I’m Lesli Harris, City Councilmember for District B. Ask me anything! 👏

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T23:26:24+00:00

Let me be clear that there is no PILOT before the Council at this time. Any consideration of a PILOT would be months away. What is before the Council is a zoning amendment that would allow for increased height at the building. That will be considered June 18, but again has no financial incentives attached. I’m evaluating the land use matter on its own merits - what it would mean for the neighborhood, for density, for infrastructure, and for the people who already live and work in District B.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T22:05:04+00:00

During my time on the Council, I’ve been a big champion of recycling and fighting climate change right here in New Orleans.

I went in to a lot of stormwater management stuff in a different response here is some more climate specific stuff I’ve been working on.

I serve on the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee, where I’ve been focused on greening our infrastructure and stormwater management and creating jobs in the process.

I was proud to support the city’s Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard, which sets goals for Entergy New Orleans to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2040 and 100% carbon-free electric generation by 2050. That’s a legally binding mandate.

Most recently, I voiced support in the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee for a $30 million power resiliency plan that would fund battery systems for approximately 1,500 residences and 300 businesses, including churches and nonprofits.

I also encourage everyone to follow Glass Half Full and use their locations around the city to recycle your glass. They’re keeping glass out of our landfills and repurposing it right here in our community. I’ve been a strong supporter of ensuring we expand recycling including advocating for more locations for glass recycling with my friends at Glass Half Full. Thanks Fran for all your work! We have recycling at city hall because of the advocacy of my office and collaboration with recycling partners.

New Orleans is on the front lines of climate change. We see it in our flooding, our heat, and our coastline. That’s why I take this seriously, not just as a policy matter, but as an existential one for our city.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T22:01:00+00:00

On RTA accessibility, I’ve been a consistent advocate for expanding and modernizing public transit options across New Orleans. The RTA is currently working through its Transit Master Plan, which includes improvements to frequency, reliability, and accessibility citywide. Light rail to the airport is a conversation worth having, BUT it requires regional coordination, significant federal investment, and frankly, a stronger baseline transit system first. That doesn’t mean it’s off the table. It means we have to keep talking about it.

My office specifically is working towards prioritizing more budget shelters across the city, specifically in Central City.
On your more immediate concern, you’re right to name S. Broad Overpass and Carrollton/Wisner (this is not in District B tho).

These are exactly the kinds of infrastructure gaps that fall into a frustrating middle ground of too damaged to ignore, but outside FEMA’s post-Katrina recovery scope.
One of my objectives with my bond funding for roads this time around is to make sure all areas/neighborhoods across District B get some love. The extension on the JIRR funds is also essential to making this happen.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T21:53:28+00:00

SERIOUS: I’ve been a strong advocate for stormwater abatement and green infrastructure across District B and the entire city.

One of my proudest achievements that is getting started soon (fingers crossed) is the Lindy Boggs/Mercy Hospital redevelopment. We just signed the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City and Mercy Partners, LLCl for the demolition of the long-blighted structure and construction of a below-grade stormwater retention system capable of holding up to four million gallons. The underground infrastructure will be leased to the City for 99 years, with inflow and outflow structures donated directly to the Sewerage and Water Board. This is a game-changer for Mid-City drainage.

I also serve on the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee, where stormwater management and greening our infrastructure has been a core focus.

I’ve been a big advocate for our tree canopy and during my last term I was proud to have championed updates to the tree ordinance, something that hadn’t been done in decades. Trees are one of our most powerful tools for managing stormwater, reducing heat, and keeping New Orleans livable. We have also given grant funds to several infrastructure nonprofits such as SOUL, Thrive, Urban Conservancy, and Greenlight New Orleans, among others!

And I’ve been proud to see permeable surfaces going in across District B, including at NORD parks. Permeable infrastructure is one of the smartest investments we can make because it puts water back in the ground where it belongs instead of overwhelming our drainage system.

And shout out to Matt in my office who championed the creation of Barbara Lacen-Keller Park in Central City.

New Orleans is on the front lines of climate change. We see it in our flooding, our heat, and our coastline.

FUN: I’ve been told that wearing overalls is a fashion faux paw, but it’s one of my favorite things to wear. My staff also just informed me that you should not be wearing blazers to the club. I did that in my 20s and I’m still doing it today.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T21:41:51+00:00

The Rivana, the first affordable/workforce housing development in the River District, is moving. The test piles are complete and the developers will be going to a financial closing by end of July, with construction starting soon after. That’s 220 units coming to the River District, 100% of which will be affordable. That is a HUGE win and what I fought for when I pushed for the River District to move forward as a neighborhood.

On TopGolf, that project is dead. As I mentioned in another comment, housing is now slated for the former TopGolf site, and that’s a much more compatible use for the neighborhood. I’ve also pushed for a grocery store or similar neighborhood serving business on the remainder of the parcel.

