Press Release

Five days after Mitch Landrieu was elected as the 61st Mayor of New Orleans, Transition New Orleans was launched to help prepare for when he takes office on May 3, 2010. Led by Co-chairs Judy Reese Morse and Doug Thornton, the transition team began working to identify the challenges and opportunities facing the City and provide information that will guide the new administration.

Transition New Orleans created 17 task forces, gathering hundreds of community leaders and experts to help shape the transformation of one of America's great cities. As part of the process 16 community meetings were held, providing a forum for anyone wanting to voice their thoughts. Unprecedented public input was received, with hundreds of people from across the city attending meetings, and over a thousand sharing ideas online. The task forces have worked diligently, lending their expertise and gathering the information to develop recommendations for the Mayor-elect's consideration.

The task forces' recommendations:

• identify the most important opportunities and challenges for New Orleans upon which the administration should act during the first 100 days;
• identify the mid- to long-term policy priorities that the administration should consider in the first six months and beyond; and
• recommend ways to measure success in order for the city to track progress going forward.

To fully prepare the new administration to hit the ground running, Transition New Orleans created technical teams that met with every City department and conducted extensive research on infrastructure, processes, resources, projects and structure to paint a clear picture of the current situation.

Mayor-elect Landrieu met with several mayors during the transition to gain insight, including New York Mayor Bloomberg, Former New York Mayor Giuliani, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, Boston Mayor Menino and former Washington, D.C. Mayor Williams amongst many others.

To develop strong partnerships with the incoming City Council, Mayor-elect Landrieu met with all of the incoming Councilmembers to discuss the future of the City. He also met with the mayors and presidents of surrounding parishes to encourage regional cooperation.

In an effort to strengthen ties with Washington and coordinate efforts, Mayor-elect Landrieu traveled to the nation's capital to meet with President Obama's cabinet secretaries, top White House officials and leaders in Congress. With full integration with the federal government as a goal, the Mayor-elect hosted representatives from twelve federal agencies and the White House in New Orleans for a series of working sessions focused on policy priorities for the city and the Obama Administration. Topics discussed during the two-day gathering included: jobs, housing, education, healthcare, ecosystem restoration and criminal justice.

Transition New Orleans and the many citizens and officials who were tapped for their various viewpoints have worked diligently to help prepare the new administration. As demonstrated by the community spirit that has guided this effort, and with Mitch Landrieu's leadership, the future is bright and together we will realize the vision of a new New Orleans.