Lesli Harris only New Orleans councilmember to run unopposed
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Lesli Harris
As New Orleans City Councilwoman Lesli Harris watched the clock tick down to the end of qualifying earlier this month, she finally took a breath — and then started screaming — when it became clear no one else had stepped up to challenge her for District B leadership.
Why it matters: Harris is New Orleans' sole city councilmember to run unopposed this election.
What she's saying: "I'm happy that people thought that I was doing a good enough job not to run against me," she tells Axios New Orleans.
- "It's not just a vote of confidence for me personally," she adds. "It's for my team. ... They do the most on policy issues [and] constituent issues."
Behind the scenes: That July moment felt especially like a weight lifted because Harris is still mourning the loss of her mother, who died in May.
- "We had just had a second-line for my mom, and I was like, can I just not?" she recalls. "There's a lot that's on my plate right now because of all that."
Catch up quick: Then a first-time candidate, Harris defeated incumbent Jay Banks in 2021 in a runoff with 55% of the vote, according to WDSU.
- District B encompasses Broadmoor, Central City, a slice of Mid-City, Gert Town, the Warehouse District, Irish Channel and Garden District.
Her wins have included securing $3 million in funding that allowed the city catch up on its yearslong backlog of DNA crime scene and assault kit evidence.
- She also created and then secured a public vote for the Housing Trust Fund to direct city funds toward affordable housing, and she championed new strategies to reduce New Orleans' unhoused population.
Challenges have appeared too, including over her support for the River District redevelopment project, which she says is because of the affordable housing its developers have promised.
- She also sparred with Gov. Jeff Landry's administration when the state stepped over city leadership to move unhoused people out of downtown ahead of the Super Bowl.
- "They set up the temporary shelter that cost $19 million, and that was a huge waste of money," she says. "Hopefully his team has convinced him that's not the way to go [and] that the model that New Orleans is following is something that actually works."
What we're watching: With Harris' race effectively over before it even began, she's focusing on what lies ahead for her next term.
- She's still pushing to get NOPD's own crime lab open, but it's not likely until 2027.
- When the Housing Trust Fund goes into effect in 2026, she's looking forward to shepherding it into existence, too.
- Plus, she says, "blight is huge for me."
- "What we're seeing now is, bless their heart, code enforcement is going out and demolishing a lot of these buildings that really could be ... brought back into commerce," she says. Instead, she wants to make it easier to "redevelop them rather than demolish them."
For now, Harris says, she'll be watching her colleagues' and potential future colleagues' races closely, though she won't be throwing her support behind anyone in particular.
- "I am Switzerland," she laughs. "In four years, I learned politics."
Go deeper: New Orleanians want less flash, more function from City Hall.