brash defense lawyer who wants to decriminalize
marijuana and is facing a possession charge himself. He believes
prosecutors waste time and money going after charges of street-level
drug dealing and simple possession. And he isn't looking for a single
political endorsement or donation, he says, because he wants to
remain independent.

"We do not need another DA elected by the politicians," he said.

Whether candidates will need help from politicians or not, they'll
need plenty of cash. Insiders expect some of the leading candidates
to spend at least $500,000 during the campaign.

One indicator for this race's price tag is a letter Jordan's campaign
committee sent to would-be supporters this month. In it, he estimates
he needs at least $75,000 for billboards, signs, mailings and
consultants -- no mention of television ads yet.