Joseph I. Giarrusso III
Counsel
Working with different people to achieve a common policy goal gets Joe Giarrusso up in the morning. With his experience leading budget, infrastructure and other regulatory programs in city government, collaborating with the executive and legislative branches, and his relationships with municipal and state policymakers across Louisiana, Joe helps clients steer their complex projects to a successful finish.
Joe anticipates concerns and challenges to policies, laws and proposed developments. He listens to and builds rapport with community stakeholders and engages them in the legislative process. As a policy advisor, Joe counsels clients on the government relations landscape and helps them build a coordinated approach to meet their strategic objectives. He advises them on legislation, economic development incentives, coalition building and regulations, among others.
Joe began his career as a litigator. He has defended clients in business torts, personal and property damage suits, and oil and gas matters. He also has experience serving as a court-appointed neutral. Joe graduated in the top 5% of his law school class and was a member of Louisiana Law Review.
A native of New Orleans, Joe is a New Orleans City Councilman. Since 2018, he has represented District A. Joe led the Council through two major tax reassessment cycles and worked with colleagues to keep millage rates stable and save money for residents without reducing funding for city services. He led the effort to build a new power substation that will provide newer, cleaner, and more reliable energy for New Orleans’ drainage system. Joe advocated for a millage to pay for more than 1,000 seats at early learning centers for low-income families. He proposed and voters passed two charter changes to make the city more efficient and equitable. His budget allocation for gap-financing programs resulted in the creation of nearly 1,200 affordable housing units.
Experience
Joe achieved the following prior to joining Phelps.
- Chaired the City Council’s Budget Committee and authored tax plans that stabilized millage rates, saving $200 million for taxpayers without reducing funding for city services.
- Obtained funding and approval to build New Orleans’ Sewerage and Water Board West Power Complex, a substation that provides clean and reliable power for the city’s drainage system.
- Appropriated $49 million to gap financing programs that led to New Orleans building nearly 1,200 affordable housing units for residents.
- As city budget chair, ensured funding for a “both-and” approach to criminal justice address the immediate impacts of crime and the root causes.
- Updated city’s process for paying state court judgments.
- Worked with state and Jefferson Parish officials on redevelopment process of West End.
- Authored and passed legislation to change the city’s land use Neighborhood Participation Program (NPP) to allow applicants to use teleconferencing, virtual, or other remote meeting formats to satisfy NPP requirements.