Helena Moreno will be sworn in as the 63rd mayor of New Orleans in less than one week.
Monday, the mayor-elect of New Orleans joined the Newell Normand Show to discuss the transition process and what New Orleanians can expect as she steps away from her role as councilwoman and into that of leader of New Orleans.
Moreno and her team have been kept busy. Almost immediately following her election, the city discovered it was in financial disarray, a hole so deep that, as it stood, New Orleans wouldn't be able to pay city employees through the end of the year.
“Not 24 hours after I got elected, I was pretty much thrown into being de facto mayor and had to take on responsibilities that, ordinarily, the mayor-elect doesn't have to do," Moreno tells Newell Normand. "...Plus, also be a city council member. Plus, also deal with everything happening in Baton Rouge."
Moreno praises her transition team for their dedication as they laid the groundwork for new leadership while she and the city council crafted a budget that would ease the minds of the state legislature enough for them to green-light a payday loan that would get New Orleans through the rest of the year.
"This transition team stepped up for the people of New Orleans like I don't know if I have ever seen a transition team step up like this before," Moreno says. "Members of my transition team sat down with every single city department so that they could understand: What were the needs? How many employees are there? What’s going on in your departments? They didn't have to do this, but they did it."
New Orleans City Council will vote to override yet another Cantrell veto
As New Orleans enters the Moreno era, the city faces a swarm of challenges. Later this week, the council will vote to override a recent veto by Mayor Cantrell of the City Council's spending freeze, a measure proposed to preserve new revenue from the 2026 budget.
“It looks like we’ll do an override of the veto this week, which will be the last council meeting of this council’s term," Moreno says. "It looks like that’s the position the majority of the members will be taking."
After her inauguration on January 12th, Moreno explains that while there are "thousands of issues" that could be focused on, the core of her work is anchored on four main issues:
Streets & Infrastructure
Budget & City Finances
Coordinated Public Safety
Fixing Safety & Permits
“There are a lot of other big issues," Moreno explains. "But those are my main things. Every time I sit down with my leadership team, I'm like, ‘Where are we on these things?’"
The incoming mayor points out that these essential services were neglected by the Cantrell administration, influencing her successful campaign on a renewed focus on the basic systems of city government.
Moreno expresses her focus on “Making sure the city becomes a more livable city, and we get the basic operations of the city moving in the right direction and stabilized because they haven't been. And I think one of the reasons they haven't been is that this administration lost focus. So much comes at you, they lost focus on these other things and lost the main job of city government, and that’s to ensure that there are basic services kept up to the level that the people of this city deserve.”
The difficulties of navigating the transition period
According to Moreno, the bridge joining the current and incoming administrations hasn't been less-than-sturdy, and many questions remain unanswered.
“What is a little concerning is that every day there’s a new thing we find out, a new issue we have to solve. I’ve always said this, we’re going to face these issues head on, and I’m going to be honest with the people of this city as to what’s really happening," Moreno says.
“We’re not sure where different people are actually working and in what departments. That alone is a mystery. There are people being put in departments that are working for other departments," Moreno continues. "One thing for certain... I won’t stand up there at my news conferences and say everything is perfect and fine. I’ll tell them the real story, and I want people to understand the real story. I’m not going to make excuses and say it’s all sunshine and roses. Because it’s not.”
A recent example of the continued struggle is the city's current standing with unspent FEMA dollars for critical roadwork projects. New Orleans managed to 6 month extension, but come June, they may be back in the same position, leaving many projects to languish.
“When I first heard about the 6 months, I was like ‘What am I going to really do with 6 months except close up projects?’ But I learned there are opportunities for future extensions. I just think they want more constant check-ins from the city on how quickly these projects are moving forward and ensuring this money is being spent in a responsible and urgent pace," Moreno explains.
“There were other FEMA-related projects we still dont have clarity on," she continues. "And I dont believe there was an extension on the dollars, and that includes the municipal auditorium. But I was recently informed by the governor's office that I can appeal that particular decision, and so when my team comes in, I plan on filing an appeal. There's still about $40 million left there that we’re owed on that project. That’s money worth fighting for.”
Moreno's inauguration takes place Monday, January 12th, at the Saengar Theatre. From there, her administration will go through the confirmation process and gain the council's approval for a variety of key officials, like City Attorney Charline Gibson and Health and Human Services Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno.
Then it's time to focus on making good on the campaign promises, which many New Orleanians remain confident she (and her administration) will keep.
"It’s been a journey," Moreno concludes. "We certainly have learned a lot. But it’s also been eye-opening, how much we didn't know and still don't know… It seems that still, every day, there’s something new. I’ve been warned to potentially expect some surprises. We’ll see what those surprises may be.”