Tyrell Morris, the former head of the Orleans Parish Communication District who is facing charges of malfeasance in office, announced Thursday that he will run for New Orleans mayor this fall. 

The state charges, brought by a grand jury in June, stemmed from Morris’ failure to submit to a drug and alcohol screen after crashing his public SUV on Elysian Fields Avenue. Morris then allegedly tried to cover it up by creating a fake policy and lying about how the wreck occurred on insurance documents, according to District Attorney Jason Williams. Morris resigned from the communications district in 2023.

Morris said he “stands firm” in his innocence and has been considering a run for mayor for the last two years.

“I think I’m called to do this work,” he said. “I’ve been in public service all my life, I think I would do great things for the city.”

During his time running the city’s 911 and 311 agencies, Morris said he “got to hear from residents about where our pain points are … I think I can remedy that and make this city a place that residents are proud to call home.”

Morris will face a stiff challenge from the early front-runner, City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, who announced her campaign in December after amassing a broad coalition of allies and nearly $1 million in campaign funding, according to reports filed with the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Former Criminal District Court Judge Arthur Hunter has also announced his candidacy for the 2025 municipal election. 

Morris said his campaign is “definitely a grassroots effort,” with no funding so far.

“Zero. We’re starting fresh, we just opened a bank account today,” he said.