Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s office is hitting back against reports that she has failed to turn over a city-owned apartment in the Upper Pontalba Building back to the French Quarter Corporation.
On Friday, city council vice president J. P. Morrell sent a letter to Cantrell calling upon the mayor to comply with the council’s August ordinance requiring her to vacate the apartment and turn over its keys to the French Quarter Corporation or face eviction. Accoring to WWL-TV, Mayor Cantrell missed a deadline of noon Monday to comply, leading council members to file documents seeking to evict Cantrell from the apartment. Officials in Cantrell’s office told the TV station that the mayor doesn’t live in the apartment, but Morrell says Cantrell’s belongings remain in the unit.
On Monday night, Cantrell’s office sent an email to local media accusing them of reporting “several inaccurate remarks (that) have been circulating regarding the Pontalba Building.”
“Any statements or sources-say reports are again not accurate and not a fair representation regarding the Office of Mayor, and not a respectful decorum towards the hard work and dedicated efforts of Mayor Cantrell,” the statement read. “In addition, the suggestion that the Mayor is somehow holding up the process regarding the renovation of the building and rental market availability is incorrect. Even before the City Council Ordinance was passed authorizing the return of the Pontalba apartment to the French Market Corporation, the Mayor has not used that apartment.”
The mayor did not provide more specific details about what statements she felt were inaccurate. WWL replied to the statement inviting the mayor to provide those specifics.
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