Two New Members Elected To New Orleans City Council

There are two new members of the New Orleans City Council. One political expert sees the result as a wash for Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Mayor Landrieu endorsed Dana Kaplan in District B, but LaToya Cantrell won. He endorsed James Gray in District E, and Gray won over Austin Badon. University of New Orleans political science professor Ed Chervenak says neither race is likely to force any big changes.

“It’s basically kind of a continuation of the status quo, that no one really gained an advantage,”  Chervenak said.

A UNO survey released earlier this year shows Landrieu with a voter approval rating of 68 percent. Chervenak says he expects the mayor to continue working with all seven council members.

“There’s shifting coalitions on the council. I don’t think the mayor has a lock on a number of votes, and I don’t think there’s a block of votes that are against the mayor either. It depends on the issue. The relationship between the council and the mayor is usually competitive, and that’s just the nature of our system.”  

The next council meeting is scheduled for December 20.