Did Kenner's mayor hurt the city's future economic prospects with his Nike theatrics?

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Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn, buried under political and legal criticism, on Wednesday (Sept. 12) reversed his week-old ban on Nike purchases by the Parks and Recreation Department. He said he rescinded the order based on advice from his city attorney and in hopes of "bringing this city back together."

Standing before a U.S. Air Force fighter jet display in Veterans Memorial Park, Zahn told news reporters his Sept. 5 directive "placed Kenner in a false and unflattering light on the national stage."

When he was asked Wednesday whether he consulted his city attorney before he issued the ban, Zahn said: "There was consulting, but the city attorney at that point was understanding the motivation, what I was trying to do, and the Legal Department has stood behind that. But of course now we are seeing where this is going and we wanted to stop."

Whether "where this is going" meant the outside legal advice prevailed, or that Zahn merely regretted the divisive effect of his order, he did not say. What was clear was he had fractured his own city and made Kenner, in some quarters, a target of national ridicule.

He dismissed a reporter's suggestion Wednesday that businesses and real estate developers might leave Kenner in light of his Nike ban. Still, he said, "I'm looking at the future and bringing this city back together."

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