James Milton Singleton a prime mover in the New Orleans political organization BOLD (Black Organization for Leadership Development), serves on the nine-member Louisiana Gaming Commission, having been nominated for the position by Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier University of Louisiana , located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college with the distinction of being the only historically black Roman Catholic institution of higher education...

 president Norman Francis

Norman Francis

Norman C. Francis , is the president of Xavier University of Louisiana. He has been Xavier's president since 1968, making him the longest-tenured current leader of an American university...

 and appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal

Bobby Jindal

Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....

.

Role in BOLD

Singleton is a former 24-year member of the New Orleans City Council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

. His tenure on the Council ended in 2002 when he instead unsuccessfully sought the office of mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

. The winner, Ray Nagin

Ray Nagin

Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr. is a former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Nagin gained international note in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area....

, immediately sought Singleton's help with managing the City's finances, an arena where Singleton was considered especially knowledgeable. Singleton and his BOLD allies, starting with BOLD co-founder Ken Carter and his daughter Karen Carter Peterson

Karen Carter Peterson

Karen Carter Peterson is a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, representing the 5th District since 2010. She previously served as the representative from District 93 , in the Louisiana House of Representatives and as Speaker Pro Tempore...

, were historically aligned in opposition to former mayor Marc Morial

Marc Morial

Marc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League. Morial served as mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He is married to Michelle Miller, who has won awards as a CBS News Correspondent.- Early life and educations...

.

Opposition to Bill Jefferson

Since Morial's departure Singleton's allies have most notably been observed as opponents of the Progressive Democrats (the organization supporting William J. Jefferson

William J. Jefferson

William Jennings "Bill" Jefferson is a former American politician, and a published author from the U.S. state of Louisiana. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms from 1991 to 2009 as a member of the Democratic Party. He represented , which includes much of the...

 and his political associates). The dynamics have meant that BOLD, although explicitly the Black Organization for Leadership Development, supports white candidates when expedient, from the BOLD perspective, for the overall good of the African-American community. Thus Singleton and BOLD have at times been sympathetic to white candidates (such as Stacy Head

Stacy Head

Stacy Aline Singleton Head is a member of the New Orleans City Council.-Early Life and Career:Stacy Head was born in 1969 as the daughter of Katherine Hamberlin Singleton and Ernest Lynn Singleton. She grew up in Greensburg, Saint Helena Parish, Louisiana...

 and Helena Moreno

Helena Moreno

Helena Nancy Moreno is a state representative in Louisiana, representing Louisiana House District 93. She was elected on 2010 May 29. She entered office on 2010 June 8...

) when the alternative has been Jefferson or a member of the Progressive Democrats. Singleton has also been on good terms with Republicans

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 such as Governor Jindal (who appointed Singleton to the Gaming Commission) and U.S. Representative Joseph Cao

Joseph Cao

Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. In April 2011, he announced he will be a candidate for Attorney General of Louisiana in 2011, however in September 2011 he pulled out of the race.He was the first...

, who in 2008 thwarted Jefferson's reelection to Congress; the geographical district which Singleton represents on the Gaming Commission is congruent to Cao's 2nd congressional district of Louisiana

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans , and some of its suburbs, including the West Bank portion of Jefferson Parish and South South Kenner.The district is currently represented...

.

Personal life

Singleton belongs to the NAACP and the National Urban League

National Urban League

The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...

. He is married to Allie Mae Y. Singleton. Jim and Allie Singleton, who have two grown daughters, live in New Orleans.