OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

New Orleans City Council Committee Meeting – Board/Commission Appointments and Temporary Alcohol Permits – April 16, 2026

City Council — Thursday, April 16, 2026
BodyNew Orleans, Louisiana
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, April 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 40:41

Transcript — Verbatim
5:31

All right, Neil, let's get started.

5:33

Okay, roll call.

5:35

Councilmember Morel.

5:37

Here.

5:37

Councilmember McCarran.

5:39

Councilmember Harris.

5:40

Here.

5:41

Councilmember Green.

5:42

Councilmember Hees.

5:44

We have four members.

5:46

We have a quorum.

5:47

All right.

5:48

First up with the approval of the minutes from the March 17th meeting.

5:51

Councilman Harris moves.

5:52

I second.

5:53

Please vote your machines members.

5:56

All right.

6:00

Four years, no nays, minutes are approved.

6:03

Next up, we have boards and commission appointments for discussions and votes.

6:08

First up, we have Sandra Lombana Linquist.

6:12

Come on down.

6:13

And I'll give you all a preview.

6:21

Well, good morning, all.

6:22

Good morning, Chairman and City Council members.

6:25

It's nice to see all of you.

6:26

My name is Sandra Lombana Lim Lindquist, and I'm the president CEO of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce.

6:33

So when Michael Sawa called and asked if I'd be interested in this board position, I really did want to think through it.

6:40

It's a time commitment and energy commitment, but I do feel that the quality of life and the culture of New Orleans is so important to all of us.

6:49

And when we balance the business community with the residential community, that's when we can be effective in the development of our city.

6:57

So my background in economic development and community development, I believe would be an asset to the Audubon Commission.

7:04

And so I would love to serve our community by being a commissioner.

7:09

All right, thank you.

7:13

Second by Councilman Leslie Harris.

7:16

All in favor?

7:17

Four years, no nays.

7:18

You'll be sent to the council for full approval.

7:20

Next up, we have Britney Major.

7:24

Same question.

7:29

Good morning, uh Chairman.

7:30

Same question, different answer.

7:32

Umbury.

7:34

Similar.

7:35

Um Brittany Major, president CEO of Major Services, long-standing company here in uh city of New Orleans, family-owned company, and um why did I decide or you know, X to support this agency?

7:50

Um my parents saw it, my brother and I, the importance of giving back.

7:55

And you know, as we accompany invest in the city, how can I personally give back to some of these nonprofit organizations and the city's huge assets that help our develop our youth and help develop you know our our community?

8:10

And so I believe in giving back supporting these organizations, helping them with their different issues that they faced, and uh and doing it in a fair uh capacity.

8:20

And so thank you.

8:21

Uh there any questions?

8:23

Hearing none.

8:23

Councilman Hughes moves, Councilman Harris seconds, please vote your machines.

8:28

Uh that is four years, no nays.

8:30

You will be approved.

8:30

Thank you.

8:31

And next up, we have Penny Francis.

8:35

Hello, Penny.

8:37

Good morning, everyone.

8:38

Thank you for having us.

8:40

My name is Penny Francis.

8:42

I am the owner of Eclectic Home.

8:46

I am a it's a furniture store and I'm a design firm, and I've just celebrated 25 years in business.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████65%
Community Engagement███████10%
Parks and Recreation██████9%
Youth Programs████6%
Economic Development████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure███4%
Summary of Proceedings

New Orleans City Council Committee Meeting – April 16, 2026

The New Orleans City Council committee met on April 16, 2026, with a quorum of four members present (Councilmembers Morel, Harris, Green, and Hees; Councilmember McCarran later participated). The meeting focused on approving minutes, considering multiple board and commission appointments, and debating amendments to temporary alcohol beverage permit rules.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (March 17, 2026): Moved by Councilmember Harris, seconded. Approved 4-0.

Discussion Items

  • Board and Commission Appointments: Each candidate introduced themselves, their background, and reasons for serving. Councilmembers expressed support and highlighted the importance of the respective boards. All appointments were approved and forwarded to the full council for confirmation.

