The four leading contenders to become New Orleans’ next mayor vowed to stick up for marginalized communities, as well as expand economic opportunity and affordable housing at an Aug. 5 Young Leadership Council forum at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market.
Democratic candidates Royce Duplessis, Arthur Hunter, Helena Moreno and Oliver Thomas fielded an array of questions posed by various nonprofit leaders focused on challenges facing young professionals, families and vulnerable populations — including the city’s shrinking population.
New Orleans City Council president Helena Moreno said she has been examining the way other cities have navigated the affordable housing crisis, which is a nationwide issue.
“”Home affordability is one of the reasons why people are moving out of our city. It’s such a problem it’s pushing people out,” she said. “New Orleans is at a tipping point, and the next mayor is going to be the determining factor on whether or not people can actually really stay and live in the city.”
Moreno said she was looking at strategies implemented by cities like Austin, Texas, which has been repurposing publicly owned properties into affordable housing developments.
She said she was considering similar initiatives for New Orleans, which has more than 370 empty parcels of city-owned land, in addition to over 70 physical structures owned by the city.
“We should be doing all things possible to put those city properties, which we are not using, into commerce,” she said. “The best utilization of those city properties is to make them into affordable housing.”
Thomas, also a city council member, said he plans to partner with different organizations and real estate agents to help make the home buying more accessible to first responders, teachers, law enforcement and other public service workers.
He also wants to “reprogram” Community Development Block Grants to fund soft second mortgages, which help low-income borrowers close the gap between home prices and available loans.
After growing up in crowded living conditions, including a shelter after Hurricane Betsy when he was a young child, Thomas quipped, “No one cherishes home ownership more than me.”
Thomas said he’s also exploring ways to attract young professionals to the city in a sustainable manner. “We have to create an economic foundation in this community that builds on entrepreneurial plans and grows our middle class,” he said.
“We laud African American women for startups,” he added, “but we don’t look at the fine print that says six months later they don’t have the resources to stay here.”
Not all candidates answered the same questions; instead, the forum was structured so that each question was answered by two candidates, with participants rotating throughout the event.
Duplessis, a state senator and New Orleans native who moved back home after a stint in Washington, D.C., said he related to the quality of life concerns because he was raised in a working class family and is now a young professional raising a child.
Earlier that day, he received endorsements by New Orleans civil rights trailblazers, including former mayor Sidney Barthelemy and former Justice Bernette Johnson, the first Black woman on the Louisiana State Supreme Court.
He said his daughter’s future is partially what motivated him to run for mayor.
“We decided we wanted to raise our daughter in this place because we love it,” he said. “Every young professional has a decision to make, and that decision is, are you going to be a part of changing the narrative?”
All candidates said they would prioritize protecting the city’s most vulnerable populations if elected.
Hunter, a former police officer, said he was focused on crime prevention and helping young people turn their lives around.
“People should be on track to services and treatment” for nonviolent crimes, he said. Furthermore, he added, if a young person commits a crime, “We have to find out why they did it, because if we find out why they did it, then we’re going to be on a path to reducing juvenile crime.”
Duplessis said he will continue defending at-risk populations.
“I’ve always stood in fierce opposition of anything that goes after groups of people that have historically been marginalized,” he said. “It’s something that I will never stand for, and we have to be vocal about it … New Orleans is a city where the disparities are too great. We have to keep equity at the forefront.”
Moreno, who served as a state representative before she was a council member, also highlighted her work in the legislature.
“There were piece of legislation that people thought would never get passed about protecting women, protecting victims of domestic violence and protecting victims of sexual assault, that people thought were impossible,” she said. “But I got those done because I built coalitions.”
Following the event, Carolyn O’Donnell, a resident of Mid-City who works in the nonprofit sector, said all four candidates clearly understand the challenges ahead.
O’Donnell said she hopes the next administration fixes the city’s infrastructure. She also wants to see a leader who will push back against politicians who are targeting LGBTQ people and rolling back women’s reproductive rights.
“I came in leaning for (Moreno),” she said, but says she also admires Duplessis’ legislative record.
“For me, those are absolutely the top two candidates: Helena Moreno first and then Royce Duplessis, second. I felt they articulated the issues most realistically,” she said.
Meanwhile, Alma Luna, a Gentilly resident and a consultant, said her preferred candidate so far is Duplessis. She says he seems to understand hardships of being a young professional in the city.
“I love that he’s born and raised here, and he’s also young and has a lot of great policies that I stand behind,” she said.
Luna, who moved to New Orleans during the Covid-19 pandemic, said she is frustrated by the slow pace of recovery. She wants to remain in the city but is worried opportunity will dry up.
“I am constantly looking for ways to stay,” Luna said. “It’s challenging.”
The election will be held Oct. 11.