New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said anyone who takes issue with her putting $30,000 in first class flights on the taxpayers’ dime “just doesn’t understand the world Black women walk in.”
THE QUOTE
In an August 23 statement to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, Cantrell, a Democrat, dismissed the idea of reimbursing the city for the flights, despite rules barring officials from upgrading themselves to business or first class.
- “My travel accommodations are a matter of safety, not of luxury. As all women know, our health and safety are often disregarded and we are left to navigate alone,” she said. “As the mother of a young child whom I live for, I am going to protect myself by any reasonable means in order to ensure I am there to see her grow into the strong woman I am raising her to be. Anyone who wants to question how I protect myself just doesn’t understand the world Black women walk in.”
- A single trip to France, where Cantrell signed an agreement with officials of a partner town, cost the city $18,000 for first-class tickets.
- More than half of New Orleanians want to recall Cantrell according to a poll published last week by WVUE, the New Orleans Fox affiliate.
MEANWHILE
An October 2021 Gallup poll found that only 44% of Americans say they have any trust in their politicians.
