For almost 40 years, the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region has served the essential function of convening local executives to solve problems that impede economic growth and prosperity in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Our members target areas where civic leadership and engagement can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and transparency of local government. Through our work, we exemplify the power of persistent civic engagement to transform local government.
The Mission of the Business Council is to serve as a vehicle for business leaders to speak with one principled voice in advocating for a fiscal and public policy environment that invites and sustains economic growth and provides a better quality of life for all who choose to live and work in the New Orleans Metropolitan area.
To accomplish this, we work to cause elected officials to implement clear, predictable laws that foster efficient, effective, transparent and accountable government.
The Business Council of New Orleans & the River Region is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent public policy advocacy organization consisting of 71 top executives from significant local and regional companies. Our membership collectively accounts for more than 90,000 Louisiana jobs and over $118 billion in annual gross revenue.
Year over year, since our founding in 1985, we have directed organizational resources to prioritized problem solving. On a multitude of policy issues, we override the inherent limitations of government with our research, analysis, counsel and support, which includes funding expert consultants, expanding public sector knowledge with corporate sector assistance, and convening public officials and stakeholders to remove communication obstacles and allow direct collaboration. We guide government to adopt better practices and more reliably deliver essential services and infrastructure. Through this work, we create sightlines to a hopeful future vision, one where our city achieves and maintains the status as safe, thriving, competitive and brimming with economic opportunity.
The Criminal Justice Task Force works to help improve public safety outcomes by driving innovation and expertise across the New Orleans criminal justice system, insisting on a system-wide approach to improve the effectiveness of local agencies.
The City Finance Task Force drives transparency and accountability by the Mayor’s office and the City Council for the preparation and administration of the New Orleans operating and capital budgets and advocates for best practices for governmental finance and controls and the adequate funding of key quality of life budget priorities.
The Water Management Task Force works to find solutions for critical challenges facing New Orleans’ sewer, water, drainage and related water utility systems prioritizing innovative strategies to improve funding, function and results of the physical and operational infrastructure for all three systems
The Education Task Force builds on decades of organizational leadership, advocacy and innovation to create and sustain New Orleans’ system of autonomous charter schools, identifying policy improvements that strengthen the framework for holding schools accountable for delivering high quality education and the sufficiency of centralized services delivered by the public school district.
The Civil Service Task Force works to help improve the overall effectiveness of the New Orleans Civil Service Department by supporting the department’s efforts to develop a culture of continuous improvement toward a high-performing human resource system that requires, incentivizes, and rewards excellence of City employees.
The Flood Protection & Coastal Restoration Task Force works to ensure that the region preserves the over $14.5 billion invested by the U.S. Government sine Katrina to restore and improve the flood risk reduction system that protects New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana.
Orleans Parish School Board members must govern the district consistent with fiduciary standards that ensure they are serving the best interests of NOLA-PS students and families through efficiently deploying the district’s resources and assets toward optimal outcomes, requiring the following:
Orleans Parish School Board Members must work with charter school partners and external partners to continue sharing best practices and iterating to include new ones which requires the following:
Orleans Parish School Board Members must work with charter school partners and external partners to continue sharing best practices and iterating to include new ones which requires the following:
Orleans Parish School Board Members must ensure that all our schools are held to rigorous accountability standards which requires the following:
Orleans Parish School Board members must ensure equitable access to high quality public education through the maintenance of district-level protocols that seek to provide meaningful public school educational opportunities for all students, which requires the following:
Orleans Parish School Board Members must coordinate or deliver district-level services that efficiently respond to essential needs and reasonable expectations of students, families and operating within New Orleans’ unique public education landscape, which requires the following:
Orleans Parish School Board Members must ensure the district is prepared for current and future challenges, which requires the following:
Pledged Alignment
Pledge Not Received
Did Not Interview
District 2 - Candidate
District 2 - Candidate
District 2 - Candidate
District 4 - Candidate
District 4 - Candidate
District 5
District 1
District 3
District 6
District 7