Mayor Helena Moreno's 100-day plan to turn New Orleans around
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Mayor Helena Moreno spent her first hour in office rolling back former Mayor LaToya Cantrell's policies — a sign that she plans to move fast and govern differently.
Why it matters: Moreno says urgency is essential as New Orleans faces a budget crisis and pressure to restore trust in City Hall.
The big picture: Moreno issued 13 executive orders Monday, with several focused on the budget crisis.
- Other orders created a deputy mayor system, restricted nonessential travel and reorganized city departments and initiatives.
Inside the room: She and the City Council members were sworn in Monday during a ceremony at the Saenger.
- The event was an indication of what the Moreno administration might look like — bipartisan state and national participation, local flair from culture bearers and a candid but optimistic update from Moreno.
- Former Vice President Kamala Harris swore in Moreno.
How it works: Everything switched at noon:
- The audio greeting at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Signage in City Hall and on the website
- The city's leadership and employees
State of play: Moreno and her new deputy mayors now have an ambitious 100-day plan to execute. See the full strategy below.
The highlights include:
- Fixing streets, lights and infrastructure
- Preparing the city for Mardi Gras and hurricane season
- Expanding access to food and health care
Yes, but: Moreno says it's the budget that keeps her up at night — and it's among the hardest problems to fix.
- Her administration inherited a multimillion-dollar deficit and is using a $125 million loan to pay city employees.
- To make ends meet, Moreno enacted furloughs for all nonessential employees and is laying off about 125 employees.
- The loan is expected to run out this month. Joe Giarrusso, her new chief administrative officer, is counting on incoming property taxes and other revenue to pay the bills.
Behind the scenes: Moreno and her deputies have focused in their press briefings on restoring transparency, trust and confidence — for residents, state leaders and business owners.
- The lack of communication was a major point of tension in the previous administration, with City Council members saying they rarely heard from the mayor's office.
- They expect to have multiple public briefings per week, Moreno says.
- It's a change from Cantrell's recent communications strategy, which relied on the city-run City News channel and unsigned statements from her office.
What's next: Moreno's team asks residents to share their priorities in a new survey.
Go deeper
- The decisions that could define New Orleans this year
- What's next for Oliver Thomas
- New Orleanians want less flash, more function from City Hall
Editor's note: This story was updated to include Mayor Helena Moreno's full 100-day strategy.