As we kick off 2025, New Orleans needs this year to be super.
In addition to hosting our 11th Super Bowl next month, New Orleans is bound to have other opportunities throughout the year where we can showcase ourselves as a world-class city in the midst of a renaissance.
Unfortunately, we haven’t had solid leadership in the mayor‘s office since Hurricane Katrina. As a result, even though we’ve received a good amount of federal dollars, we’ve struggled, and continue to struggle, on too many fronts.
Helena Moreno has been the first to throw her hat in the ring, but I know others are coming. As a member of the business community, I feel strongly that we cannot afford to stand by and miss the opportunity this fall to elect a leader that will truly lead and help us come together to solve the problems that need to be solved.
The citizens of New Orleans deserve better; we cannot afford to continue with ineffective leadership.
On the flip side, I’m happy to say that incredible leadership does exist throughout every industry in our region, and I’m excited that we are celebrating eight incredible examples of that in this issue. Congratulations to our 2024 CEO of the Year Jay Cicero and all of our Executives of the Year.
As we start the first quarter on the world stage with the Super Bowl, it is my New Year’s wish that we will end the fourth quarter with a big W — the kind of leader that will quarterback us into a brighter future.
Todd Matherne, CEO and Publisher
Renaissance Publishing
