The candidate in the mayor’s race with a big lead is a white woman who is running against two African-American men. Is there pressure on African-American voters to vote for the African-American candidates? Is there an assumption that the Black candidates will better represent the Black voters in New Orleans? This was a bit of an uncomfortable conversation to have on our talk show, but we had the conversation anyway, because it is important.
An African-American caller said he was supporting “the woman who leads in the polls,” but he was feeling backlash from the Black community and he was told to “watch his back” if he votes for her. That inspired me to openly discuss the relationship that Black voters have with Black candidates.
The last two Black mayors we have had both turned their backs on the citizens of New Orleans and showed that their only concern was themselves. Mayor Ray Nagin was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for bribery, money laundering, conspiracy, and wire fraud. It was obvious that Ray Nagin was not protecting and uplifting the Black citizens of New Orleans. Nagin was interested in taking advantage of his position of power.
The other Black mayor, LaToya Cantrell, is currently facing 11 federal indictments including a scheme to defraud the city by misusing public funds and then attempting to cover up the crime. Cantrell’s indictments center around her love affair with her NOPD security guard, who is also under Federal indictment for falsifying payroll records to show he was working when he was actually enjoying private time with Mayor Cantrell. The mayor’s affair began when she was still married and spanned many months and many trips, including globe-trotting ventures. It seems obvious that Mayor Cantrell was not interested in helping the Black citizens of New Orleans. Cantrell seemed focused on how many trips she could get away with taking.
As the citizens of New Orleans, a city that is predominantly African-American, consider who to vote for in the upcoming October 11 election, the skin color of a candidate does not appear to hold an advantage for the Black citizens and the city would be best served by everyone voting for the BEST candidate. And white citizens should not vote for the white candidate just because she’s white.
I challenged Black listeners to call in and share their feelings about their bond with Black candidates and any pressure they feel from their community about voting for the best candidate or the candidate of the same race. I was pleased to hear that many Black voters are planning to vote for the best candidate, which a majority of the callers said is Helena Moreno, the white candidate.
Hear more in the audio player above.