Jul 30, 2018
Kelsey Foster is the “People’s Budget Campaign Coordinator” at Committee For a Better New Orleans (CBNO). Foster is the driving force behind the innovative Big Easy Budget Game. As Foster explains, The Big Easy Budget Game allows ordinary people to “Play mayor for a day.” Citizens can go to BigEasyBudgetGame.com to learn about the various city departments’ budgets and decide which ones to increase and which ones to reduce. Because few people know anything about how to budget city departments, the game includes a section that explains what the various departments do and what relevance each has to operating a healthy, thriving city. Armed with this information, participants in The Big Easy Budget Game can make appropriate, informed decisions. New Orleanians recently elected a new mayor and this year, the mayor and city officials will be seriously looking at what decisions citizens who have played The Big Easy Budget Game have made regarding where to increase or decrease funding. For anyone who wants the opportunity to make an impact on where the city spends its money, The Big Easy Budget Game offers a convenient way to give important input, all without leaving home.