    • Sandra Lombana Lindquist (President/CEO, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce) to Audubon Commission – Moved by Harris, seconded. Vote 4-0.
    • Britney Major (President/CEO, Major Services) to Audubon Commission – Moved by Hughes, seconded by Harris. Vote 4-0.
    • Penny Francis (Owner, Eclectic Home) to Audubon Commission – Moved, seconded. Vote 4-0.
    • Tanya Boyd Cannon (Educator, Founder, Rise My Child Foundation) to New Orleans Recreation and Development Commission (NORD) – Expressed passion for youth and seniors. Councilmember Hughes emphasized NORD serves all ages. Moved, seconded by McCarron. Vote 5-0.
    • Lamar Garder (Executive Director, The Data Center) to Finance Authority of New Orleans (FANO) – Stressed homeownership gains. Moved by Harris, seconded by Hughes. Vote 5-0.
    • Kevin Wynne (35-year banking veteran) to New Orleans Loan Authority – Councilmember Hughes recused himself as Wynne is his blood uncle. Vote 4-0 with one recusal.
    • John Malazzo (former credit union president) to FANO – Return member. Councilmember Harris thanked him and noted the housing trust fund. Moved by Hughes, seconded by Harris. Vote 5-0.
    • Sion Quiet Smith (compliance and operations experience) to Ethics Review Board – Vote 5-0.
    • Nick Harris (former Dillard University employee, city federal programs) to Ethics Review Board – Vote 5-0.
    • Boris Vijay (President/CEO, Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana) to Ethics Review Board – Vote 5-0.
    • Cheryl Sims Taplin (Shareholder, Lisco & Lewis law firm) to Ethics Review Board – Vote 4-0.
    • Savitri Wilson Taylor (former secretary of Baton Rouge DDD) to Downtown Development District – Councilmember Hughes praised her. Moved by Hughes, seconded. Vote 5-0.
    • Ronald P. McLean (Executive Director, Institute of Mental Hygiene) to Sandy Kresnoff New Orleans Criminal Justice Council – Emphasized crime prevention and victim support. Vote 5-0.
    • Honorable Bernadette Johnson (former Chief Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court) to New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) – Expressed focus on blight, especially Plaza Tower and Lindy Boggs facility. Councilmembers Green, Harris, and Hughes lauded her service and discussed NORA’s role in housing and economic development. Vote 5-0.

  • Temporary Alcohol Beverage Permits: Councilmember discussed amendments to streamline the temporary permit process. Key changes: permit duration extended from 60 to 90 days; zoning review within 10 days; finance occupational license issuance reduced from 10 to 5 calendar days; entire process capped at 15 days; automatic grant (still requiring council approval) if not acted on in 15 days; written denial reasons within 5 days; appeal to CAO within 15 days. The temporary provisions sunset in 2027. Councilmember Austin thanked council and administration. Vote 4-0. The item will be further amended at the full council meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • All 14 board/commission appointments were approved unanimously (with one recusal) and forwarded to the full council.
  • The temporary alcohol beverage permit ordinance amendments were approved 4-0, with additional amendments expected at the full council meeting.
  • Meeting adjourned at approximately 11:00 AM after a motion by Councilmember Green, seconded by Councilmember McCarron, vote 5-0.

Meeting Transcript

All right, Neil, let's get started. Okay, roll call. Councilmember Morel. Here. Councilmember McCarran. Councilmember Harris. Here. Councilmember Green. Councilmember Hees. We have four members. We have a quorum. All right. First up with the approval of the minutes from the March 17th meeting. Councilman Harris moves. I second. Please vote your machines members. All right. Four years, no nays, minutes are approved. Next up, we have boards and commission appointments for discussions and votes. First up, we have Sandra Lombana Linquist. Come on down. And I'll give you all a preview. Well, good morning, all. Good morning, Chairman and City Council members. It's nice to see all of you. My name is Sandra Lombana Lim Lindquist, and I'm the president CEO of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce. So when Michael Sawa called and asked if I'd be interested in this board position, I really did want to think through it. It's a time commitment and energy commitment, but I do feel that the quality of life and the culture of New Orleans is so important to all of us. And when we balance the business community with the residential community, that's when we can be effective in the development of our city. So my background in economic development and community development, I believe would be an asset to the Audubon Commission. And so I would love to serve our community by being a commissioner. All right, thank you. Second by Councilman Leslie Harris. All in favor? Four years, no nays. You'll be sent to the council for full approval. Next up, we have Britney Major. Same question. Good morning, uh Chairman. Same question, different answer. Umbury. Similar. Um Brittany Major, president CEO of Major Services, long-standing company here in uh city of New Orleans, family-owned company, and um why did I decide or you know, X to support this agency? Um my parents saw it, my brother and I, the importance of giving back. And you know, as we accompany invest in the city, how can I personally give back to some of these nonprofit organizations and the city's huge assets that help our develop our youth and help develop you know our our community? And so I believe in giving back supporting these organizations, helping them with their different issues that they faced, and uh and doing it in a fair uh capacity. And so thank you. Uh there any questions? Hearing none. Councilman Hughes moves, Councilman Harris seconds, please vote your machines.

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