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Editor’s note: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin talked of running for governor, but his campaign never really got off the ground. Allen Johnson Jr. ponders why not.

The seeds of doom for Ray Nagin’s ill-conceived flirtation with running for governor were sewn Jan. 11, when 5,000 angry citizens marched on New Orleans City Hall demanding an end to criminal violence—nearly six months after Gov. Kathleen Blanco had rushed 300 National Guard troops and 60 State Police troopers to the city at Mayor Nagin’s request.

Demonstrators called for the resignations of the mayor, his police chief and the district attorney. One man waved a huge white flag with blood-red letters: “S.O.S.” Everyday citizens took turns recalling horrific losses of loved ones. Forced to listen, Nagin stood quietly in the crowd, closed his eyes and clasped his hands, as if in prayer.

Afterwards, a contrite Nagin promised reporters to stop blaming others for the city’s problems, without naming frequent targets such as Gov. Blanco, FEMA, etc.

“As mayor of the city of the New Orleans, I am not going to talk about any other entity, whether it be the state or the federal government. My pledge to the citizens of New Orleans, from this day forward, is that everything that I do—going forward as your mayor—will be totally and solely focused on making sure that murders become a thing of the past in our city.”

It was a great speech. I remember hoping then that the public uproar, the mayor’s worst crisis since Katrina, would finally help Nagin find his mettle as a leader, much like his predecessor, Marc Morial, who found his grit through crisis.

Beleaguered by violent crime and police corruption during his first administration, Morial was missing in action as crime-weary citizens marched on City Hall some 11 years ago. But Morial “came into his own” as a leader after a ship lost control on the Mississippi River and crashed into the Riverwalk. He took command of the disaster scene and returned to City Hall, a more effective leader.

No such luck with Nagin. Today, crime is out of control and threatening to strangle the city’s fragile recovery. The city is on pace to repeat as the nation’s murder capital. And the mayor has returned to blaming everyone but himself for the city’s woes a long time ago.

Nagin’s dalliance with running for governor slapped many New Orleanians in the face. Before he seeks higher office, he’ll do well to make good on the promises he made Jan. 11. Ending the hegemony of violence is a worthy legacy and realistic goal for a mayor with more than two years left in office. Making the city safe again may be the best way to woo back the 200,000 residents who still have not returned since Katrina nearly destroyed New Orleans two years ago.