Willard vs. Boyd: What changed in a week
Early voting started with a bang. Voters opened their phones and saw finance posts about Delisha Boyd. The story spread fast. It hit during the first days of voting. That timing matters.
The race
At-Large Division 1 has three candidates: Matthew Willard (D), Delisha Boyd (D), and Matthew Hill (R). Hill is a long-shot. The contest is really Willard versus Boyd.
The spark
Two items drove the uproar.
- Payments involving family. A Gambit post said Boyd’s council campaign paid her daughter for “campaign work,” while the daughter also worked with an outside PAC. The post does not allege a crime. It questions judgment. The optics are bad in an at-large race. (Instagram)
- $39,000 to a family-linked company. NOLA.com/Times-Picayune reported that Boyd and a group backing her paid more than $39,000 to a company she co-owns with her daughter. The report also noted personal financial strain. (Facebook)
Voters saw the headline version first. Then the details. In politics, that order hurts.
Why the posts landed
VOTE (Voters Organized to Educate) boosted the narrative with a graphic that asked a simple question: Can a candidate under finance scrutiny help manage a $2B city budget? That message is clear. It is easy to share. It arrived as ballots were being cast. (Instagram)
What Boyd said
Boyd first called the attacks false. After reports cited filings, her message shifted. She suggested finances can be messy for most people in New Orleans. That line fell flat with voters facing mortgages, insurance bills, and rising costs. At-large members oversee the budget. Voters expect tighter books.
Where Willard stands
Willard benefits when he is not the story. His campaign didn’t even put out the negative information about Ms. Boyd. And he is running a strong campaign, keeping a clean message and a steady field plan. In this race, negative attention affecting Boyd clearly benefits Willard. Early voting makes that difficult to refute before voters cast their ballots.
The political backdrop
Boyd touts support from Rep. Troy Carter. Big backing helps—until a finance flap lingers. If this story stays hot, some heat can reach her allies. Redistricting also changed Carter’s district. Any added turbulence is unhelpful to his own reelection. (Verite News)
Related: Council Members Set Dangerous Precedent
What readers can verify
Do not rely on memes. Louisiana’s ethics portal hosts the filings. If a post cites a number, you can confirm it there in minutes. Everything posted about Ms. Boyd appears to be true. You can click here to confirm for yourself. (eap.ethics.la.gov)
What to watch next
- Does this story grow legs? Will the media continue to push it?
- Does Boyd publish invoices, hours, and rates for family payments?
- How big of a boost does Willard get in early voting in Gentilly, the East and Uptown?
- Will Algiers – Boyd’s base flip on her and support Willard?
Bottom line
This race just turned into a credibility test. The finance narrative hit during early voting. Unless Boyd answers with documents that settle the questions, the advantage clearly shifts to Matthew Willard. (Instagram)
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