With her theme of “all in for New Orleans,” Mayor Helena Moreno focused on “faith, hope and love” in her inaugural remarks on Monday, January 12. “Look, New Orleans, as we all know, it is a very spiritual city,” she said, “and it is a living example of three great virtues, faith, hope and love.”
“Faith is not a hunch, a wish or just a gut feeling. It’s fundamental trust, a confidence that rises from deep within us, and we must have real, deep, sincere faith on what New Orleans can be. Because that type of faith calls us to action. It calls us to be all in for New Orleans.”
(See below for a transcript of Moreno’s inaugural speech in its entirety.)
Kamala Harris
Introduction to Mayor Helen Moreno on January 12, 2026
Inauguration Day, New Orleans, Saenger Theatre
Good morning.
Oh, it’s so good to be with everyone. Please have a seat. Good morning. Good morning. It is truly a joy to be back, and it is a profound honor to swear in a very extraordinary leader. A leader I know well, a public servant I admire, and a dear friend, Helena Moreno.
So, Helena and I first crossed paths many years ago, and from the very beginning, what stood out was not only that she is talented, but she is tough and has a shared love of our country, and a shared belief that government must work for the people.
She is a dedicated public servant who believes in the dignity of working families, she believes in fairness, and in the simple yet fundamental principle that elected leaders must be accountable to the people they serve. Whether it’s her work in wards across the city and City Hall, or the state capitol, through moments of challenge and moments of change, it is clear Helena Moreno will never stop fighting for the people of New Orleans.
And as everyone here knows, New Orleans is an American city unlike any other, a city that captures the culture and courage of America, a city of creativity and resilience, a city that has known hardship and yet has always chosen hope.
And boy, do I hate that I missed the second line downtown yesterday.. Seriously, what other American city has that? (Crowd: None.) There you are.
So the future of America is being built in cities like this and in leaders who honor the past, meet the present moment, and invest in the future by leaders who believe the power belongs with the people. And that is the kind of leadership Helena Moreno brings to this moment.
Helena, I know you will be a mayor who will lead with integrity, with courage, and with the people of New Orleans always at the center of your work. Congratulations for everything you have accomplished.
Congratulations, Helena Moreno.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage your next mayor, Helena Moreno.
Helena Moreno’s first speech as mayor
January 12, 2026
Saenger Theatre
Wow, wow, wow, wow. I’m just in awe looking out into this crowd. I’m just filled with just such a sense of gratefulness and gratitude.
Let me start by saying thank you to the Inauguration Committee, led by Mrs. Gayle Benson. Thank you so much. What beautiful events you put together. And really beautiful events, with my goal in mind to make sure that everyone felt included and that we were celebrating what our city is about and celebrating our culture and our music.
Thank you for, for the level of time that it took to put all of this together. Mrs. Benson, Rico Alvendia, Sheila Burns, Jenny Heebe, Barry Kern, and Dottie Reese. I’ll never forget all that you did for this. Thank you.
To the New Orleans City Council. Congratulations. Congratulations. I am so excited to get the opportunity to work with all of you all. And look, I think we even got JP Morell in some of his fanciest tennis shoes today. Looking good, JP. And to the former mayors, Mayor Cantrell, Mayor Landrieu, Mayor Morial, Sidney Barthelemy – Mayor Barthelemy, thank you all for your service to the city of New Orleans and for being here today.
Today is really a great celebration of our city and the amazing people of New Orleans. It represents not only a new beginning, but more importantly a new direction, a new direction for New Orleans.
And I’m honored to be standing here today. But also know this, that I don’t stand here alone. So let me begin by saying: First and always to God be the glory. None of this is possible without Him, but I want to say this: in the days ahead, I ask that we also remember that everything is possible with Him.
New Orleans, what has been written is still true. With God, joy will come in the morning even when the Saints lose.
Look, New Orleans, as we all know, it is a very spiritual city, and it is a living example of three great virtues, faith, hope and love.
Faith is not a hunch, a wish or just a gut feeling. It’s fundamental trust, a confidence that rises from deep within us, and we must have real, deep, sincere faith on what New Orleans can be. Because that type of faith calls us to action. It calls us to be all in for New Orleans.
And through our shared action of faith comes a virtue of hope. Hope is much more than optimism. Hope is a commitment that is so strong that it becomes an expectation. An expectation that what we desire to achieve, we will achieve. When there’s a will, there’s a way.
And we truly share faith in our city. If we do, and if we truly have that hope for its bright future, we will be united in that third defining virtue: love.
We’re actually taught that love is the greatest of these virtues, but it’s often the most difficult to actually practice. I know our love for New Orleans runs deep and it expresses itself with boundless joy in our music, our food, our art, our celebrations, and our compassion. Our love is what empowers us to work through the challenges. Our love of our neighborhoods, our way of life, and our culture is what enables us to rise up and fight for our city.
So I ask you today, “Do you love New Orleans?” (Crowd: “Yeah.”) I wanna hear you. “Do you love New Orleans? (Crowd: Yeah.) How about this? “Are you all in for New Orleans?” (Crowd: louder: “Yeah.”)
