(StraightNews.org) — The Democratic Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, has been told “you’re about to be fired” by a group campaigning for her to face a recall election. The group has collected enough signatures to force the recall. Vice Chair of the No LaToya Campaign Eileen Carter said, “Right now our mayor doesn’t love New Orleans so the citizens and the residents stood up. We’re taking our city back, and we’re gonna save New Orleans.” The group began its campaign in August last year. They say they have accumulated the 50,000 signatures required.
The Mayor is under fire because of growing crime in the city, and for allegedly using taxpayer’s money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Violent crime has increased in the city with carjackings up by 200% since Cantrell took office. Meanwhile, 150 officers were lost from the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). A victim of carjacking, Stephanie Uddo, went public after the Mayor appeared in court in support of her attacker. While Cantrell insists she did not pick a side in the case, she showed up at court and sat with the family of a juvenile convicted of committing three armed carjackings. Uddo said the Mayor did not provide her with any assistance or encouragement, and the police said they were disappointed in her actions. An attorney for NOPD said this was likely to harm recruitment efforts in the department.
Cantrell is also accused of breaking state law by using public funds to pay for a self-promoting leaflet. She was also criticized for spending $40,000 on a trip to France and flying first class while her aides were in economy. She justified this by saying it wasn’t safe for black women to sit in economy class. She has also admitted to living rent-free in a French Quarter apartment worth almost $3,000 a month. The apartment is only three miles from her $500,000 home. In October last year, she was forced to refund the city to the tune of $29,000.
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