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Mayor Helena Moreno Launches Streetlight Repair Drive as New Council Organizes

A deep budget gap looms, with finances described as fragile.

Overview

  • Moreno was sworn in Monday at the Saenger Theatre by former Vice President Kamala Harris, formally beginning her term as New Orleans' 63rd mayor.
  • Within hours of taking office, she signed executive orders creating the Lights-On program for streetlight repairs and a coordinating council to speed public-works projects.
  • On Tuesday, she kicked off repairs in New Orleans East, prioritizing areas with high crime; the city tracks more than 54,000 streetlights and reported roughly 3,000 open work orders.
  • Moreno authorized exceptions to the hiring freeze to bring on electricians, with vendor All Star Electric handling initial fixes and residents urged to report outages via 311.
  • The City Council convened its new term, set committee chairs, and scheduled department-head confirmation hearings for midweek, as Moreno and council leaders warned of a roughly $222 million shortfall and moved to finalize the Revenue Estimating Conference.