City Councilwoman Susan Guidry speaks at a January 2015 council meeting. (via nolacitycouncil.com)
Though the campaign for her District A seat on the New Orleans City Council is just beginning, Councilwoman Susan Guidry announced Friday night her preference for a successor.
Guidry endorsed Joe Giarrusso in an email to supporters, noting that his leadership of his neighborhood association mirrored her own path and preparation for the work of representing a district on the City Council.
Giarrusso has also garnered the endorsements of two unions, the AFL-CIO and the New Orleans Firefighters Association.
District A candidates are (top row, from left) Joe Giarrusso III, Tilman Hardy, Aylin Maklansky, Dan Ring, Drew Ward and Toyia Washington-Kendrick. (UptownMessenger.com graphic from file photos)
In addition to Giarrusso, five other candidates are vying for the seat: Tilman Hardy, Aylin Maklansky, Dan Ring, Drew Ward and Toyia Washington-Kendrick.
To read Guidry’s full statement endorsing Giarrusso, see below:
Over the past eight years, I’ve had the privilege of serving the rich and diverse neighborhoods of District A on the New Orleans City Council. I began this journey not as a politician, but as an advocate in my own neighborhood, standing shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors to improve our community’s quality of life. I believe this perspective served our city well on the Council as we worked together to rebuild our city, reform our criminal justice system, and foster job growth and economic development.
New Orleans will always be best served by grassroots leaders with strong integrity and a bedrock commitment to serving our communities from the ground up. That’s why I’m proud to support and endorse Joe Giarrusso as the next Councilmember for District A. Joe is also a community advocate, having served with distinction as past president of his Lakeview neighborhood association, as president of the Young Leadership Council, and as a board member of New Orleans’ Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR).
Joe is honest, hard-working, and collaborative, qualities I believe are essential to a good council member. We need leaders like Joe, who is dedicated to building a safer, more livable city with improved infrastructure and stronger communities.
The next four years will be a critical time in New Orleans. While we’ve made impressive progress, we still have a long way to go. It’s essential that we continue to build on our successes and tackle our challenges head on. Joe Giarrusso can get the job done for District A and will diligently serve all of the wonderfully diverse neighborhoods that make up our fine district and this great city.
I hope you’ll join me in voting for Joe Giarrusso on October 14th, 2017. I am confident that he will keep District A and New Orleans moving forward.
