Councilmember Joe Giarrusso

Saving Taxpayers

Residents (whether homeowners or renters) saved over $60 million under Joe’s tax plan without sacrificing services. Two years ago, resisting the call to raise property taxes, Joe spearheaded the Council’s prudent decision to increase only the most critical public millages and decrease others. Through Joe’s creative efforts, homeowners, renters, and small businesses saved $16 million every year or over $60 million over four years.

Transparency & Accountability at S&WB

Joe demanded quarterly reports from the Sewerage & Water Board and made sure they were published online. He went even further, directing Council staff attend every S&WB meeting and prepare executive summaries to keep the public informed.

Responsive to Residents

No one knows the needs of a neighborhood like the people who live there. Having personally attended 440+ neighborhood meetings and managed over 187,000 emails during his first term, Joe is known as a responsive, tireless advocate for District A residents.

In Pigeontown, he closed the nuisance Mel’s Food store after neighbors complained of violence. In Faubourg St. John where kids needed a place to play, Joe allocated resources to finish Desmare Playground. Near the Fairgrounds, he set ride share policies to decrease traffic during Jazz Fest. These are just a few of the discrete neighborhood problems Joe has solved as our Councilmember.

Neighborhood Participation

The Neighborhood Participation Program (where neighbors give feedback on zoning changes and conditional use applications) was altered during the pandemic. But the new rules were woefully inadequate. To ensure meaningful neighborhood engagement, Joe authored and passed legislation that requires applicants to use teleconferencing, virtual, or other remote meeting formats to satisfy NPP requirements.

Early Childhood Education

Joe increased City funding for early childhood education programs by $1.5M, doubling the previous budget. He also secured funding for Mini Masters – a collaborative arts integration program for pre-kindergarten students featuring works of art from the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Doubles 2 Dorms

"Doubles to Dorms," transforming single-family and two-family homes into private student housing, is an important issue in District A. Joe is working with neighbors and other stakeholders – from Dixon-Hollygrove to Uptown – on solutions. Ultimately, the City Council will vote on the issue at a future meeting.