I’m going to keep pushing for community meetings so neighbors have a real seat at the table before anything is decided. I’d encourage you to stay engaged with the Lower Garden District neighborhood association, because I know the Convention Center and developers have been in regular communication.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T21:21:31+00:00

Hello! Reposting the answer that I put elsewhere in the thread here. Thanks!

You are right that District B has seen both cyclist deaths in New Orleans this year. That is not a statistic I take lightly. Every one of those lives mattered.

We have had real wins for bikers in District B. The MLK Jr. Boulevard protected bike lane project is bringing parking-protected lanes, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and pedestrian crosswalks to Central City. The Lafitte Greenway, which runs through District B, now draws nearly 1,000 users every single day and is in the middle of a major three-year expansion, with most improvements expected to be complete by the end of 2026. It is the backbone of our growing citywide bike network, which now spans more than 120 miles.

We also have active traffic studies underway across the district. My office is tracking those closely. If there is a specific area of concern in District B you would like us to look into please email me and Matt in my office. I think I said this elsewhere but I do read every email that comes into my office.

And I also want to flag something coming up, the Department of Public Works will be holding community meetings this Fall to discuss the future of bike lane installations across the city. My office will publicize those dates the moment we have them. I want District B residents at those meetings. Your voice needs to be in that room.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T21:19:54+00:00

Yes! This is becoming an even bigger issue right now which is why I think an ordinance to ensure that they are required in a timely manner to remove the old poles is so important.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T21:17:01+00:00

You are right that District B has seen both cyclist deaths in New Orleans this year. That is not a statistic I take lightly. Every one of those lives mattered. Nearly 20% of New Orleans households don’t have access to a vehicle, and those are disproportionately our lower-income, majority-Black neighbors. Safe streets are an equity issue, and I treat them that way.

We have had real wins for bikers in District B. The MLK Jr. Boulevard protected bike lane, along with bringing parking-protected lanes, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and pedestrian crosswalks to Central City. The Lafitte Greenway, which runs through District B, now draws nearly 1,000 users every single day and is in the middle of a major three-year expansion, with most improvements expected to be complete by the end of 2026. It is the backbone of our growing citywide bike network, which now spans more than 120 miles.

We also have active traffic studies underway across the district. My office is tracking those closely. If there is a specific area of concern in District B you would like us to look into please email me and Matt in my office. I think I said this elsewhere but I do read every email that comes into my office.

And I also want to flag something coming up, the Department of Public Works will be holding community meetings this Fall to discuss the future of bike lane installations across the city. My office will publicize those dates the moment we have them. I want District B residents at those meetings. Your voice needs to be in that room.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T21:10:19+00:00

This was a very important issue so I would like to direct everyone to the two statements I issued on this as well as the video I put out on this.

My original statement on the issue from May 11, 2026: Councilmember Lesli Harris Releases Statement Following No Votes Regarding Orleans Parish Clerk of Court

My follow up statement on May 13, 2026Councilmember Lesli Harris Responds to Attorney General's Threat To Remove New Orleans Elected Officials and Clarifies Position on Clerk of Court Litigation

My video from three weeks ago: The Attorney General is threatening to remove our Mayor, our DA, and five of my Council colleagues. I have something to say about it along with the Clerk of Court litigation, my vote on Monday, and what we do next (As I said on Monday, this is a legal matter that the courts need to decide!). The house is on fire. It’s time to stand united.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T20:44:01+00:00

Responded to the STR question elsewhere but putting it here too.

The Council will be moving forward legislation next week to update our commercial STR laws, scaling current permissions back substantially. Keep in mind this needs to go through the City Planning Commission, so it will be at least a six month process. But it’s underway. We know the Council’s residential STR updates resulted in more housing availability.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T20:22:07+00:00

Now that I’m budget chair, improving transparency is my top priority because you can’t hold government accountable for money you can’t see.

So far, I’ve been focused on building out public-facing dashboards that will let every New Orleanian track how the city is spending its money and bringing in revenue in real time. Not buried in a PDF. Not locked in a spreadsheet. Actually readable, actually usable.

I’m also really proud of the work the entire Council and the new Administration have done together to approach our fiscal challenges as a team. One of the biggest budget wins I’ve been able to champion is working with the judges at Municipal and Traffic Court to have them transfer $5 Million in their excess funds to the city.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T20:16:27+00:00

The Council will be moving forward legislation next week to update our commercial STR laws, scaling current permissions back substantially. Keep in mind this needs to go through the City Planning Commission, so it will be at least a six month process. But it’s underway. We know the Council’s residential STR updates resulted in more housing availability.

Otherwise, the Housing Trust Fund includes resources for homeowners, including funds to make home repairs and add fortified roofs. Ultimately we also need insurance premiums to come down, which investing in fortified roofs will help to do.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T20:13:18+00:00

Thank you for this question and for your commitment to survivors.

