Scoot: Criticism of Mayor Cantrell’s crisis management grow

LaToya Cantrell

One month ago, today, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued the stay-at-home/social distancing orders for the city. As we approached the 1-month mark - battle lines are being drawn. Frustration is a factor - but fighting over how to fight an enemy will not be beneficial for our historic city.

Last Friday, April 17 - I wrote an op-ed blog about the tone of Mayor Cantrell’s approach to the coronavirus crisis. Here is part of that blog that posted before 1:00 pm:

Shortly after New Orleans became a COVID hotspot - the mayor appeared on CNN and seemed to indicate that if the Trump Administration would have given the city more information she would have cancelled Mardi Gras. Most revealing was the way Mayor Cantrell said that she would be the leader to cancel Mardi Gras. It was that moment that gave a hint that the mayor may be using opportunities in the spotlight to prove how powerful she is.
We all know that mayor’s have power - but the sense that Cantrell is showing off her power to the city and the nation is unsettling. We need the truth - but to eagerly precede official announcements about events - like the upcoming Saints season - robs the citizens of this city of the optimism that is needed to emotionally survive this unprecedented crisis.
Rather than predict doom and gloom and link the prediction to power - shouldn’t our leaders wait until official decisions are made? LA Governor John Bel Edwards said that at this point he can envision at least a partially filled stadium for Saints and LSU games. That may not happen - but until decisions are made - an optimistic tone is vital to the psyche of our city and state.

I also read the blog on my radio show. Within hours - the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce released an open letter to Mayor Cantrell that also criticized the mayor’s handling of the crisis.

The open letter to Cantrell read in part:

Your media conference on Tuesday, April 14 was not in the spirit of cooperation. Your surprising decision to offer an opinion on the fate of future festivals and events has far-reaching and damaging consequences.

The letter went on the condemn Mayor Cantrell for offering an opinion on Saints games in the Superdome should the NFL decide to move forward with the season without even having a conversation with Saints owner Gayle Benson.

Adding to criticism mounting against Mayor Cantrell was a full-page ad in the Times-Picayune and New Orleans Advocate addressing the mayor’s rogue attitude toward the crisis and the city of New Orleans. The letter was supported by four New Orleans businessmen: Hotel owner David Monteleone, real estate manager Robert E. Smith Lupo, fine jeweler Franco Vadobra and former N.O. City Councilman and businessman Jay Batt.

The full-page ad - which was a letter to Cantrell - criticized her abrupt extension of the stay-at-home order until May 15 and cancelling all large music festivals and events for the rest of 2020.  It read in part:

We must achieve a balance between prudent management of this virus while at the same time removing some restrictions on the ability of the vast majority of citizens to return to some degree of normalcy and revenue generation.

The consistent theme of my blog and conversation on the air, the open letter from the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce and the full-page ad/letter to the Mayor is that Mayor Cantrell seems to be projecting a rogue mentality perhaps derived from the sense of power of being mayor of one of the hotspot cities in America. Cantrell has appeared on CNN on several occasions and is clearly aware that any press conference she holds could be featured in national news.

All of what the mayor is projecting may become reality - but the timing of such predictions ignores the change in human behavior that has led to hospitals not being overcrowded, less ventilators needed and new predictions that the number of deaths will be well below earlier models. Human response to the crisis might have the potential to alter our perception of the future.

This is not the time to play politics or the time to take advantage of being in the national spotlight. The crisis mantra explains the situation - “We are all in this together.” That means that political leaders, community leaders, business owners and each of us as citizens need to work together and maintain the hope that we will get through this sooner rather than later. That may not happen - but it is a disservice to the image of our city and surrounding areas to be too quick to project a pessimistic mandates.

Also - the city deserves an update on plans to demolish the Hard Rock Hotel collapse site and retrieve the two souls still trapped in the rubble. Remember - she said the date for demolition was pushed back to April. Well, it’s April 20th - where is the update?

How Mayor Cantrell reacts to the critiques of her handling of the coronavirus crisis will be interesting to follow. Stay tuned.