We are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For
New Orleans, LA — July 16 2025
On Sunday, July 13 at Dillard University, delegations from across the city of New Orleans gathered to define the future of the city.
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In a resounding display of grassroots power and civic resolve, 600 leaders from 29 TNO member organizations and 50 guest organizations gathered for a citywide assembly to ratify a non-partisan platform for the upcoming City elections.
Union Strength and Coalition Growth
The assembly marked a milestone in labor solidarity, with representation from six trades unions. Their presence reinforced the collective voice of working families and underscored our shared commitment to economic dignity and equity for all New Orleanians.
Financial Momentum: Expanding Our Dues Base
We also celebrated a significant financial benchmark: Together New Orleans has grown its dues base to $137,660, edging ever closer to our year-end goal of $150,000. This financial strength reflects the deep investment of our member institutions and the sustainability of our mission-driven work.
Eyes on 2025: A Convocation for Democracy
One of the most energizing moments of the night came as we looked ahead to September 18, 2025, the date of our Mayoral and City Council Candidates Convocation at Xavier University. The assembly had 60 institutions pledge a total of 1,547 participants for the convocation. This event will be a defining moment in shaping the political future of New Orleans, with our collective voice at the center.
Ratifying a Vision: The TNO Future of Our City Platform
In a defining moment of the evening, the assembly ratified the TNO Future of Our City platform, setting forth a bold, practical, and justice-centered agenda for New Orleans. The platform includes four major resolutions:.
Resolution #1: Cost of Living
TNO will seek commitments from all Mayoral and City Council candidates to:
Endorse a Universal Basic Home Insurance Plan: Back a state program providing universal, affordable coverage for the first $175,000 of home value.
Use Available Tools to Lower Our Energy Bills: Expand Community Solar to generate 20% monthly savings for all residents—including renters—overhaul energy efficiency programs, eliminate “ghost charges,” and oppose gas rate increases.
Ban Traffic Cameras: Prohibit their use in ticketing across Orleans Parish.
These measures aim to ease financial burdens on families, ensure energy justice, and end inequitable enforcement practices.
Resolution #2: Local Jobs
To revitalize the city’s workforce and economy, TNO will urge candidates to:
Mandate Local Hiring, Training, and Prevailing Wages on all City and utility contracts, including those from Entergy and Delta.
Expand Direct City Hiring to rebuild internal capacity and launch an Emergency & Small Projects Response Team, improving response time and service reliability.
This resolution speaks directly to working families, ensuring living wages, skills training, and robust city services.
Resolution #3: Public Works
With infrastructure issues affecting every neighborhood, TNO's platform demands candidates commit to:
Establishing Quality and Time-to-Completion Benchmarks in all contracts, enforced through clear standards and financial penalties.
Ensuring Prompt Contractor Payment within 30 days of invoice approval.
Unifying Capital Planning across Public Works, Sewerage & Water Board, and utilities to streamline project delivery and accountability.
These changes promise a more efficient, transparent, and responsive public infrastructure system.
Resolution #4: Neighborhood Power Plan
To address resilience and energy security, the final resolution calls on candidates to:
Deploy a Citywide Virtual Power Plant: Fund and implement the Neighborhood Power Plan developed by TNO and the Alliance for Affordable Energy. This would install batteries and solar at 250 community sites and 1,800 homes—building a 30 MW Virtual Power Plant capable of protecting vulnerable residents, maintaining power during outages, and reducing dependency on the fragile grid.
These resolutions were put to a vote of TNO Member’s delegates who responded with a resounding and unanimous YES to each one.
By ratifying this platform, Together New Orleans has given shape to a shared, grassroots-driven vision. It's not just a plan for policy—it's a blueprint for power, community, and change in New Orleans.
This platform will serve as a powerful tool for accountability, as we engage candidates and elected officials around the issues that matter most.
Honoring a Foundational Leader: Evelyn Turner
Before we looked to the future, we paused to honor the strength and vision of one of our foundational leaders. The assembly paid heartfelt tribute to Evelyn Turner, former TNO Board President, whose leadership and unwavering dedication helped shape Together New Orleans in its earliest days.
Evelyn stood up when few others did, bringing her voice, courage, and clarity to help transform an idea into a powerful and enduring movement. Her steady hand and moral leadership were instrumental in building the trust and momentum that continue to sustain our work today.
Her impact lives on in every campaign we launch, every coalition we strengthen, and every victory we achieve in the name of justice and equity.
The room rose in a standing ovation as we celebrated Evelyn’s ongoing legacy—a moment of deep appreciation for a leader who continues to give so much, always with humility and fierce love for our community.
This assembly affirmed what we already know: when we come together, we have the power not just to demand change, but to make it. These achievements were possible because of your dedication, your organization, and your belief in our shared power. Our progress is significant, but the work continues.
Stay Tuned and Stay Involved
Ratifying a platform is only the beginning. The real work starts now. Whether your passion is energy justice, workforce equity, infrastructure reform, or neighborhood resilience, or something other than what’s listed above, there’s a place for you in this movement.
Sign up to work on the issue area that speaks to you most and join one of our organizing teams on this form: https://forms.gle/vKcNrWvg9mXH2Pmc9
There’s No Independent Action Without Independent Money
Our power comes from the people. We never accept money that compromises our mission so we depend on monthly donors to keep our work going strong. That’s why we have the Friends of TNO campaign.
If you believe in what we’re doing—in organized people, organized money, and a better New Orleans for all—consider becoming a Friend of TNO by being monthly donor today.
Every gift, no matter the size, builds the kind of independent civic power that makes real change possible.
Our Collective Resolve
As we look towards the Convocation in September and the elections this Fall, let’s remember: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Our work will not end on election day—it will only be just beginning. This is our time to build a better, stronger New Orleans, together.
Thank you again for your dedication, your courage, and your unwavering hope. Let’s keep moving forward—our city is counting on us.