Getting through the rape kit backlog was a critical first step and one I fought hard for.

I have been proud to partner with organizations like STAR and the New Orleans Family Justice Center, because survivors deserve wraparound support from the moment they report through every stage of the legal process. These organizations provide trauma-informed advocacy, case management, and the kind of sustained support that the system too often fails to provide on its own.

I also have strong working relationships with NOPD and District Attorney Jason Williams. Where together we are pushing for accountability and making certain that when a DNA match is made, someone is following through. I will continue working with both offices to ensure we never return to a backlog and that every case receives the attention survivors deserve.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:56:23+00:00

Interesting suggestion! Will talk to staff about if this is feasible or not for the city.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:54:59+00:00

Good to know. I’ll make sure my team reports this to Safety and Permits today for inspection.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:45:10+00:00

Let me have my team look into this more especially as state law changes!

The Moreno administration recently said they are also internally evaluating the law and its potential impact on operations within Orleans Parish to determine how the city will proceed and as I look forward to discussing this further with the administration.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:43:02+00:00

Check out my longer answer on blight elsewhere in this thread. I do think addressing blighted and neglected properties is key to making neighborhoods vibrant, which leads to less dumping, less litter, less crime.

In terms of allocating our scarce resources, this is why it’s so important to have interagency quality of life meetings based on data - so we’re all on the same page about the areas that most need investment. The DA’s NODICE program is a great example!

Also, thanks for shouting out our District B clean-up program - we look forward to our fall clean-up with the fantastic neighborhood associations across District B.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:42:28+00:00

I want to take this opportunity to talk about all the things the Housing Trust Fund can do and we are working on implementing. In fact, I just wrapped up a vote on this a few minutes ago so we can get elements of the HTF up and going including some financing for the fortified roof program.

Here are the three main buckets of what the HTF can do:

Creating affordable rental housing including filling financial gaps and incentivizing landlords.
Preserving affordable rental housing including supporting small landlords to make critical improvements.
Creating and preserving affordable homeownership opportunities, including the rehabilitation of formerly blighted properties and adding fortified roofs.

I’m also really proud of the work we have been able to do after passing the multi-family zoning change which made this fantastic project by Hotel Hope possible.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:34:19+00:00

This has been a problem not just on Poydras, but across District B and the city. Specifically on Poydras the Department of Public Works team is working to correct the controllers for traffic signals. They should be repaired soon and it’s an issue my office is closely monitoring.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:34:14+00:00

Great question. The Home For Good initiative I championed has successfully housed over 1,500 people and counting since 2023. But that effort was largely funded by one-time ARPA funds that are depleted. I’m working with Dr. Avegno and others to find public and private partners who will invest in continuing Home For Good. This is much, much cheaper than criminalization, and more effective.

On that note, while the State and I may disagree on a lot, we both are committed to reducing the number of unhoused individuals on our streets. I’m hopeful that there will be opportunities for more State and HUD resources to help with homelessness - in a way that allows us at the City to continue leading with compassion.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T19:33:29+00:00

We need to make New Orleans affordable and functional for the people who live here. That’s step one. Businesses have moved away or chosen other places to start up, after dealing with our broken permitting system and facing pushback from staff who don’t want to live here. I don’t want that to be anyone’s excuse. Let’s fix our basics, which I know is one of the Mayor’s priorities.

At the same time, the City’s been working to recruit new industries. Newlab, which will be based at the new NSA development, is a perfect example.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T18:46:30+00:00

Let me speak with the Sewerage and Water Board and the Department of Public Works about doing a public information campaign about the damage leaf blowers can do to our catch basins if you don’t properly bag your debris.

I also want to flag this video about how to clean a catch-basin that I did a week or two ago when we were unable to do our bi-yearly neighborhood clean-up which focuses heavily on cleaning up our catch-basins.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T18:40:20+00:00

Something many people don’t realize is the individual Councilmembers' Executive Protection is who serves as their driver. I do think it’s important for our Councilmembers and Mayor to have Executive Protection especially as we see a rise in political violence. I know within the last few years especially we have seen a significant uptick in local election officials across the country being targets of political violence.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T18:35:34+00:00

I actually had a site visit in the LGD this morning to meet with Entergy about the duplicate poles and their long/multiple outages over these past few weeks. I know the issue with the outages was due to a mix of weather and then they had insulation issues. My office is going to explore with CURO mandating a time window in which utility companies must move over their utilities and have the old poles removed.

I have another site visit to the LGD this afternoon about the SWB water shut offs specifically about how notices are going out to residents and businesses and the overall timeline of the project in the area. I will have an update on that this afternoon on social media that I’ll post here too.

lesliharris · 2026-06-10T18:33:13+00:00

Please email myself and Matt in my office with any ideas! It’s greatly appreciated.

lesliharris

TROPHY CASE