Oliver Thomas, former New Orleans Councilman felled by bribery scandal, eyes District E seat

Former City Councilman Oliver Thomas, the popular New Orleans politician widely seen as a future mayor before a bribery scandal ended his political career, is eyeing another run for a council seat.

Thomas said Friday that he has taken early steps in preparation for challenging Cyndi Nguyen for the District E seat, adding intrigue to a set of closely watched council races. 

"We have an exploratory committee that is looking at it," said Thomas, 64, who hosts WBOK-AM's Good Morning Show and has worked as a marketing executive, among other roles, since being released from prison in 2010. "I still have to talk to my job and my family, but in polls, it's looking good. It's been really humbling." 

Political watchers said Thomas, a popular public figure who's still well connected despite the corruption charges that took him down, would be a formidable challenger to Nguyen, who is set to run for her second term in the majority Black district. Thomas said he will decide if he is in or out before qualifying begins on July 14.

The election is Oct. 9. A runoff, if needed, will be held Nov. 13. 

Council races have emerged as the elections to watch this fall, as Mayor LaToya Cantrell is expected to cruise to her next term with little opposition and open council seats have drawn interest from several candidates. 

Former state Sen. JP Morrell and current District C council member Kristin Gisleson Palmer have announced plans for former council member Jason Williams' seat. District D council member Jared Brossett is said to still be mulling running for that job despite the drunk-driving charge he faced last year after smashing his city-owned SUV into another car on Elysian Fields Avenue.

Brossett has also termed out of his current spot, which has drawn interest from House of Tulip co-founder and co-director Mariah Moore and Center for Employment Opportunity Works New Orleans' director Troy Glover. More candidacies are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. 

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