City Archives
New Orleans Public Library
Councilmember Oliver Thomas
District B Records

Date range:  1994-1996
Size of collection:  11 boxes
Terms of Access:  Available to registered researchers by appointment
Acquisition:  Transferred to the City Archives in 1997

Biographical Note

Oliver Thomas was born in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in 1957. He graduated from Joseph S. Clark Senior High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Santa Fe. He is a Fellow of the Loyola University Institute of Politics and a graduate of the Metropolitan Area Committee Leadership Forum. During the 1980s and early 1990s he served as an assistant to Councilman Jim Singleton.

Councilman Thomas was very involved in community and civic activities. He was the founder of the Boys-to-Men Mentoring Program at Woodson Middle School, Board Member of Dryades YMCA, Board Member of Broadmoor Improvement Association, Operation Comeback Advisory Committee (Preservation Research Center), Board Member Each One - Save One Mentoring Program and he was a member of the Young Leadership Council.

Councilman Thomas was a former president of the New Orleans Home Mortgage Authority and a former Vice President of the Council on Aging's Senior Companion Program. He served on the boards of the Rivergate Development Corporation, the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Union Passenger Terminal Board. In 1993, WDSU-TV awarded the Jefferson Award for Community Service to Councilman Oliver Thomas.

On May 2, 1994, Oliver Thomas was sworn in as the Councilman for District B. He was reelected to the post in 1998 and served as the District B representative until 2002, when he successfully ran for an At-Large position on the New Orleans City Council. Thomas remained a Councilmember At-Large until 2007, when he resigned after pleading guilty to bribery charges.

Scope and Contents

Records are arranged in alphabetical order by forlder title. Carbon copies of correspondence were discarded, with exceptions made for materials relating to properties and businesses located in District B and to District B constituents. "Miscellaneous" files were created by Councilmember Thomas's staff. Archivists created "Unfiled Material" folders to house loose documents that were delivered to the City Arvhies. Much of these documents are regarding constituent requests for assistance for a variety of problems. "Scheduling Files" comprise documents used by the Councilmember's staff to prepare his daily schedule of activities. As such, they include a considerable amount of information on events taking place in District B and the city as a whole.

