A petition to convince Mayor Helena Moreno to reverse cuts to one City Hall office amid New Orleans’ budget crisis has gained steam among those who say the moves would be detrimental to the city’s climate action goals and leave several projects in limbo.
The petition, crafted Saturday by a member of Moreno’s former climate transition committee, has since garnered over 1,200 signatures, including from retired U.S. Army Lt. General Russel Honoré, in a plea to keep the Office of Resilience and Sustainability fully intact in lieu of staff cuts solidified this week under Moreno’s new administration.
Honoré, a celebrated figure who transformed military relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina, said in an interview Monday that reducing the office by any means is counterproductive to fortifying New Orleans against environmental threats…