By Matt Davis BBC News, New Orleans

Ray Nagin is confident he has the best experience for the job

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Nagin - who was criticised by some for his response to Katrina - said he was "the only leader that has a plan that's documented for bringing the city back".

His comments came after a federal judge refused to postpone the 22 April mayoral poll, despite fears too many residents scattered by the disaster will be unable to vote.

Some say the last thing New Orleans needs right now is an election campaign, as the city struggles to recover from the massive flooding of six months ago.

I have the relationships from the White House down Ray Nagin

Polls were originally set for February, but state officials postponed them after Katrina due to the devastation and confusion caused by the storm.

The mayor said he had put a "lot of blood sweat and tears into this" and if an election had to take place, he was ready.

"My message is one of honesty and integrity and reform - I have done that, demonstrated that," he said.

"I was here during the storm, I wasn't perfect but I did more things right than I did wrong.

"And then going forward I am the only leader that has a plan that's documented for bringing the city back - and I have the relationships from the White House down, so I don't see how anyone else is going to be able to top that."

Challengers

Last year Mr Nagin blasted the federal authorities for failing to respond fast enough to the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.

Ron Forman enjoys wide support in New Orleans

Yet he was criticised for failing to evacuate New Orleans early enough, leaving thousands of poor citizens in the path of the storm.

As Hurricane Rita approached he was also attacked for rushing plans to reopen the city.

Given New Orleans' problems, and the fact that the federal government holds the purse strings - and power - over the city's recovery, it is a wonder anyone would want the job of mayor.

But Mr Nagin will be running against at least 10 challengers.

Among the favourites are Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and Ronald Forman, head of the Audubon Nature Institute, who has a lot of citywide support.

Other hopefuls include the Reverend Tom Watson, the only African American in the race besides Mr Nagin in a city that has not had a white mayor since 1978.

Nagin's chocolate vision

Once a predominantly black city of about 462,000 people, New Orleans now has a population of about 200,000 with a roughly equal number of white and black residents.

The city anticipates an influx of people over the summer, after the end of the school year.

But it is thought the current displacement of so many black voters will make the elections almost impossible to call.

Mr Nagin has been reaching out to African Americans since his first election, where he was backed by the business establishment.

Yet his controversial comments about making New Orleans a "chocolate city" may have alienated some people.

Mr Nagin told the BBC he had been misconstrued.

"My vision of chocolate is that when I was a kid I was a big chocolate milk fan," he said.

"So you take this dark syrup and mix it up with the white milk, and I could eat or drink both independently, but when I put them together it made something very special - now that is what I was referring to."

'Special place'

Visions for the future of New Orleans, currently a city of huge contrasts, will be one of the defining features of the election.

"This is a very special place, very unique. That's why people come from all over the world to visit us," said Mr Nagin, speaking as the city prepared to celebrate the colourful climax of Mardi Gras.

"The parade rocks," he said. "Things seem to be going very, very well from the perspective of what we expected."

He added: "[New Orleans] has a certain magnetism to it and what I am hearing from residents is, 'Sure I was upset after Katrina but now I am anxious to get back to my home which I am accustomed to.'