Suspiciously sleepy election

Here's a look at everything the Advocate can compile for us about the City Council races right now.

The most interesting ones so far:

District B is wide open now that Cantrell is running for mayor. Uptownmessenger reports today on Jay Banks' campaign launch party.  Notice that some candidates are at least talking about "displacement" this year... even if it is an afterthought.

“Every citizen — no matter their race, their religion, their disability or their sexual orientation, including those who just got here and those who have been here for generations — should have the opportunity to benefit from all this new explosion of interest in Uptown,” Banks said. “We have to make sure that all our residents benefit or, at a minimum, are not displaced by the progress.”

If Kristin Palmer really is going to try and make a comeback in this slot, it could make the District C election a microcosm of the mayor's race which I think.... actually let's save that for another post.

District E could also bear watching, if.. you know.. if it doesn't secede. Dawn Hebert has a catchy slogan, anyway.

In District E, Gray will have at least one challenger: Dawn Hebert, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee and community activist who said she’s entering the race to ensure that New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward are not forgotten as other city neighborhoods grow more prosperous.

“The time has come for District E to share in the wealth of New Orleans,” Hebert said.

Are there any Share The Wealth clubs active in New Orleans right now?

Also of interest are the races that might not happen at all for the At-Large seats. Jason Williams is still unopposed. And Helena Moreno is virtually unopposed with only Joseph Bouie considering a run apparently out of courtesy.

Another high-profile politician eyeing the at-large race is state Rep. Joe Bouie, who said Friday that calls for him to run for the Division 1 seat have been growing since Brossett decided against the idea. Head, who is term-limited, will vacate the seat next May.

“In order to afford an option to the citizens, I am seriously considering it,” Bouie said.

It's early but the field for every major municipal office is, not only thin, but also dominated by establishment insiders likely to run a quiet, close to the vest campaign. But voters in this city right now are facing dire uncertainties where basic necessities like housing, health, child and family services, transportation are less and less accessible/affordable. If our politics at such a moment become just another elitist yawn then something is not connecting.  We've got the summer to figure out what that is.