Mayor is the most powerful office in city government. It has more influence on the quality of life of the residents in a city than any other elected official, including the governor or the president. The mayor oversees the delivery of basic municipal services such as electricity, water, sewerage, garbage collection, road construction and maintenance, police and fire protection, as well as drainage and flood control, and many other services. 

In spite of the importance of the office, to date, only a few candidates have announced their candidacy for mayor of New Orleans. Two of those are current public officials. While there are some factors that are unique to New Orleans, there are also national structural factors in effect. 

The primary election for New Orleans mayor is October 11, 2025. As of April 1, there are six announced candidates: business owner Renada Collins, retired judge Arthur Hunter, Councilmember at Large Helena Moreno, former 911 call center director Tyrell Morris, District E Councilmember Oliver Thomas, and psychotherapist Richard Twiggs. 

Only Moreno and Thomas currently hold public office and have citywide name recognition. Most pundits consider them to be the major candidates but that could change if one of the other candidates breaks away from the pack or new candidates emerge.

The last time the mayor’s office was vacant, in 2017, the race drew a large field of eighteen candidates. Eleven candidates qualified in 2010. A record twenty-two candidates ran in 2006, the year after Hurricane Katrina. 

There are a couple of factors that might have reduced the number of candidates. The first is the war chest of Helena Moreno. She had $972,750 on hand according to her most recent campaign finance report. Oliver Thomas reported $205,293 on hand. No other candidate has filed a campaign finance report yet.

Moreno having nearly a million dollars in the bank this early, may scare off some candidates. State Senator Royce Duplessis considered getting into the race, but said he did not think he could raise enough money to compete at this time. 

The second factor is the steady decline of the neighborhood-based political organizations such as BOLD, SOUL, LIFE, and COUP. When Hurricane Katrina ripped traditional neighborhoods apart twenty years ago, the influence of these once-powerful organizations began to decline. They still exist but no longer have the resources to finance their candidates for mayor.

National structural factors are also in play. For instance the office is not as attractive as it once was due to a loss of power, and it has become a “hollow prize,”a term coined by political scientist Paul Friesema. 

The hollow prize thesis argues that due to suburbanization, population loss, and disinvestment that began in the 1970s and continues today, the tax base of cities has been greatly reduced. A smaller tax base means less money is available to provide basic services. 

The extreme challenges of growing a city economy to grow the tax base is a struggle that has burned out many mayors nationwide. Some potential candidates see the struggle as too steep to succeed, especially since they are limited to two consecutive terms. 

The office of mayor also is considered by many to be a dead-end job. While there are a few high-profile exceptions, research shows that for the majority of mayors, the office is the final elected office they will hold. The need to take positions on controversial urban issues can  create enough enemies to end a political career. 

Young, talented politicians are more likely to aim for a seat in Congress which has historically proven to be a more effective position to run for statewide office, or higher, than mayor. Congress also has no term limits. 

Although the office of mayor has lost some luster and developed limitations in recent years, it still has more direct influence on the lives of city residents than any other office. We should all get involved, examine the platforms of the candidates, and ask tough questions. We should all turn out to vote. Our quality of life depends on it. 

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Robert Collins is a professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy at Dillard, where he holds the Conrad N. Hilton Endowed Professorship. He previously held positions as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences...