Ray Nagin

Clarence Ray Nagin Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former businessman and politician who served as the 60th Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from May 2002 to May 2010.

Nagin became internationally known in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His wider response to the disaster was widely criticized for his delayed evacuation order, failure to utilize available city resources like school buses for evacuation, and for ordering residents to a poorly equipped Superdome as a shelter of last resort. He has faced accusations that these actions contributed to the deaths of many residents and demonstrated poor leadership during the crisis.

Before entering politics, he held executive roles at Cox Communications. After leaving office, he founded a consulting firm and self-published a book about his experiences during and after the hurricane. In 2014, Nagin was convicted on charges of wire fraud, bribery and money laundering related to a city corruption scandal and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison.