Eric Connerly Data News Weekly Contributor
Last week an official petition to recall Mayor LaToya Cantrell has been filed in state offices in Baton Rouge.
According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office they confirmed that the recall petition was filed on Friday (Aug. 26).
The petition was filed by Eileen Carter, former Social Media Manager for the City of New Orleans and Beldon “Noonie Man” Batiste, a former mayoral candidate and culture bearer.
The reason given for the request for the petition was “Failure to put New Orleans first and execute the responsibilities of the position.”
In attempting to recall a candidate in the State of Louisiana comes efforts in the past have proven difficult to accomplish. According to the Sec. of State’s website, 20 percent of legal voters need to sign the petition. 53,000 signatures need to come from the total of 266,714 registered voters of Orleans Parish.
The goal needs to be met within 180 days.
This filing comes on the heels of a firestorm of criticism of the popular mayor who made history as the first woman Mayor of New Orleans. The winning in a landslide re-election bid last year.
But a recent spike in violent crime in the city and skirmishes with some members of the New Orleans City Council regarding travel and expenses and her appearance at a sentencing hearing for a juvenile offender have become problems for Mayor Cantrell.
But even as those who are her critics admittedly say they admire the mayor, but feels she needs to do a better job leading the city in the fight against crime and other issues plaguing the city.
Throughout her years as a community and elected leader, Cantrell has been able to work to build coalitions to get things done. This recent occurrence will test whether she has the ability to lead a city that is in much need of answers and routes to solutions in the City of New Orleans moving forward.
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