New Orleans

Lake County, Illinois voters pick a sheriff on Nov. 3. Democratic incumbent John Idleburg, sheriff since 2018 and a former federal Treasury agent, is seeking a third term after winning close and then wider margins in 2018 and 2022. His Republican challenger, Roman Buchberger, a retired Lake County deputy with 19 years on the job, including post-Katrina work in New Orleans, says the office suffers from "gross mismanagement," pointing to jail staffing shortages and inmates housed in McHenry County.

Idleburg touts gains against illegal guns and trafficking, an expanded K-9 program, and a citizen justice council. Buchberger calls for aggressive correctional-officer recruiting, improved jail rehabilitation programming, and a larger school presence for deputies.

New Orleans' city council is considering a property tax increase to help close a budget gap in Mayor Helena Moreno's proposed 2027 budget, which otherwise includes roughly $80 million in spending cuts. Without the new revenue, the city says it could lay off 37 sanitation workers, close a low-barrier homeless shelter, reduce NOPD civilian staffing and traffic response, scale back Mardi Gras cleanup, and cut right-to-counsel services for people facing eviction. The average homeowner would pay about $200 more a year if the increase passes, generating an estimated $20 million. Even with the hike, the city would still need about $50 million in operating cuts. The council must pass a balanced budget by Dec. 1, with a vote on the tax measure set for Nov. 5.

New Orleans' City Council is set to vote Nov. 5 on whether to "roll forward" property tax millages to their full allowed rates, a move Mayor Helena Moreno's administration says could generate millions to help avoid cuts to sanitation and other city services. Previous councils had opted not to charge the higher rates while revenues covered expenses, but officials say the city's financial situation has since changed.

The administration estimates the average homeowner could pay about $200 more per year if the full increase passes. The debate has also renewed scrutiny of property tax exemptions for churches, nonprofits, and universities, which own a small share of parcels but a large share of total property value in Orleans Parish.

Louisiana's Public Service Commission voted 4-1 to require investor-owned utilities Entergy, Cleco Power and Southwestern Electric Power Company to participate in a new "Louisiana Advanced Nuclear Exploration" program, studying how to integrate nuclear energy into their systems. Utilities can spend up to $2 million over three years on feasibility and economic studies, partnering with nuclear firms. Commissioners removed a proposed per-meter customer fee, instead allowing cost recovery through base rates without rate increases unless separately approved. Commissioner Davante Lewis cast the dissenting vote, warning ratepayers could fund research without guaranteed benefits. The move follows Gov. Jeff Landry's push for nuclear investment and aligns with the Trump administration's emphasis on expanding nuclear energy amid rising data center and industrial power demand.

St. Tammany Parish voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to elect a new sheriff for the first time in over 30 years without Jack Strain or Randy Smith on the ballot, filling the remaining 18 months of Smith's term after his resignation and guilty plea to second-degree battery. Interim Sheriff Bret Ibert will retire once a successor is sworn in this January. Four candidates are running: former Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges, retired U.S. Marshal Scott Illing, retired bomb-squad commander David Maki, and former Slidell Police interim chief Daniel Seuzeneau. Each emphasizes transparency, staff morale, and budget fixes. Without a majority winner, a runoff follows Dec. 12.

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., is heavily favored to win a third full term representing his New Orleans-to-Baton Rouge district on Nov. 3, facing token opposition from four little-funded challengers, including Republican Peter Williams. Carter, who is running unopposed to become the next chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, says the post will position him prominently ahead of the next presidential race, arguing "all roads to the White House will go through the South." He criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both Louisiana Republicans, for backing Trump-era Medicaid cuts he says will hurt their own constituents. Carter expects Democrats to retake the House majority, giving him a larger platform to push back on Medicaid cuts and ICE enforcement tactics.

New Orleans voters will decide a ballot measure giving the City Council stronger oversight of departmental spending. City Council President JP Morrell proposed the charter amendment, which would require departments to get council approval before exceeding their budgeted amounts and would mandate monthly spending reports from the mayoral administration's financial leaders. Council members say the current budget is often treated as a mere suggestion rather than a binding limit.

The proposal follows a dire financial crisis under former Mayor LaToya Cantrell, when the city fell into a multimillion-dollar budget hole last year and had to borrow money to pay employees, with overtime spending at the police department cited as a major factor. The measure appears at the bottom of the ballot under state constitutional amendments.

A New Orleans jail custodian, Sterling Williams, 34, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to malfeasance in office for his role in enabling one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history. In May 2025, Williams shut off water to a cell, allowing 10 inmates to remove a toilet, crawl through a wall gap and scale a fence to escape, leaving behind graffiti reading "To Easy LoL." His attorney said Williams did not knowingly assist the escape but failed to follow protocol. An additional 2.5 years of his sentence was suspended, with three years of probation to follow; prosecutors dropped 10 counts of being a principal to aggravated escape.

All 10 escapees were recaptured, one after five months at large. They face trial in April. At least 14 others were arrested for aiding the escape, and former Sheriff Susan Hutson and CFO Bianka Brown face separate indictments tied to the jail's management failures; both have pleaded not guilty.