Vote in the Saturday, November 13 election
8th November 2021 · 0 Comments
Some people may argue to the contrary, but the November 13 election is as important as the presidential race. New Orleanians must choose their mayor, City Council members, clerk, Criminal District Court, assessor, sheriff and vote on several budgetary constitutional amendments. We all must go to the polls. Our quality of life depends on to whom we give legislative power.
New Orleanians are fortunate to have a diverse body politic. Although the city’s population is predominantly Black, our city government reflects the diversity of the Crescent City. And that’s a good thing.
The City Council regulates our utilities, so we should bear that in mind and let that reality drive us to the polls and vote for council members willing to serve the people.
We should also vote because the constitutional amendments on the November 13 ballot are about money and taxes.
And when you go vote,. do some homework beyond all the push cards arriving in your mailbox daily. Who are these candidates? How have they served the community and districts they want to represent previously? What are their values, what are their priorities?
It’s simply not enough to vote for familiar names.
If you don’t vote, don’t complain.
We understand that it’s easy to become apathetic about voting, because too often candidates count on us to vote but then ignore us and our wishes after the vote until the next election. We are asking New Orleanians not to become complacent, not to be indifferent, but to go out and vote like our collective lives depend on the ballot because they do.
Our vote is our voice, and we must speak loudly about the type of person we need to represent us.
Whoever wins office, veteran politicians, or newcomers, we must do our civic duty for the good of our communities. We must demand a higher quality of life. We must make those calls, write those emails, and go to meetings and call them out publicly.
We must watch what our elected officials do and remind them, often, that we voted them in, and we can vote them out. Those who fail to heed our warning know this: We’ll see you at the ballot box.
The Louisiana Weekly’s recommendations are:
Orleans Parish
State Representative — 102nd District: Delisha Boyd
Sheriff: Marlin Gusman
Clerk — Criminal District Court: Austin Badon
Assessor: Erroll G. Williams
Councilmember at Large — Division 1: Helena Moreno
Councilmember at Large — Division 2: Jean-Paul “JP” Morrell
Councilmember — District A: Joseph “Joe” Giarrusso III
Councilmember — District B: Lesli Harris
Councilmember — District C: “Frank” Perez
Councilmember — District D: No Endorsement
Councilmember — District E: Oliver M. Thomas
Constitutional Amendments
CA NO. 1 (ACT 131, 2021 – HB 199) — Authorizes streamlined electronic filing, remittance, and collection of sales and use tax : VOTE YES
CA NO. 2 (ACT 134, 2021 – SB 159) — Lowers maximum allowed rate of income tax and allows providing a deduction for federal income taxes: VOTE YES
CA NO. 3 (ACT 132, 2021 – SB 87) — Allows certain levee districts to levy an annual tax for certain purposes: VOTE YES
CA NO. 4 (ACT 157, 2021 – HB 487) — Increases amount of allowed reduction to certain dedicated funds when a budget deficit is projected: VOTE YES
Seabrook Neighborhood Imp. and Security District — $200/$100 Parcel Fee Renewal – CC – 4 Yrs.:VOTE YES
Jefferson Parish
All Milliages: VOTE YES
Parishwide School Board — 8.75 Mills Renewal – SB -10 Yrs.
City of Gretna Prop. No. 1 of 3 (Ambulance) 3.0 Mills Renewal – M&CC – 10 Yrs.
City of Gretna Prop. No. 2 of 3 (Police) — 4.0 Mills Renewal – M&CC – 10 Yrs.
City of Gretna Prop. No. 3 of 3 (Recreation) — 2.4 Mills Renewal – M&CC – 10 Yrs.
St. Bernard Parish
PW Law Enforcement District — 15.64 Mills Continuation – Sheriff – 10 Yrs.: VOTE YES
This article originally published in the November 8, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
