Hy and Christopher take on several topics in this week show including Mayor Helena Moreno’s proposal to create an industrial corridor in New Orleans East and how the spat with Liz Morrell may affect the cities ability to get dollars to do that (and build a new City Hall annex).
We also talked about how Democrats are forcing Graham Platner out of the race in Maine, will Republicans force Ken Paxton out in the wake of his visit to London with his married mistress?
We also spent some time on the bombing of Iran coming back.
However, most of our conversation centers around how the coming 2027 Jefferson Parish elections, Kicking Off with Liljeberg At-Large.
At a press conference on July 9, Jefferson Parish District 5 Councilman Hans Liljeberg announced his candidacy for At-Large Division B in the October 2027 primary.
With a $12,000 per couple fundraising email sent two days prior and his subsequent announcement at 3330 N. Causeway last Thursday evening, he signaled his intention to run to succeed the term-limited Scott Walker – who introduced Liljeberg at the event and endorsed his candidacy. The District 5 council member kicks off his at-large bid in what promises to be an overall very active political season in the autumn of 2027 in the metro area’s largest parish.
While Walker revealed on March 31 that he would end his nascent campaign for parish president “to focus on his personal life and business”, his Division A At-Large colleague Jennifer Van Vrancken has signaled that she expects to run to succeed the term-limited President Cynthia Lee-Sheng.
District Councilmen Byron Lee and Deano Bonano also face term limits, and most political observers foresee competitive elections for their respective (predominantly) West and East Bank seats. Crowded fields of candidates likely will gather for reasons of patronage as much as political prestige. Jefferson Parish council members are often considered more powerful than even the parish president, as nearly all parish contracts are issued by the council members and not by the chief executive – unlike in Orleans Parish. Moreover, it is not uncommon for state legislators to resign to run for Parish Council, so influential is the job in contracting and administrative authority.
Liljeberg, though well-known in his base in Old Metairie, has not embarked upon a competitive parish-wide race in well over two decades. In his announcement, the councilman claimed, “I am better trained and more dedicated than ever to bridging divides, governing with respect, and leading with calm resolve, not just for District 5, but for all the people of Jefferson Parish.”
However, the question remains whether he remains known well enough across the parish to make that compelling case. He last ran a contested race across the parish in 2002 for a judgeship on the 24th JDC. His later bid in 2012 for the state Appellate Court was unopposed. A generation has passed since he faced nearly the entire electorate of the parish.
Nevertheless, when Liljeberg resigned from the Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2023, to run for Parish Council, he won 66-34 over fellow Republican Melinda Bourgeois. He possesses the resources to self finance much of his campaign, and barring a major scandal, political prognosticators consider him to be a favorite to win.
Liljeberg doubly acknowledged the division that has plagued Jefferson politics – the often contentious relationship between representatives of both sides of the river – as well as making a subtle appeal to West Bank voters who may not know him as well. As he explained on July 9, “We have an east bank and a west bank and it’s important that we bring everybody together; we need unity in this parish, and I’m prepared to do that.”
By positioning himself as a unifier on the council who can bring opposing sides together, the Republican contender frames his campaign with a bipartisan, cross-river strategy to undercut any potential West Bank challenger.
Regardless, there are more voters on Jefferson Parish’s East Bank than West Bank, yet the entire parish’s political and racial composition has been changing in recent years. Overall demographics have altered considerably since Liljeberg's original bid for judgeship. Caucasians have decreased in their voting power as Jefferson’s Hispanics and African Americans continue to grow as percentages of the population. Jefferson Parish remains on track to become a minority/majority parish within the next 25 years.