NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The only constant in life is change and big changes are coming to the New Orleans City Council. Five new representatives were recently elected to the council, including Freddie King III, who will represent District C, and Eugene Green, who will represent District D.
“I’m motivated by public service. I’ve lived in this district in this city for most of my life,” said Green.
“Everyone talks about change, I feel change begins, you know, with each individual, so I wanted that change to begin with me,” said King.
King will represent Algiers and the French Quarter, while Green will represent Gentilly. We asked both men how they plan on addressing the issue of crime across the city.
“It’s going to take everyone, not just one councilmember, not just the mayor, not just the police chief but everyone has to be on the same page to get this crime under control,” said King.
“Public safety is my first concern in terms of my policies that I will put into place. It involves everything from reducing blight to increasing the number of officers so that we reduce response time in the city, enhancing our youth programs, working with community organizations on neighborhood watch and the like,” said Green.
When asked about the ongoing infrastructure problems in New Orleans, both men said they will rely on local ties in Washington to help restore their districts.
“We have our former mayor, Mayor Landrieu. We have our former Congressman Richmond, our current Congressman Troy Carter, we lean on them and their help and expertise to make sure the money that’s needed goes to the neighborhoods and areas directly affected by the bad infrastructure,” said King.
“There’s a lot of federal money that we need to take advantage of, President Biden has been very generous in terms of getting the legislation in place,” said Green.
Both Green and King are native New Orleanians and say they can’t wait to get started serving the place they call home.
Green’s opponent, Troy Glover, is requesting a recount in Saturday’s election because the margin of victory was about 60 votes. Unless there’s a change, both Green and King will be sworn in, along with the other new faces on the council, on January 10 at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre.
