New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell continues to confirm that she is a politician who thinks of herself more as a dictator than a public servant - but Mayor Cantrell is not alone. Once secure in office, many politicians are overcome with arrogance.
In her response to the City Council overriding her veto of an ordinance that bans her use of a city-owned French Quarter apartment, Mayor Cantrell issued a statement that was flawed with the notion that her use of the apartment was "appropriate" and that her administration "has faced innumerous unprecedented challenges, yet still achieved noticeable progress."
Mayor Cantrell's use of the Pontalba apartment was anything but appropriate and her abuse of the privilege of access to the apartment was unprecedented. The City Council was forced to take legislative action to block her access to the apartment, since she could not control herself. In the most arrogant way, Cantrell defied the city ordinance and used the apartment for her own personal living space.
Proclaiming "noticeable progress" in a city that has suffered through a massive crime wave with no apparent effort to publicly address the crime wave seems absurd.
In comments made following the Council's rebuke of her claim to have the right to use the French Quarter apartment, Mayor Cantrell again described the apartment as "my apartment." With her use of the pronoun "my," Mayor Cantrell blatantly exposes her intrinsic arrogant nature and proves that her attitude toward the apartment is not like that of previous mayors. Cantrell insists that her use of that apartment is congruent with all other mayors but there are no records showing that any other mayor abused their power in office to take personal ownership in the apartment. Once again facts prove Mayor Cantrell is wrong.
In her responsive statement - Cantrell referred to "certain members" of the City Council who do not support her personal use of the apartment - the vote was 5-2 against the mayor - so it wasn't "certain members" - it was the majority of the City Council.
History will record that it was Mayor Cantrell who abused her power in office and robbed future mayors of being able to offer visiting officials a place to stay in the French Quarter. I wonder if Cantrell has even thought about how history will record her reign?
