Orleans Career Project “Solutions Not Excuses"
Arthur Hunter • July 7, 2023

If we want to diversify our economy, promote business development and reduce crime, then we must provide career training opportunities in high-demand fields.


Delgado Community College-Workforce Development, Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO

Inc.), and I joined together, along with regional businesses, industry employers, and local

community leaders, to establish the Orleans Career Project.


We will offer a range of career opportunities, from operating heavy equipment, healthcare administration, and CDL/Forklift certifications, to even piloting a drone. We will serve ages 16 and older, high school graduates, formerly incarcerated individuals, youth aging out of foster care, veterans and anyone seeking a stable or career transition.


Additionally, we will offer wraparound support, the opportunity to earn a high school

equivalency diploma (HiSET, formerly the GED) through the free Adult Education

program, and an ESL component for non-native English speakers. Bringing together education institutions and business groups is only one component of a cohesive economic strategy, not only to diversify our economy but also to increase our tax base, lure investment and keep our young people from leaving the city.


Mayor Ernest “Dutch” Morial recognized that we needed more than tourism as the primary economic engine for the city and created the Almonaster Michoud Corridor, with its proximity to rail, water, interstate highways, and the Lakefront Airport, to attract manufacturing, distribution, and other industrial development. Today, the corridor is a zone of opportunity for new industries serving renewable energy and sustainable enterprises, but we will struggle to attract those businesses and good-paying career jobs, if our people are not trained and prepared. Unfortunately, it has not happened as envisioned, but providing career training opportunities is one key step to making the Almonaster Michoud Corridor a success. As a judge, I saw too many young people lacking an education and economic opportunity. We created the Angola Reentry Program with the primary objectives of obtaining a GED for participants, having them learn a skilled trade, and becoming better people rather than better criminals, and taxpayers rather than tax takers. As a result, the recidivism rate for program participants after 3 years of reentry is 14%, while without having gone through the reentry program, it is 40.6%. If we provide career training opportunities to people on the front end before they enter the criminal justice system, we will reduce crime.


I once heard someone holler out to Mayor Morial, “Mr. Mayor can you give me a job?” and Mayor Morial replied, “You can’t soar with the eagles in the morning if you hoot with the owls at night.”


Our motto is, “The right people with the right ideas doing the right thing will lead to solutions, not excuses.”


It must be done, and it can be done, to bring real generational change to New Orleans.


Former Judge Arthur L. Hunter, Jr. was a New Orleans police officer and served as Chief Judge, and judge of Mental Health Court, Reentry Court and Veteran’s Treatment Court.


Dr. Arlanda J. Williams, the Vice Chancellor of Delgado Community College Workforce Development.


Osmar Padilla, Director of Workforce Programs at Greater New Orleans Inc. (GNO, Inc.).

ARTHUR HUNTER IN THE NEWS

April 16, 2025
Judge Arthur Hunter’s campaign for Mayor of New Orleans released its first campaign video today, powerfully framing his life’s work as a police officer and judge who has always fought for justice, accountability, and the people of New Orleans.
April 15, 2025
Judge Arthur Hunter’s campaign for Mayor of New Orleans has raised over $110,000 in just over a month, marking a strong and early show of support for his grassroots movement to deliver honest, effective, and accountable leadership.
March 12, 2025
Hunter, a former NOPD officer, Criminal Court Judge, and longtime advocate for police accountability, warned that such a change would inject harmful political influence into an institution that should remain focused on public safety and professionalism—not politics.
March 12, 2025
“New Orleans is in trouble. Our streets are broken, crime is out of control, and too many families are struggling. We can’t keep making excuses—it’s time for real solutions,” said Hunter.
February 27, 2025
"To date, I’ve personally met with over 300 different people, organizations, and groups about the issues facing us. One thing is clear: New Orleans is at a crossroads," said Hunter.
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