New information further exposes New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell as an egotistical, self-righteous politician who is motivated by her sense of entitlement.
It has now been revealed that, on her recent luxury trips to Europe, Mayor Cantrell ordered business class and first class upgrades that cost the taxpayers of the financially-struggling city close to $29,000. To point out how obnoxious Cantrell’s order to upgrade her airline travel - the city of New Orleans has a policy requiring that employees pay for any upgrades from their personal accounts.
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Mayor Cantrell’s spokesperson Gregory Joseph told NOLA.com that there is no timeline on a city employee must pay the city back for flight upgrades.
Any suggestion that Mayor Cantrell intended to pay for the upgrades from her personal account should fall of deaf ears since Cantrell refused to mention any payback of the money when she was defending herself at a recent press conference.
Cantrell has a history of using taxpayers’ dollars for personal use; and while she may not have broken any laws when she used a city-issued credit card to charge nearly $9,000 in personal expenses - the action leaves little doubt that her mindset is entitlement-driven.
During Cantrell's campaign for her first term in office, her opponent, Desiree Charbonnet, accused Cantrell of abusing the city credit card she was issued as a member of the city council. That publicity led to Cantrell paying back the money she has spent on personal expenses. Maybe the law wasn’t broken - but Cantrell’s use of the city credit card was a revealing look into her personality and how she perceives the power of politicians.
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If Mayor Cantrell says anything about now about paying back the nearly $29,000 in flight upgrades, voters are justified in questioning whether Cantrell would have paid back the money if her lust for luxury had not been exposed. There was great skepticism over whether she intended to pay back the money for personal expenses charged on the city-issued credit card.
All of the questions from the media and the voters about the motives of Mayor Cantrell when it comes to her decisions to act as royalty are justified. Mayor Cantrell has self-inflicted her own political wounds and only has herself to blame for the recall petition that is gaining momentum across the city.