At last week’s Louisiana Bond Commission meeting, there were quite a few fireworks at the request of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. During that meeting Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin made some very pointed comments toward Mayor LaToya Cantrell and specific New Orleans City Council members who basically said New Orleans would be an abortion sanctuary city. Ardoin fired off that Cantrell and the City Council should be impeached. He was kind enough to come on the show to elaborate on those comments and explain his frustration about those local officials.
I listened to your comments very closely and I understand the frustration, but why did you go on tha tear during the Bond Commission meeting?
As a statewide elected official I took an oath to uphold the laws of the United States and the constitutional laws of Louisiana just like every other elected official. When a local governing authority decides that they're not going to enforce a law (when it does in fact become law), that's very frustrating to me. I can't pick and choose what laws to follow, none of us can.
I agree with what you said. I've been saying for a while now that we are just trampling on the separation of powers doctrine. Why choose the Louisiana Bond Commission meeting to make your point?
It was brought up by the Attorney General and I think it was a way to send a message. We obviously didn’t put any major projects at risk. The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board project was a small project that is up for funding again legislative next year. In fact, there's no real money tied to it, so it was a way to send a message. Is the Bond Commission always the right way to do that? I don't think so. Again it was a way to get the message through to local government authorities that they can't pick and choose what laws to enforce.
Given what happened, I think the Bond Commission ends up being less. You guys and how you go about your business is being watched by the financial markets. Allowing Landry to take over the Bond Commission meeting for the purpose of his own ideology is a slippery slope that I think causes the public to lose faith in their elected leaders.
Correct - the bond market and the financial world does look at us as to how we're doing our business. Given the action that was taken, I think it was the least offensive. If the New Orleans City Council passed this resolution in an effort to prevent the loss of tourism dollars or conventions coming to the city, then I would say they were politically posturing as well. If abortions are ruled illegal in Louisiana, then we all have to abide by that law.
Is there gonna be an attempt to impeach these city officials?
I don't think so. It's important to bring the issue to the forefront and those comments popped out of me. It certainly brings note to folks to look at what their government officials are doing and consider if they want to take action against them or support them. I may have gotten carried away with my words, but the message is the same. We can't pick and choose what laws to abide by.