And I want you to hear me, and I wanna be very clear about this. I’m going to lead the city of New Orleans with the confidence of faith, the commitment of hope, and the deep love for our beautiful city. I’m all in for New Orleans.
I stand here with all of you, with all of the wonderful people of this amazing city, and together we will build the city that lives in our hearts and in our dreams, and we’re going to make it a reality.
We know that things are not exactly where we want them to be today, and we know that it’s not going to be easy to fix these things, but just because things are hard does not mean that they’re impossible. We stand here on a turning point as we face challenging times, and we must be clear that failure is not an option. Not anymore. There’s just too much at stake.
We can’t keep doing things the same and expect a different result. It’s time for a new direction for New Orleans, a new direction to realize the New Orleans that we all want. One that is rich with culture — and also opportunity.
So today, I make a promise to you to never quit. And my administration makes the same pledge because we know that the possibilities for New Orleans are endless. We will do the hard work, we will make the hard decisions, we will make the city more prosperous, and we will give all our residents a chance for prosperity–because we are all in.
Look bottom line, we’ve faced tough times before. We’ve faced more than 300 years of tough times. We survived fires, floods, epidemics. We endured Jim Crow and injustice. We overcame the tragedy of terrorism. We rebuilt after hurricanes.
Every time this city rose, and we rise because we know how special New Orleans is. This is not just a place, not just a city, but an amazing blend of beauty, history, and culture. So now this is our time. This is our time to build that functional city that we all deserve.
Together, we will build a New Orleans that is safe, or we can drive down the street without busting up the car. Mm-hmm, right, yeah?. Where there is no limit to realizing a dream and where our children have endless opportunities for success. A New Orleans where our seniors live, not in fear or uncertainty, but in dignity and in security.
We want a New Orleans that works for everyone, and I want you to envision that New Orleans. Because as of today, I’m telling you we have the will and we will find the way.
It’s not gonna happen overnight, but I’ll stop at nothing to get it done. To accomplish this, we must do this together. Divided we fall.
Let’s face it, these are complicated and troubling times. Conflict and division are all around us.
Some will continue to try to divide us, but we must choose to come together for our future. Today you’ve seen local, state, and federal leaders on all sides of politics come together to support the future of our exceptional city.
We have more in common than what divides us. Thank you, Madam VP, for letting me borrow that line. More in common than what divides us when it comes to ensuring that one of America’s greatest cities thrives in New Orleans. We embrace our diversity, our culture, traditions, and neighborhoods.
From Algiers to New Orleans East Orleans, all of our neighborhoods are what make us so special. We celebrate that New Orleans is a welcoming city, one that is open-hearted, honors its roots, and embraces others.
My very own story is proof of that. My family is a blend of cultures and traditions, a family built on faith, hope and love. My mother, Nancy is American. My father Felix is originally from Mexico. And thank you mom and dad for all that you did for me, to get me to where I am today.
I was born more than a thousand miles from here in a city called Xalapa in the state of Veracruz, in the country of Mexico.
When I was in elementary school, my family moved to Texas. And 25 years ago, as a young journalist, New Orleans welcomed me with open arms. I fell in love with New Orleans and chose New Orleans as my forever home.
After Hurricane Katrina, when so many were forced to leave, I made a promise to fight for New Orleans. That promise led me to my path in public service, starting with the Louisiana Legislature, then onto the City Council, and now by the will of the people, to this very moment.
Every step of this path was guided by faith, hope, and love.
I know that as your mayor, I’ll certainly be scrutinized and my success will be measured by outcomes.
But let me be clear, the biggest outcome that matters to me is ensuring that you can always call New Orleans home. And for those who have moved away, to see that now is the opportunity to come on back.
I will make every single day count and I look forward to working hand in hand with this New Orleans City Council, with our federal and state legislators, and with the people of the city to ensure that government works not for itself, but for you.
I ran for this job because I believe in what New Orleans can be. I want to thank my husband, Chris, and my family for being all in, as they too believe.
They too believe in a brighter future and are on this journey with me to make New Orleans a better place. Thank you, my love. Thank you, Chris.
God certainly knows I am not a perfect person and I do not promise perfection. But I do promise excellence and urgency and I will demand it of myself and of everyone who serves this city.
We will take on the hard things because they matter. We will rebuild what is broken. We will fix what has been ignored. We will lift up every neighborhood, every family, and every dream, because you waited long enough.
And make no mistake, we are all in. There is nothing New Orleans can’t do. The sky is the limit.
Together, we will build the city our children deserve, the city that you have earned. And together, we can move in a new direction for our future.
And never forget, never forget this, that our strength, and let’s even call it our superpower as a city, is our shared faith, our shared hope and our shared love. They bind us to one another and to this incredible place that we call home. So with the confidence of faith, the commitment of hope, our shared love for our city and one another, I make this solemn promise to you, I am all in for New Orleans.
So are you with me? Are you all in? Are you all in?
New Orleans, I love you. God bless the wonderful city of New Orleans, the greatest city in this country. I’m just saying. And I know I’m right on that one. God bless you. Thank you.
