Mitch Landrieu will bring a culture of open and honest government to New Orleans. He plans to:
- Create a level playing field for those who want to do business in our city, supporting participation by disadvantaged businesses in city contracts
- Work closely with the Office of Inspector General
- Reorganize the way the city lets professional service contracts
- Use city budgeting process to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in city spending
- Establish New Orleans as an honest place to do business
Mitch has served with integrity throughout his 22 years in elected office. His commitment to honesty and openness in government is unyielding, and as Mayor he will not tolerate corrupt, fraudulent, wasteful or abusive acts by city officials.
Create a level playing field for those who want to do business
Mitch understands that we will never grow a diverse and prosperous economy if we don’t make sure that everyone has the ability to do business with and in the city, regardless of political connections. As Mayor, he will:
- Ask the Louisiana Board of Ethics to conduct training and briefings on current ethics laws for all of his cabinet officials, appointed employees and board appointees.
- Demonstrate zero tolerance for ethics violations, waste and fraud in his administration. Any violation will be grounds for immediate removal.
- Make sure there is whistle-blower protection for anyone in city government or doing business with the city who reports corruption or fraud.
Support the Office of Inspector General
As state legislator, Mitch supported the bill that created the state’s inspector general post, and he highly valued input from that individual.
Mitch views the city’s inspector general as a key asset in a well-run city government. As Mayor, Mitch will work with the inspector general to root out waste and to make sure our tax dollars work for the benefit of all our residents.
Reorganize how the city awards professional service contracts
- Mitch is the only candidate in the race with experience as a chief executive running a large government office.
- Mitch supports ideas advanced in the Forward New Orleans plan for city contracting, such as disclosing the identities of persons who have ownership interests in businesses that receive contracts or subcontracts.
- As Mayor, Mitch will ask the inspector general, Forward New Orleans and other community representatives to identify three leading models for professional services hiring in the country to guide him in the development of a sound process for awarding and monitoring such contracts.
Use budgeting process to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in city spending
Mitch is a fiscal conservative who believes that government needs to live within its means and focus on results. The Budgeting for Outcomes process he brought to the Lt. Governor’s office and Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism created a system where he was able to monitor spending against the backdrop of set goals.
This process increased openness and efficiency, and resulted in more efficient services and a greater return on investment. As Mayor, Mitch will:
- Bring together the City Council and his fiscal team to initiate a thorough review of the current city budget and financial management system. Mitch will not wait until the end of the current fiscal year to begin managing city finances and identifying priorities.
- Insist that every city department and agency participate in a budgeting process that focuses on results.
- Publish benchmarks that city agencies commit to at the beginning of each fiscal year. The standards will then be used in end-of-year evaluations.
Establish New Orleans as an ethical place to do business
As Lt. Governor, Mitch has been responsible for traveling the country and the world promoting Louisiana’s image.
He has worked tirelessly to bring business and tourists to our state and knows better than any candidate in the race how the rest of the country views with suspicion New Orleans’ management of budget affairs.
As Mayor, Mitch will work tirelessly to change the way the country and the world view New Orleans. He will:
- Make city government more user-friendly and transparent through online services and better technology.
- Work with the business community to develop a more inclusive and small business-friendly climate.
- Invite outside accounting reviews of the city’s use of state and federal grants.
