NEW ORLEANS (press release) — The Bureau of Governmental Research will host a free lunchtime webinar, titled “Designing City Governments for Success,” from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 CST.
During the Zoom webinar, attendees will learn about the governing structures used in other large U.S. cities. They will also hear from a panel of experts on how the basic arrangement of powers and duties within a large city’s government shapes its ability to deliver services and infrastructure effectively. Speakers will also address how cities with strong mayor governments, such as New Orleans, can manage the benefits and risks of that form of government, and what the main alternative – a council-manager government – has to offer.
BGR’s panel will feature two national experts on municipal forms of government: Dr. Kimberly Nelson of the University of North Carolina’s School of Government and Dr. Jered Carr of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. To offer local perspective, the panel will also feature David Marcello, executive director of The Public Law Center at Tulane University Law School. Mr. Marcello chaired the 1994-95 advisory committee that undertook the only comprehensive revision of New Orleans’ Home Rule Charter (City Charter) since its 1954 launch.