Inventory

Box # Folder # Folder Title Date
1 1 AIDS 1994-1996
1 2 Abandoned Vehicles 1995-1996
1 3 African American Male Institute 1994
1 4 African Heritage Festival 1994
1 5 All Congregations Together (ACT) 1994-1995
1 6 Alliance Against Utility Competition 1995-1996
1 7 Alliance for Affordable Energy 1994-1996
1 8 Almonaster-Michoud Industrial District 1995
1 9 Animals, Drawn 1995
1 10 Arts Council of New Orleans 1994-1996
1 11 Assessors 1994-1996
1 12 Audubon Boulevard 1994
1 13 Audubon Institute 1994-1996
1 14 Aviation Board/New Orleans International Airport 1994-1996
1 15 Bed and Breakfast Issue (District A) 1994
1 16 Bed and Breakfasts 1994-1996
1 17 Black Tourism 1994-1996
1 18 Blighted Properties 1996
1 19 Board of Review 1994-1996
1 20 Bond Issue 1995
1 21 Boys to Men 1994
1 22 Briefing Book on Pending Electric and Gas Utility Matters 1996
1 23 Budget 1995
1 24 C. J. Brown/CJB Development, Inc. 1994
1 25 Cable 1994-1996
1 26 Cemeteries 1994-1996
1 27 Central City Housing Development Corporation 1994
1 28 Central City Housing Development Corporation 1994-1995
1 29 Chamber/New Orleans and the River Region 1994-1996
1 30 Children's Museum 1994
1 31 Children's Programs 1994
1 32 Church Groups 1994
1 33 City Planning Commission 1994-1996
1 34 Civil Service, Department of the City 1995-1996
1 35 Clean Teams 1995
1 36 Clyde W. Smith & Co. 1994
2 1 Community Access Corporation 1995-1996
2 2 Community Development Corporation 1996
2 3 Con Demmas and Company 1994
2 4 Congratulations 1994-1996
2 5 Convention Center 1995-1996
2 6 Coroner's Office 1994-1995
2 7 Council on Aging 1996
2 8 Courts 1994-1996
2 9 Covenant House 1994
2 10 Cox Cable 1994-1996
2 11 Crescent City Utilities, Inc. 1995
2 12 Crime Abatement/Prevention Plan 1994
2 13 Crime Statistics 1994-1996
2 14 Crime 1995
2 15 Criminal Courts Building, Isreal Augustine 1996
2 16 Criminal Justice 1994-1996
2 17 Criminal Sheriff 1994-1995
2 18 Crowne Plaza 1996
2 19 Democratic National Committee 1994
2 20 Demolition 1994-1996
2 21 Desire Narcotics Rehabilitation Center 1994
2 22 District Attorney 1994-1996
2 23 District B Concerns, Complaints, etc.
2 24 District B Task Force 1996
2 25 Dixie Parking 1994
2 26 Domestic Partners 1994-1995
2 27 Domestic Violence 1994-1995
2 28 Downtown Development District 1994-1996
2 29 Downtown Parking 1994
2 30 Drugs/Substance Abuse 1994
2 31 Earhart Boulevard Improvements 1996
2 32 Earhart Boulevard Improvements 1996
2 33 Earhart-Tulane Corridor Association, An Oppostunity for Development
3 1 Economic Development 1994-1996
3 2 EDC 1994
3 3 Election Code 1994
3 4 Elections 1995-1996
3 5 Emergency Medical Services 1995
3 6 Employees 1995
3 7 Enterprise Community Plan 1995
3 8 Environment 1994-1996
3 9 Essence Music Festival 1996
3 10 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 1994
3 11 Fiber Optics 1994
3 12 Film Commission 1994-1995
3 13 Finance, Department of 1996
3 14 Fire Department 1994-1996
3 15 Flood Comm Corporation 1995
3 16 Freenets 1994
3 17 French Market 1994-1996
3 18 Gate Prison Ministry 1994
3 19 Gelfand Consulting 1994-1996
3 20 714 Girod Street
3 21 Glazer Steel 1994
3 22 Global Tel-Link Corporation 1993
3 23 Governmental Affairs Committee 1994
3 24 Governor's Office 1994-1996
3 25 Governor's Race 1995
3 26 Grand Prix 1995
3 27 Grassroots Consortium 1996
3 28 Great Expectations 1995-1996
3 29 Greater New Orleans Foundation 1995
3 30 Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation 1995
3 31 Greater New Orleans Tourist and Convention Commission 1994-1995
3 32 Greetings 1995
3 33 Ground Transportation 1994-1996
3 34 Hand, Steven 1994
3 35 Health Department 1994-1996
3 36 Health Insurance 1994-1996
3 37 Heauser, Louis 1995
3 38 Historic Districts Landmarks Commission/Historic Restorations 1994-1996
3 39 Home Mortgage Authority 1994-1996
4 1 Home Mortgage Authority 1996
4 2 Homeless/Hungry 1995-1996
4 3 Hope House 1995
4 4 Housing Authority of New Orleans 1995-1996
4 5 Housing 1994
4 6 HPS Oil and Gas Properties 1994
4 7 Human Relations Commission 1994-1996
4 8 Jazzland 1995
4 9 Knights of Columbus, St. Henry's 1995-1996
4 10 Landfill/Recycling 1995-1996
