New Orleans City Council Public Works Committee Meeting - February 5, 2026: DPW Director Candidate Presentation and Confirmation Vote
New Orleans City Council Public Works Committee Meeting - February 5, 2026: DPW Director Candidate Presentation and Confirmation Vote
On February 5, 2026, the City Council Public Works Committee heard a presentation from Steve Nelson, Mayor Moreno's nominee for Director of Public Works. Nelson outlined three key initiatives: the Lights On initiative, street maintenance improvements, and the creation of an Infrastructure Coordination Council. After public testimony and council discussion, the committee voted unanimously (3-0) to forward Nelson's confirmation to the full council.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Don Abair (resident, 6846 Lake Willow Drive) expressed strong support for Steve Nelson, citing his responsiveness at the Sewerage and Water Board. He welcomed the Lights On initiative, noting that many areas have been dark for too long due to copper theft, and praised the shift to aluminum wiring and solar lights. He also raised questions about the status of blue lights and the allocation of $5 million in settlement funds ($2.2 million previously used for billing assistance).
- Charles Marsala (former councilman and engineer) complimented the presentation and thanked DPW for quick roadside assistance after his car broke down. He raised two specific issues: (1) the lack of signs for Tivoli Circle (named in 1810) and requested assistance in getting signs installed, and (2) gates blocking public access to Breakwater Drive at West End, questioning the legality of the Municipal Yacht Harbor's action.
Discussion Items
- Lights On Initiative: Nelson reported 51,000 street lights maintained by DPW, with 3,300 open work orders and an average repair response time of 400 days (goal: 30 days, 1-2% outage rate). The city has zero in-house electricians; a $2.5 million contract with All-Star Electric has completed 600 repairs in three weeks. Interviews for new electrician hires begin next week. Nelson noted the transition from copper to aluminum wiring to deter theft. A heat map of prioritized repairs (using crime data from Daniel Shanks) was referenced but not displayed.
- Street Maintenance: DPW has a backlog of 2,000 potholes and 1,100 concrete repairs. In-house crews (currently 2-4 per day) are diverted to Mardi Gras barricade setup. First in-house concrete repairs since Hurricane Katrina were completed two weeks ago. Nelson outlined a goal to achieve 30-day response times for paving repairs, with a long-term plan to perform mill-and-overlay projects internally. The city will sell $260 million in voter-authorized bonds for infrastructure projects.
- Infrastructure Coordination Council: Nelson described a multi-agency effort to map all capital projects ($2.5 billion across 150 line items) onto a single GIS platform to prevent repeated street cuts. A public-facing dashboard and quarterly mayor's reports are planned. Working groups will address common marking and tracking of utility cuts.
- Council Questions: Council President asked about asset management systems (Nelson confirmed use of OpenGov with Cartograph). Councilmember Green raised concerns about DPW yard culture and union relations; Nelson committed to weekly yard visits and improving morale. Councilmember Harris requested integration of the Office of Resilience and Sustainability (ORS) across departments and clarity on FEMA extension for the JIRR program (sunset 2028, extension to July 2026). Councilmember Hughes emphasized the need for a “pizza tracker” system for residents to track roadwork and mandated implementation of the Schoenberger ordinance (signage with project start/end dates, contact info). Councilmember McCarron praised past collaboration and urged use of 311 system.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted 3-0 (Morel, McCarron, Harris) to favorably forward Steve Nelson's nomination to the full council for confirmation.
- Councilmembers issued several directives:
- Implement the Schoenberger ordinance for project signage.
- Develop a public-facing roadwork tracking system ("pizza tracker").
- Ensure the JIRR program extension request is submitted on time.
- Include council staff in Infrastructure Coordination Council meetings.
- Engage IBEW for apprenticeship programs for electricians.
- Report quarterly on lighting and paving response times.
- Nelson agreed to all directives, provided his cell phone number, and committed to monthly face-to-face communications with council staff.
Meeting Transcript
Let's do roll call. Council Member Morel. Council Member McKaren. Council Member Harris. Council Member Green. Council Member Hughes. We have a quorum or the record replacement. Okay, let's come back into session. We've got Councilmember Morel, Councilmember McCarron, Councilmember Harris, three members of the forum. Steve Nelson's record works. Come on now, Steve. You have warp boots on? Nope, no work boots either. Man, that is that is bizarre. Out of character, not prepared. Okay. Steve, you got someone working your power point, you're doing it yourself. You can do it. You can do you do whatever makes you happy, Steve. Bless you. It is an honor to be here. I just wanted to say a few thank yous first, if I if I may take a moment of personal privilege. Thank God for the opportunity to be here, calling my family and I back to New Orleans to the sewage and water board and to this job. It's been the privilege of my personal career, my life, and it is my family's calling as well. All of you there understand better than just about anybody else what that means. And for my wife Lisa, who runs a sub-330 marathon. I'm very proud of her and the work that she does. For my three children, Benjamin, Rename, and Dominic. I'd like to tell just a very brief story and try not to get too emotional. The first week on the job, my daughter, I take them to school a couple days a week, and she said, Dad, we're gonna get ready early, and we're all gonna go together. I don't want you taking two separate trips because you need to be at your job, able to serve the people and do your job. So that's coming from the mouth of BADE. So Rena May, baby, Benjamin, Dominic, you guys and all of you that have been at a council meeting or a public meeting, you're gonna get a package deal. So the Nelson family is invested. And I wanna thank some team members. I got my deputy director of public works and also Andy Loy, who manages our lights, the men and women that work at the at the yard, the men and work women in the signal shop that are out there each and every day, seven days a week, moving barricades. They got the barricade set for Mardi Gras. This is just the second year they've done it, got it done ahead of schedule, and I am so proud to serve them and this family. I mean, look at this family. I am excited to be a part of it. I'm proud of them, and I'm really excited to see how we grow and develop. And that's what uh what this is all about here. Uh the meeting that I I wanted to talk about, just a brief introduction, which I've more or less given, and then there's kind of three key initiatives, things that I would like to see developed uh throughout uh the tenure here that I have, and then of course open it up for some questions. The first item is of course the lights on initiative. Uh, Mayor Moreno announced this, and she was unequivocal when I sat down in the first meeting. She said, Steve, the first week you're there, you better figure out how to turn on some lights, and you need to figure out how to get some paving in the ground. And so that has been her uh her mantra, and it's not just about do these things, it's about equipping and giving the resources to make it happen. So the lights on initiative is something she she we're turning on lights day one, her first full day in office. We were in New Orleans East. Uh, and that starts with looking at our existing assets.
openpublica.com