Aimee McCarron will replace Joe Giarrusso in the New Orleans City Council’s District A seat, after voters on Saturday tapped McCarron over Holly Friedman in a runoff that focused on who was most prepared to address the city’s $160 million budget deficit.
McCarron won the election with all 77 precincts reporting results by 10:15 p.m. She grabbed 58% of the vote. Turnout in the district was about 26%.
McCarron spent three years as the policy and budget director for Giarrusso, who chose not to run for reelection. She spent a decade as a financial adviser before that, and she billed herself as the only candidate with budget knowledge and the financial expertise needed to resolve the shortfall.
“I am deeply grateful for your trust and your vote,” McCarron wrote in an email to her supporters Saturday night. “I am ready to tackle our city’s biggest challenges on DAY 1 and serve you, full-time, for these next 4 years. It’s time for City Hall to work for you.”
During the race, McCarron, who won the endorsement of council President JP Morrell, became a target of an attack ad that accused her of having worked on the city’s budget for years but not anticipating the deficit.
McCarron, in response, blamed Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration for mismanaging the funds and said the city’s budget had been balanced during the three years that she worked closely with it.
In the end, voters chose that experience over a promise from Friedman to bring accountability back to City Hall and “a fresh set of eyes” to the budget process.
McCarron, who grew up in District A, said it’s “an honor” to now get the chance to be a voice for the area she has spent most of her life. As she readies to start her term, she said balancing the budget is priority one.
“I plan to start looking at it as early as Monday,” she said. “I have the budget book and I plan to look into making sure the budget for next year still works for residents and making sure we’re not cutting basic services.”
McCarron supports a plan touted by Mayor-elect Helena Moreno to work with trade unions and Delgado Community College to train workers who could be hired by the city. Building up in-house staff could mean dropping expensive outside contracts and better quality work done faster, she said.
Despite the budget issues, McCarron said addressing the deficit does not have to mean blunt cuts. Cuts will surely need to be made, she said, but with precision, offices that bring in revenue can still grow and residents came still see improved services and programs for children.