4 11 Law Department 1994-1996
4 12 Lawsuits 1994
4 13 Legislators/Congressmen 1994-1996
4 14 Limousines 1995-1996
4 15 Litter 1994-1995
4 16 LSU Medical Center 1995
4 17 LSU Medical Center, Bertrand Street Purchase 1996
4 18 Mardi Gras 1995-1996
4 19 Mayor's Military Advisory Committee 1994-1996
4 20 Mega Marketplace 95 1995
4 21 Metropolitan Safety Council 1996
4 22 MetroVision 1994-1996
4 23 Microbreweries 1994
4 24 Mid-City Green Project
4 25 Miscellaneous 1995-1996
4 26 Miscellaneous 1996-1997
4 27 Montgomery, Stire, and Ehrhardt 1994
4 28 Montz, D. and A./4205 Magazine Street 1994
4 29 Moratoriums 1994
4 30 Mulate's Festival 1997
4 31 Multiple City Departments 1995
4 32 Music/Musicians 1994-1995
4 33 My House 1994
4 34 Mysterious Memos, 1994
4 35 Neighborhood Development Foundation 1994
4 36 Neighborhood Groups 1994-1996
4 37 New Orleans Council for Young Children 1994
4 38 New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors 1994
4 39 New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau 1994-1996
5 1 New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau 1995-1996
5 2 New Orleans Police Department 1994-1996
5 3 New Orleans Public Library 1994-1996
5 4 New Orleans Recreation Department 1994-1996
5 5 New Orleans Resources for Independent Living (NORIL) 1994
5 6 New Orleans Target Cities Project 1994
5 7 New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation 1994-1996
5 8 Newcorp 1994
5 9 News Media 1994-1996
5 10 Noise Permits 1995-1996
5 11 Non-Street Capital Projects Status Report, District B 1996
5 12 NOPSI/Entergy 1994-1996
5 13 Ogden Museum of Southern Art 1995
6 1 Omero Distribution Technologies 1994
6 2 OPIC/OETD 1994-1996
6 3 Orleans Levee Board 1994-1995
6 4 Parades (Mardi Gras) 1994
6 5 Parkway and Parks Commission 1994-1996
6 6 Piazza D'Italia Development Corporation 1997
6 7 Piazza D'Italia 1994-1996
6 8 Pontchartrain Park 1997
6 9 Port of New Orleans 1994
6 10 Preservation Resource Center 1994
6 11 Press Releases 1995
6 12 Property Management, Department of 1994-1996
6 13 Regional Medical Center 1995
6 14 Regional Transit Authority (RTA) 1994-1996
6 15 Registrar of Voters 1994
6 16 Residency 1995-1996
6 17 Resident Councils 1994
6 18 Rivergate Development Corporation (1) 1994-1996
6 19 Rivergate Development Corporation (2) 1994-1997
6 20 Rivergate Development Corporation (3) 1994-1998
6 21 Safety and Permits, Department of 1995-1996
6 22 Sanitation, Department of 1994-1995
7 1 Sanitation, Department of 1995-1996
7 2 Save the Children 1994
7 3 Scheduling Files 1996
7 4 Scheduling Files 1996
7 5 Scheduling Files 1996
7 6 Scheduling Files 1996
7 7 Scheduling Files 1996
7 8 Scheduling Files 1996
8 1 Scheduling Files 1996
8 2 Scheduling Files 1996
8 3 Scholarships 1994
8 4 Schools/School Board 1994-1996
8 5 Sewerage and Water Board 1994-1996
8 6 Sheraton New Orleans Renovations
8 7 Sheraton 1994
8 8 Silver Rights 1994-1996
8 9 Small, Disadvantaged, Minority, and Women Owned Businesses 1994-1995
8 10 Smart, Inc.
8 11 Social Justice Council 1994
8 12 Solid Waste 1994-1995
8 13 Speeches 1995
8 14 Super NOFA Awards 1996
8 15 Taxis 1994-1996
8 16 Telecommunications 1994-1995
9 1 Telecommunications 1994-1996
9 2 Thank Yous 1994-1996
9 3 Thanksgiving Giveaway 1996
9 4 Times-Picayune 1994-1995
9 5 Tires 1995
9 6 Tivoli Place 1994
9 7 Touro Infirmary 1995
9 8 Touro Shakspeare Home 1994
9 9 Transportation 1994-1996
9 10 Unfiled Material (1)
9 11 Unfiled Material (2)
10 1 Unfiled Material (3)
10 2 Union Passenger Terminal 1994-1996
10 3 Universities 1994-1996
10 4 Utilities, Department of 1994-1996
10 5 Utility Advisors Report: NOPSI/LP & L Concerning Least Cost Integrated Resource Plans 1996
10 6 Utility Committee (1) 1994-1995
10 7 Utility Committee (2) 1994-1995
10 8 Van McMurray Playground 1995
10 9 Velocity Foundation, Inc. 1996
11 1 Victims and Citizens Against Crime 1994-1996
11 2 Vieux Carre/French Quarter 1994-1996
11 3 Volunteers of America 1995-1996
11 4 World Trade Center 1994-1995
11 5 Xavier Triangle Neighborhood Development Corporation 1995
11 6 Young Leadership Council 1994-1995
11 7 Zoning 1994-1996


Back to Louisiana Division Homepage

updated BS, 2020