Jackie Clarkson endorses Eric Strachan for District B seat

Five years ago, City Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson gave Eric Strachan his first job in City Hall. At a Thursday night election launch party, she gave him his first major endorsement as he seeks a seat alongside join her on the council. In her endorsement, Clarkson invoked the legacy of the young candidate’s parents, Camille and the late Duncan Strachan, who were instrumental in the preservation and restoration of the Lower Garden District. Eric Strachan, Clarkson said, will continue that devotion to New Orleans. “You want to elect somebody who was born and raised with that kind of commitment,” Clarkson said.

Dana Kaplan confirms entry into District B City Council race

The race to fill the remainder of Stacy Head’s term representing the Uptown-based District B on the New Orleans City Council is now likely to be a three-way contest, with juvenile-justice advocate Dana Kaplan’s confirmation Thursday morning that she will be running. Kaplan was exploring a bid as early as May with a neighborhood association visit, and two weeks ago her supporters said they were launching a drive to get 1,000 signatures on a petition to add her to the District B ballot. On Wednesday morning, Kaplan’s campaign announced that the petition drive would continue, but that she was confirming her intention to run. Kaplan will face two other announced candidates for the seat, Broadmoor Improvement Association president LaToya Cantrell and former Stacy Head chief of staff Eric Strachan. The seat is currently being held until the Nov.

District B staff member leaves post to run for Council seat

A former District B chief of staff who led the transition from Stacy Head to Diana Bajoie has left that job to focus on his own run for the City Council seat, he announced Tuesday morning. Eric Strachan, a lifelong Uptown resident who has worked in various City Council offices since 2007, said in early June that he was “strongly considering” a run for the District B seat, which was left vacant for most of May after Head was elected to the council’s At-Large seat. After Bajoie was appointed to the seat by Mayor Mitch Landrieu in early June, Strachan stayed on for about three weeks to assist with the transition, and then resigned to focus on his candidacy, he said Tuesday morning. “It is with great excitement that I am announcing my candidacy for District B on the New Orleans City Council,” Strachan said in his official announcement. “Given my experience working in city government these last 5 years, I know I am ready to lead the district along its path to prosperity and stability.