Mayor LaToya Cantrell's time in office has been controversial on a variety of fronts, from an alleged affair with her bodyguard to allegations of expensive travel on the taxpayer dime to a federal investigation into using campaign finances to pay for personal expenses including a kitchen renovation.
The mayor finally addressed the allegations in a press conference, and WWL host Newell Normand couldn't believe what he heard.
"This seems to be kind of prevalent relevant to Black leadership and I think I'm not exempt from that," Cantrell said. "Relative to investigations, I've been in them. I've been through them and I'll continue to comply however they come. That's all I have to say on that."
Normand heard the race card, and it set him off.
"Obviously the mayor has brought it to the forefront in addressing this it in her most recent press conference, talking about this alleged federal investigation into what she has done. It's always amazing to me how we deflect ... not by talking about whether or not we're innocent of the alleged things they're looking into, but by saying that they will continue to comply and then always play the race card.
"When you live in a city that is majority Black, greater than 60% Black and you look at the amount of Black elected leaders, they hold the vast majority of positions. How would it work out any other way?"
Normand added that the U.S. attorney, Duane Evans, whose office is leading the investigation, is also Black.
"I just find it disingenuous. I find it obnoxious. And it's not a very intelligent way of approaching this subject matter, ever. Because you have no evidence, nothing, that's it's racially motivated. And you're not willing to look at your own conduct."
He added that in a 40-year career, he's never heard of anyone other than Cantrell spending $8,500 a month on image consulting. "When you create smoke ... they're going to look."
NOLA.com reported that Tanya Haynes and her company, Jolie Image Consulting, was paid at least $291,059 between late 2017 and late 2022 by Cantrell, according to her campaign finance reports.
They added that while details of the FBI investigation are unknown, FBI agents have approached at least two local businessmen who contributed to the mayor’s campaign accounts trying to determine if donations led to any favors from City Hall.
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