Who is Helena Moreno? A deep dive into the New Orleans City Council member running for mayor

Helena Moreno: The New Orleans City Council member running for mayor in 2025

Helena Moreno has emerged as a formidable force in New Orleans politics, earning citywide recognition through her work as both a state legislator and New Orleans City Council member. For voters searching for updates on Helena Moreno New Orleans, her record offers a mix of progressive reform, tough oversight, and growing political ambition.

With a foundation in journalism and a reputation for political savvy, she has built a wide base of support—underscored by her decisive reelection in 2021.

Now setting her sights on the mayor’s office in 2025, Moreno continues to champion government accountability, expand economic opportunity and push for stronger public safety measures. Yet, her rising profile hasn’t come without friction. Tensions with the current administration and scrutiny over her handling of city regulations during major events have added complexity to her ascent.

As the mayoral race draws nearer, Moreno’s next steps could cement her legacy in New Orleans politics, testing whether her Council leadership can carry her to the city’s highest office.

Background

Helena Nancy Moreno was born Sept. 30, 1977, in Veracruz, Mexico, to oil executive Felix Moreno and academic Nancy Pearson Moreno. The elder of two children, she grew up in a home shaped by science and enterprise—her mother, a botany scholar with a doctorate from Rice University, worked at Baylor College of Medicine, while her father rose through the ranks of the oil and gas industry before launching a successful business career in Texas during the mid-1980s.

Moreno graduated from Episcopal High School in Houston in 1995, then went on to earn a degree in mass communication from Southern Methodist University in 1999. While at SMU, she reported for the school’s Daily Campus newspaper, gaining early experience in journalism. Her studies also took her to American University in Washington, D.C., where she interned at the White House under first lady Hillary Clinton. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she rounded out her academic journey with six months of study in Madrid, Spain.

Moreno's entry into politics

Before stepping into public office, Helena Moreno made her name in front of the camera. While still in college, she interned at Houston’s KTRK-TV and KHOU-TV, setting the stage for a career in broadcast journalism. She landed her first on-air role at WTOC in Savannah, Georgia, before being hired by New Orleans’ NBC affiliate, WDSU-TV.

At WDSU, Moreno quickly earned a reputation as a tenacious investigative reporter. Her work covering Hurricane Katrina earned her and the station an Emmy Award. According to her bio, she stayed on the air for 18 straight hours during the peak of the storm’s destruction.

In 2008, Moreno traded the newsroom for the campaign trail. She left WDSU and launched a bid for Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District as a Democrat. The run fell short, but it marked the beginning of her political ascent.

Two years later, she won a special election to represent the 93rd District in the Louisiana House of Representatives. She was re-elected without opposition in 2011 and went on to serve on several key committees, including Appropriations, Judiciary, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. She also served as vice chair of the House Administration of Criminal Justice.

Watch: Councilmember Helena Moreno says the Bourbon Street bollards were 'being repaired' at the time a terror suspect drove a truck through a crowd.

Helena Moreno's agenda on the New Orleans City Council

On the City Council, Moreno has built a reputation as a policy-driven reformer, with a wide-ranging agenda that touches nearly every corner of civic life.

Justice and safety

She has led efforts to ban no-knock warrants, launch a public police accountability dashboard, and decriminalize cannabis. Her legislative record also includes laws to protect victims of sexual assault, reduce incarceration by limiting unnecessary arrests, and prevent domestic abusers from accessing firearms.

Watch: Helena Moreno talks with reporters about changing how domestic violence is handled

Economic development

Moreno has pushed for economic initiatives aimed at equity and opportunity. She’s championed new business permits tailored for emerging industries, demanded faster payments to small city vendors, and led efforts to support disadvantaged business enterprises.

A vocal advocate for paid leave and living wages, she also expanded the city’s summer jobs program from 400 to 1,000 positions. Under her leadership, the Council guaranteed city-paid musicians earn at least $200 an hour.

Affordable housing and infrastructure in New Orleans

In 2023, Moreno teamed up with State Sen. Gary Carter and Rep. Jason Hughes to promote affordable housing. She’s also advocated for rebuilding city infrastructure—“both above and below our streets”—and positioned New Orleans as a potential leader in renewable energy.

Government efficiency

Most recently, in April 2025, she filed legislation to streamline permitting and licensing processes. She’s also worked alongside Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng to improve interparish collaboration and cut bureaucratic red tape.

Helena Moreno in her own words

Moreno has cast herself as a relentless advocate for New Orleans residents, often calling for a more responsive and transparent city government.

“I’ve been very encouraged by the support I’ve received to run to be the next mayor,” she told Axios New Orleans, emphasizing that the city needs a “24-7 mayor who is about the work and not the perks.”

Affordable housing, she argues, sits at the heart of the city’s most urgent challenges.

“Building more affordable units in New Orleans is essential to addressing many of our most persistent ills, from poverty to public safety to education,” she said. “We need to build far more affordable units and bring every strategy forward to do so with urgency.”

Still, she’s quick to note that construction alone isn’t enough. “We need to ensure our residents across the city can live in safe and healthy homes.”

On government efficiency, Moreno has been equally blunt.

“We must take a hard look at all the causes of lengthy permitting delays negatively impacting our residents’ quality of life and what it means to do business in New Orleans,” she said.

Controversies and political tensions

Conflict with Mayor Cantrell

One of the most visible and ongoing political tensions in New Orleans has played out between Helena Moreno and Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The feud made headlines when Moreno threatened to cut the mayor’s salary unless she reimbursed the city for using taxpayer funds to upgrade flights to first class.

The strain deepened when a sheriff’s deputy assigned as Moreno’s driver came under investigation after allegedly photographing Cantrell near the Pontalba Apartments. The deputy was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. Moreno later dismissed the episode as politically motivated.

“It was all just very much rumor-based,” she said at the time. “It was really just politics at its worst, and it was retaliatory in nature.”

Public records later confirmed that the complaint had been filed by Mayor Cantrell herself.

New Orleans Mardi Gras 2025 controversy

A newer controversy surfaced during Mardi Gras in 2025. According to a report by Black Source Media, Councilmember Helena Moreno was accused of defying a citywide ban on walking groups in parades, a restriction put in place due to weather concerns.

The publication alleged that Moreno paid a group of Black women to walk in front of her float despite the prohibition—while the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a historically Black krewe, complied with the rules and sidelined their traditional walking groups.

The report questioned the optics and motives behind Moreno’s actions, asking whether the move constituted “political exploitation, performative allyship, or something more sinister.”

Watch: Helena Moreno discusses Mardi Gras weather policies and how New Orleans parade schedules were adjusted.

Frequently asked questions about Helena Moreno in New Orleans

Q: Who is Helena Moreno in New Orleans?

A longtime journalist-turned-politician, Helena Moreno currently serves as a New Orleans City Council member and is running for mayor in 2025.

Q: What political party is Helena Moreno affiliated with?

She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Q: What has Helena Moreno done in New Orleans?

She has promoted policies related to public safety, economic equity, government transparency, and affordable housing.

Q: Is Helena Moreno running for mayor of New Orleans?

Yes, she is expected to be a leading candidate in the 2025 New Orleans mayoral race.