Lesli Harris
My name is Lesli Harris. I’m running to serve the people of District B as your next City Councilmember. A graduate of Tulane Law School, I have spent my career advocating for our city’s entrepreneurs and culture bearers. I served as Loyola University’s first-ever Chief of Staff, where I helped get the University back on solid financial footing, expand enrollment, and led the University’s hurricane planning and Covid disaster response. I’ve learned that when we have leadership that focuses on communication, transparency, and accountability, we can solve big problems together.
Right now, the City needs to focus on basic services. Hurricane Ida compounded our unacceptable trash problem and brought Entergy’s failures back to the forefront. City leadership simply failed to plan ahead when they could have tackled these issues head on. As Councilmember, I will hold city trash contractors accountable for breaching their contracts, support hoppers’ demands for a living wage and PPE, and marshal all our resources to supplement trash pick up in the meantime.
From unnecessary power shutoffs to dishonest lobbying efforts, Entergy has left us in the dark too many times. And District B’s current Councilmember Jay Banks — a former paid Entergy consultant — isn’t doing anything about it. As Councilmember, I will oppose efforts to pass along costs of Hurricane Ida power restoration to customers, support Council President Helena Moreno’s independent management audit, require Entergy to invest in hardening our system and implementing clean energy standards, author and pass legislation to prohibit Councilmembers from having business relationships with the utilities we regulate, and collaborate with all stakeholders to implement the best practices and policies.
I’m running because I love our community so much. And we deserve better: drivable streets; reliable water, energy and trash pickup; and feeling safe when we walk outside our homes. We deserve proactive leaders who listen. I have expansive legal, administrative, and problem-solving experience to make lasting change in New Orleans. I don’t have a hidden political agenda. What I’ve learned very quickly while offering myself for public service is that you must only be accountable to yourself and the people you seek to serve.
I would love to hear from you. If you’d like to share your ideas for a better District B, or learn more about my campaign, you can visit my website at harris4nola.com or email me directly at lesli@harris4nola.com.
