It is time to exercise your right to VOTE

Less than a third of those eligible to cast a ballot for mayor of New Orleans four years ago bothered to vote. That exemplifies a degree of apathy which betrays the sacrifices our immediate ancestors made to win the right to the franchise.

Last week marked the 62nd anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Ala. Four young African-American girls lost their lives to 19 sticks of dynamite set by four Klu Klux Klan terrorists. The reason, these girls had dared to join other young people in demanding the right to vote at a Church rally, so they were murdered as they got ready for Sunday school.

Political violence, so common in the 1960s, has made an unwelcome reappearance of late, along with the inclination to wipe away the facts of the past, another unfortunate revisionist relic of the years prior to the passage of the Federal Civil Rights Acts. The Trump administration has ordered national parks to remove any mention of slavery. Implying that racial oppression was once the rallying cry of politics has become a verboten topic in federally funded institutions. Why, one might ask? Because apathy has proven a far better tool to keep voters away from the polls than dynamite ever did.

Moreover, what advancements have apathy brought the unengaged electorate other than governments of the incompetent and corrupt? After all, public assassinations have returned. Could church firebombings come next? The reason for elections, fundamentally, is to allow a society to resolve any ideological differences without violence; however, that precept only applies if all choose to participate. With early voting beginning September 27, do not waste the opportunity for which so many have bled. Go vote!

Orleans Parish Municipal Elections
Mayor of New Orleans: Royce Duplessis
It is time to end the fighting. We need a proven lawmaker capable of working across factional lines to get results for his constituents. The ability to build coalitions across disparate groups has been the thesis of Duplessis’ tenure in the state House and Senate. A Democrat who has passed legislation in a supermajority GOP Legislature, Duplessis can work across the racial and ideological divides for results.

Duplessis’ platform to create 40,000 affordable housing units – mostly homes which could be bought by working class families – at the same time that he displays a laser-focus on economic development opportunities surrounding the new LIT Container Port (and the potential jobs which it could create) provides our editors with confidence that the state senator displays the right balance of progressive ambition and economic centrist reform. His plans for a revolving small business loan program to help existing businesses help make that case. Most notably, Duplessis has pledged to restore twice-a-week garbage pick up. In a contest with many good contenders, Duplessis balances independence with competence in such a fashion as to make him our only choice to be the next mayor.

Sheriff: Edwin Mark Shorty Jr.
The Second City constable worked as a deputy sheriff at OPP as he put himself through college and law school. He has been familiar with the challenges at the jail for almost three decades. His subsequent public career has been a tale of applying the lessons about society that he learned in those years, and he may be the only contender in Orleans Parish capable of fixing the prison.

The sheriff’s office is not ceremonial. It constitutes the backbone of local law enforcement, with direct consequences for public safety, accountability and justice. OPP needs a competent leader, possessed of a clear understanding of the responsibilities of the office and a respect for the community he or she serves.

Clerk Criminal District Court: Darren Lombard
Just a few weeks ago, Secretary of State Nancy Landry announced that Louisiana will purchase new voting machines which would feature both a printed public ballot as well as an electronic screen display, so each elector can witness the results of their vote – and double check the accuracy of their ballot before it is cast. That has been Darren Lombard’s tireless quest for years, to provide greater confidence in our election system through better voting machines. He lobbied his fellow clerks and the La. SOS to adopt such a system, and testified repeatedly before the Legislature to get it funded.

One-time problems with a dysfunctional evidence room no longer plague the dockets at Tulane and Broad, and information to advance judicial procedures rarely – if ever – experiences delay. Lombard has championed a new computer system that will allow every La. clerk of court office to communicate instantly – lessening the bureaucratic backload. The software comes online in just a few weeks across the entire state, thanks to his efforts.

Assessor: Erroll G. Williams
Williams has championed the rights of the homeowner against excessive taxation; has convinced the legislature to pass constitutional amendments to limit assessment increases; and has taken up the mantle of Lawrence Chehardy as the leading voice in the state calling for a higher homestead exemption?

Since becoming the single assessor, he has balanced the fight to oppose excessive taxation of working-class homeowners against the need for a fair reckoning of revenue from those who can afford to pay.

