Voter's Guide, 2021 Fall Elections, New Orleans
Position Councilmembers District B
NameJay H. Banks

Campaign Information

Campaign Web Sitehttps://www.votejayhbanks.com/
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/votejayhbanks/
Twitterhttps://twitter.com/votejayhbanks
YouTubehttps://youtu.be/4gQfTS4vyIQ

Bio Information

Party AffiliationDemocrat
ProfessionBusiness Administrator
Present Employer / positionNew Orleans City Council, District B
Length of residence in JurisdictionLife-long
List of educational institutions and degreesDillard University, B.S. Business Administration, 1982
Springfield College MA, Master’s Degree Organizational Management, 2011
Prior elected and appointed positionsChief of Staff for New Orleans City Council Presidents “Jim” Singleton and Dorothy Mae Taylor;
Elected in 2018 and currently serving on the New Orleans City Council, District B;
Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee 1989 - 2020;
Democratic State Central Committee 1995 - 2020;
At-Large Delegate for Barack Obama 2008 & 2012;
At-Large Delegate for Hillary Clinton 2016;
At-Large Delegate for Joe Biden 2020;
Civic involvement and affiliationsNew Zion Baptist Church
Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Inc.
Rho Phi Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Acacia Lodge #248 of the Prince Hall Masons
Platta Temple #15 of the Shriners

Questions specific to the position

1. Do you feel like the wages for municipal employees, such as the NOFD and EMS are adequate, and if not, how do you propose raising them? No, they are not compensated adequately. The city budget has a finite amount of dollars and I support using every available dollar to compensate our personnel as much as possible.
2. Will you support an ordinance to establish an independent external evaluation of the Ethics Review Board as called for in the Charter? Please explain your answer. Yes, I support accountability and transparency.
3. In your role as the regulatory body for Entergy, what factors would you consider to increase rates? I have worked and supported efforts to ensure that Entergy is not making disproportionate profits on the backs of the ratepayers. In the last rate case, I supported lowering ENO’s return on equity. I will continue to support measures that put people over profits.
4. Where is the best site for a new City Hall and why? I believe that the best place for City Hall is somewhere in New Orleans East. Moving not just City Hall but also the Sewerage & Water Board, Police Headquarters, the Courts and other municipal related entities to the East would create an essential economic driver in an area of the city that needs it. The properties downtown could be sold or leased, and I believe deliver a much better value for our citizens.

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