Helena Moreno

Helena Nancy Moreno (born September 30, 1977) is a Mexican-American realtor, equestrienne, former journalist, and politician serving as the president of the New Orleans City Council and First Division Councilmember-at-Large.

For the Angolan actress, see Helena Moreno (actress). For the Costa Rican swimmer, see Helena Moreno (swimmer).

Helena Moreno
Vice President of the New Orleans City Council
Assumed office
June 2019
Preceded byJason Williams
Member of the New Orleans City Council
from the at-large district
Assumed office
June 2018
Preceded byStacy Head
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 93rd district
In office
May 2010 – April 9, 2018
Preceded byKaren Carter Peterson
Succeeded byRoyce Duplessis
Personal details
Born (1977-09-30) September 30, 1977
Veracruz, Mexico
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseChris Meeks
EducationSouthern Methodist University (BA)
American University

Moreno was formerly a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, where she represented the District 93. She was first elected in May 2010[1] during a special election and was unopposed in her re-election in the fall of 2011.

On October 14, 2017, Moreno was elected to the Division 1 at-large seat on the New Orleans City Council, winning by nearly 2–1 against her two opponents, fellow Democratic state Representative Joseph Bouie Jr. and Democrat Kenneth Cutno, and avoiding a runoff.[2][3]

Early life and education

Helena Moreno was born in the seaside city of Veracruz, Mexico, the daughter of oil executive Felix Moreno and academic Nancy Pearson Moreno.[4] With her parents she moved to Houston, Texas, where she was a 1995 graduate of Episcopal High School. Moreno is a 1999 graduate in mass communication from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, where she wrote for the Daily Campus; she also studied at American University in the District of Columbia while working in the White House for First Lady Hillary Clinton. A native speaker of both English and Spanish, Moreno studied for six months in Madrid, Spain.

Career

Journalism

Prior to graduation from SMU, Moreno completed internships with KTRK-TV and KHOU-TV in Houston. After graduation, she went to WTOC-TV in Savannah, Georgia, whence she was recruited by Hearst-Argyle Broadcasting Corporation for WDSU-TV in New Orleans. At WDSU, Moreno became anchor for the morning news. Her reporting during Hurricane Katrina brought her accolades, including a citation as Broadcaster of the Year from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the (AFL-CIO). During her career in journalism, she received several awards from the Associated Press, was voted best television reporter by Gambit Magazine readers for four consecutive years and was part of the team awarded an Emmy for outstanding coverage during hurricane Katrina. She left her broadcast news career in 2008 to pursue public service.

Politics

In March 2008, Moreno resigned from WDSU to challenge then-incumbent United States Representative William J. Jefferson in Louisiana's 2nd congressional district Democratic primary election.[5] Her campaign was insistent on obtaining "the answers we deserve" concerning inadequate efforts to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She received sufficient votes to force the incumbent into a runoff election, which Jefferson won.[6]

Jefferson was subsequently defeated, in the general election, by Republican Joseph Cao, who had Moreno's endorsement as well as that of other Democrats such as City Councilwomen Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson and Stacy Head.[7]

In 2010, after the election of Karen Carter Peterson to the Louisiana State Senate, Moreno became a candidate for Peterson's vacated District 93 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives.[8] The special election primary occurred on 2010 May 1,[9] with Moreno obtaining 27 percent of the vote and entering a runoff election with James Perry, who had 38 percent.[10] Much of the runoff campaign, which Moreno won, involved personal issues of allegations of traffic violations.[11] The allegations, and Perry's handling of them, were such that two weeks before the runoff the Times-Picayune, which earlier had endorsed Perry, withdrew its endorsement.[12]

Personal life

Moreno is also a realtor with Talbot Realty Group in New Orleans and resides in Uptown, New Orleans with her husband, Chris Meeks.[13]

Involvement in fatal car crash

On October 14, 2002, a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Moreno struck another car that had run a red light at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Carondelet Street, according to a police report.[14] A passenger in the other car died. According to the report, Moreno admitted to driving 35 in a 25 mph zone, and the investigator determined that the other car ran the red light.

The incident became the subject of controversy in 2010 when a political opponent attacked Moreno for her involvement in the accident, attempting to link Moreno to the death of the passenger in the other car with a campaign news release referring to an "accident report involving alleged negligent homicide and apparent preferential treatment."[15]

The police report notes that Moreno was taken to the Ochsner Foundation Hospital by police officers before investigators arrived. At the hospital, she answered authorities' questions and submitted to blood and urine tests. The report states that Moreno "did not display any signs of impairment ... or the odor of alcoholic beverages on her breath," and concludes that if the driver of the other vehicle had "not disregarded the traffic signal, the crash may not have occurred."

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helena Moreno.

References
  1. Moreno wins seat in the state House in Times-Picayune, 2010 May 30, Metro Edition, p. B1 (accessed 2010 May 30) James Perry in a special election runoff. She received 56 percent (1274 votes) to Perry's 44 percent (1011 votes); turnout was 8.8 percent (Election returns Archived February 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine from the Louisiana Secretary of State, 2010 May 29) Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  2. Greg LaRose (October 14, 2017). "Helena Moreno takes at-large seat on New Orleans City Council". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  3. Ramon Antonio Vargas (October 14, 2017). "Helena Moreno wins New Orleans City Council At-Large Division 1 seat, will succeed Stacy Head". New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  4. Nancy Pearson Moreno on Peoplefinders.com, Felix Moreno on Peoplefinders.com. Felix Moreno is a Texas oilman, and Nancy Pearson Moreno, who holds a Ph.D. in botany from Rice University, is employed by Baylor College of Medicine.
  5. 2nd District Congressional race: Helena Moreno vows honesty, change, Times-Picayune (New Orleans), 2008 August 22.
  6. LA-02 Democratic runoff election map. Archived February 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Louisiana generally requires a second election of the two highest vote-getters if no candidate receives a majority in the first election.
  7. Krupa, Michelle; Donze, Frank (December 6, 2008). "Anh 'Joseph' Cao beats Rep. William Jefferson in 2nd Congressional District". Times-Picayune. Retrieved December 20, 2008. Cao had already inherited the preponderance of Moreno's volunteers (Jeff Crouere, Joseph Cao getting support Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine on Ringsidepolitics.com [accessed 2009 May 02]). On 2009 August 5, Jefferson was convicted on 11 of 16 felony counts (details and sources in William J. Jefferson#Indictment and Trial).
  8. "Moreno Today" in Times-Picayune, 2010 May 1, Saint Tammany Edition, p. A6 (print version only).
  9. Proclamation of special election by Jim Tucker, Speaker of the House, dated 2010 March 11, for primary election 2010 May 1 (accessed 2010 May 1).
  10. David Hammer, James Perry, Helena Moreno to meet in state 93rd House District runoff, in Times-Picayune, 2010 May 2 (accessed 2010 May 2). Perry had run fifth in the primary election for Mayor of New Orleans previously in 2010.
  11. The allegations came from both sides. House runoff decided today, Times-Picayune, 2010 May 29 (accessed 2010 May 30).
  12. No endorsement in House District 93 election: An editorial Times-Picayune, 2010 May 12 (accessed 2010 May 30). Perry had had more than 100 tickets since 2006.
  13. Williams, Jessica. "Why Louisiana state Rep. Helena Moreno is seeking New Orleans City Council at-large seat". NOLA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  14. https://thelensnola.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/full-moreno-report.pdf
  15. https://www.nola.com/news/politics/article_2159e1f9-6b8e-5310-9a6a-f4d63e95255c.html
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