Councilmember at Large Division 1: Matthew Willard
Willard has a sterling record fighting for lower taxes for homeowners. Willard authored the proposed increase in the Homestead Exemption in the last legislative session. He also authored the constitutional amendment to limit increases in assessment values of homes in Orleans Parish, which very narrowly lost statewide due to the hostility of North Louisiana voters to a measure that would benefit New Orleans.

Most importantly, Willard has led the charge against “roll forwards” of millages after they have been rolled back. This practice constitutes a stealth tax increase on homes and businesses without a public vote. Willard has not only pledged to vote against the practice, but wishes to amend the City Charter to outlaw it. He states that only the voters should have the right to raise their property taxes.

Councilmember at Large Division 2: J.P. Morrell
As a very engaged and knowledgeable member of the New Orleans City Council, JP Morrell has aggressively fought for accountability from city government. He faced off against an often unresponsive administration, concerned more with transparency and advancement than political aggrandizement. In a sea of egos at City Hall, he was about doing his job.

Councilmember District A: Holly Friedman
As an aide to incumbent Joe Giarrusso, Holly Friedman grew tired of the road and construction projects which never seemed to move to completion in New Orleans. She convinced her boss to back her in getting all of the stakeholders at a particular construction site each week. She gathered representatives from S&WB, Dept. of Public Works, city permitting, contractors and other project managers. Friedman, using the councilman’s authority, would challenge them to meet goals by the same time the following week. More importantly, she gathered the same people together seven days later, to see what had been accomplished and what more needed to be done.

Friedman achieved more forward movement in road and infrastructure construction in a short period of time than almost any council member or staffer in recent memory. She wants to institute online dashboards so that the public can monitor the progress of various projects. Friedman also advocates innovative reform ideas for permitting, budget allocations, and administration. She possesses both experience as well as drive, promising a bright tenure in office.

Councilmember District C: Freddie King III
District C is a notoriously difficult seat to represent, balancing the almost suburban needs of Algiers versus the particular challenges of historic neighborhoods on the East Bank like the French Quarter, Faubourg Marigny and the Bywater. Councilman King has proven very adept at this balancing act. He has worked incredibly hard to fight for the needs of historic African-American neighborhoods undergoing gentrification while at the same time, improving quality of life issues, which make people wish to move into them.

A father of five children, no council member has spent more time trying to improve NORD or the facilities for our young. King has spent a considerable amount of time and outreach with juvenile offenders, trying to provide opportunities for a better life as well. Education, not normally part of the writ of a councilman, has also been one of his driving causes.

Councilmember District D: Eugene Green
Perhaps no Councilman works harder at constituent relations than Eugene Green. Hardly a street festival, neighborhood association meeting, commemoration, or artistic event lacks his presence. He makes sure to meet with the residents of his district on a regular basis. His office responds promptly to their needs, and he has earned another term through his hard work.

Councilmember District E: Jason Hughes
Throughout his time in the Legislature, Hughes efforts have led to a particular focus on the revival of New Orleans East. It’s not surprising. Hughes has been the personification of a “hands-on” legislator. He took the time to personally to sit on the business development board, a job usually passed off to a contributor or political underling, to find out why businesses were hesitant to invest and what resources were available to offer.

This led him to drive innovative ideas such as purchasing Lake Forest Mall and repurposing it for investors. He has consistently advocated for and sought to return retail to New Orleans East. Rep. Hughes has also yelled the loudest demanding that Lincoln Beach be reopened, and he was one of the few people willing to stand up to City Hall constantly wondering why the gates were not thrown open this summer?

Hughes can do much good if promoted to the New Orleans City Council. His focus on these quality of life needs in New Orleans East and the Ninth Ward is desperately needed.
Parishwide Home Rule Charter Amendment – Amends Article II, Section 2-202(6) – CC: Vote NO

The idea of a living wage, as a fundamental right, stands as a philosophical concept which we support. This charter measure would enshrine the idea in the city’s basic law, yet that is the problem.

At this time, no planned statutory measures to actually enforce such a proposal have been suggested, making the amendment effectively meaningless in a practical sense You must decide, does symbolism matter more than practical consequence?

This article originally published in the September 22, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.