Here's how 4 City Council candidates want to address blight, crime in New Orleans

Four candidates vying for an at-large seat on the New Orleans City Council said they'd support a new tax on blighted properties during a voter forum that set the tone for one of the highest-profile races this election season. 

Council members Jared Brossett and Kristin Gisleson Palmer and Xavier University administrator Bart Everson backed such a tax in a forum held Friday by Voters East of the Industrial Canal, an advocacy group for New Orleans East and Lower 9th Ward residents.

Former state Sen. JP Morrell added that state lawmakers passed a law in 2014 to levy fines on blighted property, though New Orleans opted out. Morrell said he'd work to include the city in that statewide legislation. 

The forum, one of the first this election season, gave candidates the chance to propose solutions for problems that have long plagued far-flung neighborhoods such as New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward. They discussed blight, crime, dim economic development prospects and inadequate public transit, among other topics. 

Those issues have been common in the city's eastern neighborhoods despite the area's sizable contribution to New Orleans' property tax base.

At 85,000 residents, District E, which comprises the Lower 9 and the East, is home to more than a fifth of the city's population. Many residents have argued that don't receive a level of public services commensurate with the taxes they've paid. 

The citywide at-large Division 2 race is one of several to watch on the Oct. 9 ballot. Six other council seats are also up for grabs; Mayor LaToya Cantrell is also asking voters to grant her a second term. 

Candidates for Orleans Parish Assessor, Sheriff, Clerk of Criminal District Court and a seat in the state House will also vie to represent voters. Runoffs, if required, will be held Nov. 13. 

Thus far in the council's Division 2 race, well-known contenders Brossett, Palmer and Morrell have had few opportunities to face off in the same room and plead their case to voters. Friday night's virtual forum gave them that shot, and also granted a stage to Everson, a political newcomer who is chiefly running on a climate action platform. 

In addition to their plans for blight remediation, the four contenders were asked to outline a plan for stimulating economic development in the East, a collection of neighborhoods that has struggled to attract retail, restaurants and family-friendly attractions since Hurricane Katrina.

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