WHY I’M RUNNING
New Orleans is facing a cost of living crisis.
Utility bills, rent, and insurance are climbing, and our infrastructure problems make it hard to live here. Our neighbors are being driven out of their homes.
We need representatives who will open up City Hall to our communities. New Orleans deserves a higher standard, and a Councilmember who will fight for it.
LET’S ELECT GREGORY MANNING AND MAKE NEW ORLEANS AN EASIER PLACE TO LIVE
THE PLATFORM
TACKLING HIGH UTILITY BILLS
In office, I will fight for ratepayers, not corporate profits.
I will hold Entergy accountable for decades of mismanagement, and stop squeezing ratepayers when Entergy can afford to clean up its own messes
People will always come before profit under my watch.
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Forgive all residential utility debt incurred since March 2020, ban residential power shutoffs, and stop all rate increases and supplemental fees.
Guaranteed limits to Entergy's profits
Implement a new Sewerage & Water Board rate structure to provide support for low-income households
Implement Community Solar to bring solar savings to renters.
Protect EnergySmart and other energy efficiency programs that prioritize the needs of neighbors instead of Entergy's bottom line
Expand solar and storage resilience strategies such as Community Lighthouse and Get Lit Stay Lit to give communities the capacity to function when the grid goes down
Prevent Entergy from using “storm recovery riders” to pay for already funded deferred maintenance investments
Keep private equity from hiking energy bills through the new citywide gas monopoly
Staff Council advisors who will find ways to cut costs to ratepayers
Put New Orleans at the forefront of the fight against climate change with an expedited transition to renewable energy
Fight environmental degredation to protect clean air and restore critical parish wetlands
Explore alternatives to the private for-profit utility monopoly model that sends working families' paychecks straight to corporate executives and shareholders
PEOPLE-FIRST HOUSING POLICY
Too many people are forced to leave our city because high rents, unaccountable landlords, and skyrocketing home insurance rates make it unaffordable to live here.
I will stand with renters and homeowners alike to guarantee safe, comfortable, and affordable housing for all, instead of backing dishonest landlords and out-of-town developers who see housing as an investment and not a right.
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Develop and enforce more rigorous standards for rental housing to root out slumlords big and small.
Expand rental assistance programs and affordable housing mortgage assistance
Promote new development that puts affordability before luxury, and prioritizes residents' needs before tourist attractions.
Promote and expand availability of fortified roof grants
Clear policies to incentivize long-term renting over conversions to whole-home short-term rentals, and strict enforcement of short-term rental regulations to protect neighborhoods and weed out bad actors
Put homeowners before hotels with policy to limit high assessments and property taxes, and pursue programs to lower the cost of insurance at the local, state, and federal level.
Compassionate policy to put our unhoused neighbors in homes and provide long-term support services to keep them there, building on the existing housing-first model
Bring people back to our city who have been priced out, and keep people in their homes and neighborhoods
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT MAKES IT EASY TO LIVE HERE, NOT HARDER
Our infrastructure is in dire shape, from roads to drains, and City Hall to neighborhood parks. Bad infrastructure costs small businesses customers, means more car repairs for drivers, and causes headaches for locals and visitors alike.
But improvements shouldn't cost us either. Nobody should go without a paved street for months on end. Cones should be temporary fixtures, not permanent neighborhood attractions. Streetlights should come on every night.
I will ensure contractors work fast and work well, and that residents from every neighborhood have a voice in City Hall well before and after any project breaks ground.
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Frequent and constant communication between City Hall and neighbors to prepare for upcoming infrastructure projects and identify unaddressed infrastructure needs, block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood
Clear and definite benchmarks for performance for all city contractors, with a focus on timeliness and quality of work
Ensuring resident complaints to 311 and other city services are addressed quickly in every case
No more blinking stoplights! Traffic signals must be repaired in days, not weeks or months
Safe and accessible intersections and street crossings for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists alike
Bring back twice-a-week trash pickup as soon as possible, with priority for summer months
Expand public transit network and reliability
Tackle urban heat islands with tree planting in every neighborhood
Require all infrastructure projects to include rainwater management initiatives to reduce street flooding
A FUTURE FOR ALL NEW ORLEANIANS
I will represent the people of New Orleans, not corporate donors, and will make this a city where each of our neighbors can thrive for the next twenty, fifty, and a hundred years.
As your Councilmember, I will continue my work to root out the influence of money on municipal politics. We will welcome investment from anyone who wants to do business in New Orleans, but we will always put residents before out-of-town companies looking for tax breaks or special favors.
I will always listen to the people of New Orleans first. I will put them in the driver's seat at City Hall to ensure that everybody can live a long, prosperous, and happy life in our city.
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Rigorous public input in all Council decisions big and small, including participatory pudgeting to include residents in spending decisions
Expanded oversight from residents on all public boards, including S&WB and HANO
Youth-focused programming for job training, vocational schooling, and public employment
Require timely delivery of agendas before meetings and easily accessible recording of all meetings of City Council, Council committees, and city agencies
Build on the Workers' Bill of Rights by offering preferred status to unionized businesses in awarding city contracts
Encourage participation in the political process with free parking passes for public commenters at Council meetings
Scrutinize requests for tax breaks, from property tax deals to ITEP exemptions
A level playing field for businesses big and small, and no playing favorites or unethical backroom deals
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About Pastor Manning
Won a change to New Orleans’ ethics laws that now prohibit New Orleans City Council members from receiving campaign contributions from Entergy and other companies they regulate.
Helped win a “Renewable Portfolio Standard” for New Orleans which mandates a schedule by which Entergy New Orleans must shift from carbon-intensive fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Part of the founding group of leaders which initiated the Community Lighthouse project to build the largest network of solar-and-storage resilience hubs in the nation.
Founded the Greater New Orleans Interfaith Climate Coalition.
Co-founded the Louisiana Just Recovery Network, which helps people get back into their homes after severe weather events.
Serves on the Board of Greater New Orleans YMCA, Salvation Army, Louisiana Lighthouse, as co-moderator for Justice & Beyond, and on the Citywide Leadership Council of Together New Orleans.
2024 Bounce to Zero HIV Stigma Testimonial Appreciation Award recipient
2025 YMCA C. Allen Favrot Humanitarian of the Year award recipient
Serves as Pastor of Broadmoor Community Church in New Orleans since 2011.
