FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–July 21, 2020
Louisiana Mayors to Discuss Federal Aid for Local Governments During Tele-Town Hall
Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 22, at 5:00 p.m., the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and the Louisiana Budget Project will co-host a tele-town hall with three Louisiana mayors–Shreveport Mayor Adrien Perkins, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, and New Roads Mayor Cornell Dukes–to discuss aid for local governments in the next federal stimulus package.
NEW ORLEANS, LA | July 21, 2020—COVID-19 hasn’t just sickened our people, it’s also infected our state and local governments. State and local governments have been forced to expend vital resources responding to the public health crisis, while the tax revenue they rely on has taken a significant hit due to the resulting economic crisis.
On Wednesday, July 22, from 5:00-6:00 p.m., the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ) and our friends at the Louisiana Budget Project (LBP) will be co-hosting a tele-town hall with three of Louisiana’s mayors–East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broom, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, and New Roads Mayor Cornell Dukes. The town hall will be moderated by Davante Lewis, director of public affairs and outreach at LBP. They will discuss the impact COVID has had on their communities, and what the federal government needs to do to help them in this difficult time, including food and housing assistance. You can register for this town hall at bit.ly/FederalAdvocacy.
“The pandemic has hit our people and communities hard,” said LBP’s Davante Lewis. “Congress needs to act to provide needed funding for our cities, food assistance, housing, and unemployment benefits to help everyday people survive this continuing crisis.”
“Cities across Louisiana are seeing their budgets strained due to the unprecedented reductions in tax revenue coupled with skyrocketing expenses related to the pandemic,” Mayor Dukes wrote in a recent Letter to the Editor in The Advocate. “In 2020 alone, cities in Louisiana are projected to experience a revenue shortfall of 32.2% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by the National League of Cities. These shortfalls mean cities like New Roads and others will be forced to lay off or furlough employees, cancel or delay critical infrastructure projects that create jobs and local business activity and make cuts to essential services that individuals and businesses need during these unprecedented times.”
The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice works to build voice and power in traditionally ignored communities. We are a coalition of groups from across Louisiana whose mission is to organize in impacted communities, educate and turn out voters, and fight for policies that create a more equitable and just system in Louisiana.
The Louisiana Budget Project (LBP) monitors and reports on public policy and how it affects Louisiana’s low- to moderate-income families. We believe that the lives of Louisianans can be improved through profound change in public policy.
Who: Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, Louisiana Budget Project, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, New Roads Mayor Cornell Dukes
What: Mayoral tele-town hall on federal aid for local governments
When: July 21, 2020
Where: Online. Register here: bit.ly/FederalAdvocacy
Contacts:
Ashley Shelton, Executive Director, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, (225) 802-2435, ashelton@powercoalition.org
Peter Robins-Brown, Communications Director, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, (504) 256-8196, prb@powercoalition.org