Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says her safety was and remains at stake if she ever sits in business class or a coach seat aboard an aircraft, because of “the world black women walk in,” but that the same aircraft is substantially more secure if she is seated in first class.
As first reported by New Orleans Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, Cantrell has drawn criticism for, among other things, charging New Orleans residents about $29,000 for first-class upgrades on flight tickets.
Cantrell told the Times-Picayune/Advocate that she faces danger when she travels if she isn’t in first-class, apparently because of her race and gender.
“As all women know, our health and safety are often disregarded and we are left to navigate alone,” the paper quoted Cantrell as saying. “As the mother of a young child whom I live for, I am going to protect myself by any reasonable means in order to ensure I am there to see her grow into the strong woman I am raising her to be.”
Cantrell continued, “Anyone who wants to question how I protect myself just doesn’t understand the world black women walk in.”
The city’s rules regarding business travel contain an unambiguous issue for Cantrell: upgrades are not allowed on the taxpayer’s dime.
“Employees are required to purchase the lowest airfare available,” the rules read, and any employees who choose to upgrade their tickets “are solely responsible for the difference in cost.”
But, the mayor says failing to upgrade would have been to risk bodily harm, and as her upgrades were “a matter of safety, not luxury,” the expense should be covered by the city.
“All expenses incurred doing business on behalf of the city of New Orleans will not be reimbursed to the city of New Orleans,” Cantrell said in a statement shared on Twitter by New Orleans journalist Andrés Fuentes. “One thing is clear, I do my job. And I will continue to do it with distinction, with dignity and integrity every step of the way. And so, that’s what I have to say on that.”
At yesterday’s press conference, @FOX8NOLA was the only station that asked Mayor LaToya Cantrell about whether or not she will reimburse thousands of dollars to the city for her travel upgrades.
Here’s her full statement: pic.twitter.com/swA2flFIkc
— Andrés Fuentes (@news_fuentes) September 9, 2022
Even before her controversial justification, Cantrell was hardly the pinnacle of popularity in her city. According to Fox 8 New Orleans, a recent poll revealed more than half of all voters, 55.4%, want her recalled. This includes 53% of black voters.
A different poll, this one conducted by the Times-Picayune/Advocate, revealed two-thirds of New Orleans voters supported Cantrell’s removal from office.
Cantrell’s travel habits are equaled only in her abysmal rate of success in combating crime in the city. As previously reported by FISM, Cantrell has talked tough and promised crackdowns, but the crime issue continues to trouble her political fortunes.
Crime in the city has never exactly been low. Lately, scenes of utter lawlessness have flooded the internet. There is also a shortage of law enforcement officers, issues of garbage not being picked up and poor sanitation, and city-wide road and infrastructure issues, not least of which are potholes so deep as to make certain roads virtually impassable.
According to a Fox 8 report from March, pothole repairs in the city, inclusive of small and large holes, take the city on average 200 days to complete. This number might be painting a picture that is too rosy.
The city’s website reveals that hundreds of thousands of potholes have required patching since 2010, but the emergence of social media accounts dedicated to the cartoonishly bad pothole problem suggests many thousands more remain.
It’s not every city that has residents who throw birthday parties for the potholes nearest their homes.
In a report filed in late August, Fox 8 broke the story that two people, one a former New Orleans mayoral candidate, filed a petition with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office requesting Cantrell’s recall on the grounds she failed “to put New Orleans first and execute the responsibilities of [her] position.”
As unpopular as Cantrell has become, it’s the unhappy voters who face the tougher challenge. According to state law, 20% of registered voters from among an elected official’s constituency must sign the recall petition within 180 days of its filing.
In New Orleans, that works out to about 53,000 registered voters, a tall order but a challenge that at least some residents of the city have accepted. As reported by WWL, a venerable AM radio station with deep roots in the Crescent City, a recall committee has been formed to steer signatures to the correct form.