Click on a district below to read the candidates’ answers:
District A • District B • District C • District D • District E • At-Large
Upcoming municipal elections in New Orleans will be held Nov. 13, with the City Council positions all on the ballot. To assess the candidates’ stand on important issues that impact New Orleans neighborhoods, the Preservation Resource Center reached out to all of the candidates with questions related to land use, blight remediation, historic preservation and over-tourism.
With incumbent Mayor Latoya Cantrell widely expected to win victory ahead of upstart challengers who lack her political background, endorsements and campaign funding, the PRC opted to focus its research and reporting on the City Council races. Because the council oversees land use issues, such as zoning, conditional-use requests and appeals of local historic district commissions, the stakes are high for New Orleans neighborhoods.
Four of seven seats have an incumbent running for reelection: District A, District B, District E and At-Large Division 1. For the open At-Large Division 2 seat, two current council members are running, as is a former state senator, while the District C and District D fields are crowded with newcomers.
District council members have traditionally played an outsized role on land use matters, particularly those affecting the neighborhoods they represent. For that reason, PRC created a candidate questionnaire for all 34 people running across the five districts.
Follow the links below to read the full, verbatim answers to questions from the 18 district candidates who responded as of press time. Because at-large representatives are elected by voters citywide, we offered those candidates the opportunity to sit down for a recorded conversation. The entirety of the recorded interviews are available at the bottom of this page, so voters can hear from the at-large candidates directly about the challenges and opportunities facing our historic city.
All of the district candidates were asked the same five questions:
- If elected to the New Orleans City Council, what will be your role and focus in the area of cultural and historic preservation?
- New Orleans simultaneously struggles with affordable housing and blight? How can we move more blighted and vacant houses into the hands of people who will bring them back to life?
- City leaders agree that the current City Hall needs to be modernized or moved to adequately serve its citizens. As a council member, how would you address this issue?
- Decisions of the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) may be appealed to the City Council. As a council member, what would be your criteria when considering whether or not to overturn an HDLC decision?
- The New Orleans tourism sector is rooted in our historic architecture and our unique culture, but are we doing enough to make tourism equitable? What would you do to protect neighborhoods from “over-tourism”?
Click on a district below to read the candidates’ answers:
District A • District B • District C • District D • District E
Video interviews with At-Large Division 2 candidates
Interview with candidate Kristin Gisleson Palmer
