News and Updates

On Saturday, March 25, the Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office hosted their quarterly Neighborhood Leaders Roundtable. Over sixty (60) leaders representing neighborhoods across Orleans Parish gathered over breakfast at Café Reconcile’s Emeril Lagasse Foundation Hospitality Center for informative presentations and discussions around short term rentals licensing and new public safety investments.

Dwight Norton, the City’s Urban Mobility Coordinator, gave the first presentation updating attendees on the community workshops for the upcoming Bike Share program. After Mr. Norton’s presentation, Sarah McLaughlin Porteous, Director of the Special Projects and Strategic Engagement Office, provided information about the unprecedented $2.4B Capital Improvement Program that will restore the City’s damaged infrastructure.

The keynote presentations kicked off at 9 a.m. Jennifer Cecil with the One Stop Shop for Permits and Licenses and Jared Munster from the City’s Safety and Permits Department presented first on logistics surrounding licensing and enforcement of short term rental facilities throughout the city. Following a Q&A session, the residents participated in a group activity where they were asked to provide responses to hypothetical public safety situations. Chief Michael Harrison, Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, then gave a presentation on public safety improvements. The neighborhood leaders had a lot of questions for the Chief, and he addressed their concerns.

The Neighborhood Engagement Office would like to give a shout-out to all the dedicated neighborhood leaders who attended this event, those who presented, and the good people at Café Reconcile for hosting. It was truly a productive morning!