The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority on Saturday began the process of removing CEO Lona Edwards Hankins from her position after it came to light that her contract was quietly extended through 2031 at the end of the last board’s term.
That three-year contract extension was not discussed, approved, or signed in public. Rather, it was inked in private and signed by Edwards and former board chairman Fred Neal Jr. on Oct. 15, 2025.
The current board, now made up mostly of appointees of Mayor Helena Moreno, will work to find a mutually agreeable separation agreement with Hankins and to hire a national search firm to find her successor…