ISSUE: Clyburn's leadership role

OUR VIEW: Congressman due praise for efforts beyond 6th District

U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn this week received another in a long line of honors. The Urban League of Greater Kansas City designated Clyburn as a "Difference Maker" throughout his lifetime.

Cynics will contend lawmakers receive such awards because groups and organizations are seeking influence. Certainly they are, but honoring a public servant such as Clyburn for his well-documented efforts at home and elsewhere is most fitting.

As a leader in the U.S. House, Clyburn has used his position to address needs on a national scale. And nowhere more so than in the areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. His work was acknowledged in a high-profile way on Dec. 5 when The Times-Picayune of New Orleans published an editorial titled "The kindness of strangers."

Every citizen of the 6th District needs to know the extent of Clyburn's assistance efforts and the "Difference Maker" he has been for the Gulf Coast:

"Sometimes it seems that no outsider can possibly understand what we've been through during the past two years and how badly we want things to be made right.

"But there are some people who do seem to get it. U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina is one. Actor Brad Pitt is another.

"Rep. Clyburn, a Democrat who is No. 3 in the House leadership, has taken the lead on Gulf Coast issues. Not only is he responsible for the passage of more than a dozen hurricane recovery bills, but he made it his mission to get a waiver for the local match to federal recovery dollars. And he recently helped get the $3 billion in federal money needed to keep the Road Home program afloat.

"His commitment to people far outside his district is astonishing. And heartening.

"Perhaps Rep. Clyburn feels a kinship with South Louisianians because his state is also vulnerable to hurricanes. Even so, there are numerous members of Congress who have that connection but don't act on it.

"As for Mr. Pitt: He talks about his long love of New Orleans, which stems from his first stay here in 1994 during the filming of 'Interview with the Vampire.' He is far from the first actor to fall in love with the city.

"His personal commitment is a rarity, though.

"Mr. Pitt is putting $5 million of his own money into 'Make It Right,' a $12 million project to build hurricane-proof, energy-efficient homes in the Lower 9th Ward. While he is using his celebrity status to attract donors, he seems to be doing his best to keep attention focused on the needs of homeowners.

" 'This cannot be about me,' he said in an interview Sunday. 'I am fortunate to have a big spotlight in my hand, and I can point it in a direction.'

Bless him for choosing this direction for his spotlight.

"The need for housing in New Orleans is still critical. And many of homes that were washed away in the breach of the Industrial Canal wall represented the entire worth of families who had lived in them for decades.

"Rebuilding those homes is more expensive than it would have been pre-Katrina, and insurance proceeds and Road Home money -- assuming it eventually arrives -- won't be enough for some people. The 'Make It Right' project is there to fill in the gap.

"The bright-pink art installation that debuted this week near the breach is the latest fund-raising effort for the project. But it is also a visual reminder that there used to be a neighborhood on that spot.

"Pink was chosen, Mr. Pitt said, because it 'screams the loudest' for attention.

"Twenty-six months after the flood, keeping attention on recovery is vitally important. To him and to Rep. Clyburn, thank you for understanding."

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