A Family of Service
In New Orleans, the Willard name means service. It’s a family tradition woven deep into the city’s political fabric.
Matthew Willard’s decisive victory in the City Council At-Large race adds a new chapter to that legacy. From Elliot Willard to Cynthia Willard-Lewis to Ben Willard, the family has guided more than a dozen campaigns to victory. They have spent generations serving this community with competence and commitment.
Matthew didn’t just inherit the name. He earned his moment.
From Baton Rouge to City Hall
Before this race, Willard was already a proven public servant. As a state representative, he authored and passed 36 bills, a record few young legislators can match. His focus was results, not rhetoric.
The City Council At-Large seat offered him a broader platform to serve his city directly. He framed his campaign around effective leadership, proven achievement, and family values.
Voters responded to that message. They wanted competence and stability. Willard offered both.
A Tough Opponent
The contest was supposed to be close. Another House member, Delisha Boyd, entered the race with strong credentials and her own base in Algiers, one of the city’s largest neighborhoods.
She also had the endorsement of Congressman Troy Carter, a valuable boost for any local candidate.
At first, it looked like a classic matchup between two talented legislators making the jump to City Hall. But as the weeks passed, the race tilted heavily in Willard’s favor.
Money, Message, and Machine
Willard built a disciplined campaign that out-raised and out-organized everyone. He ran a citywide operation while Boyd remained tethered to her home base.
His fundraising was robust, his endorsements broad, and his ground game precise. The Willard family machine was in full motion again.
That combination of resources and reputation created a clear path to victory. Voters saw a candidate with both the pedigree and the discipline to lead.
The Late Campaign Bombshell
Then, just days before the election, a bomb dropped. Reports emerged of financial irregularities inside the Boyd campaign. The allegations included violations of campaign finance rules and possibly criminal conduct.
The news spread fast and crippled Boyd’s momentum. Her numbers fell almost overnight.
Willard had nothing to do with the scandal. He never mentioned it, never piled on. He stayed positive, stayed focused, and stayed visible. That contrast mattered.
By Election Day, the result was never in doubt. Willard won in a landslide.
A Bad Night for Troy Carter
Boyd’s collapse did more than end her campaign. It highlighted the shrinking influence of Congressman Troy Carter.
Carter endorsed multiple candidates this cycle. Most lost. Only Helena Moreno, whom he backed late, could claim victory.
That pattern speaks volumes. In politics, leaders are judged by their coattails—their ability to lift other candidates to office.
Strong coattails show organizational reach and trusted judgment. Short coattails signal decline. Voters expect their congressman to recruit and prepare young talent. When those proteges fall, it raises questions about his political touch.
Carter’s short coattails this season show a shift in power. New Orleans is ready for fresh leadership that can stand on its own.
The Face of the Future
Matthew Willard represents that future. He’s young, smart, and disciplined. He won the right way—through organization, message, and substance.
His rise shows that New Orleans is hungry for new voices who deliver results without the drama.
Willard is more than a winner; he’s a sign of what’s next for this city. A leader rooted in legacy but focused on tomorrow.
Expect to hear his name for years to come. Matthew Willard is the new face of New Orleans politics—and the leader our community has been waiting for.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu