Data News Staff Report
New Orleans Will Elect First Female Mayor
The day has finally come where we will decide who will become the First Female Mayor of New Orleans. It is a contest between LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet. At Data News Weekly we are encouraging everyone to get out and vote and be part of history. In the spirit of being “The People’s Paper” we are presenting both candidates and a brief look at their platforms, so you can make an informed decision when going to the polls.
Desiree Charbonnet
Charbonnet has been an elected official for two decades; making history as being the first female elected to both posts. She was the first woman elected to serve as Recorder of Mortgages for the Parish of Orleans, where she served for 10 years. Charbonnet was also the first woman elected to the bench of Municipal Court in New Orleans, and the first selected as Chief Judge. She is now on a quest to achieve another first as the First Female Mayor of New Orleans.
On her campaign website it states the vision of Charbonnet, “Public service, when it’s done well, is a calling and a craft. Desiree Charbonnet has a vision, a plan for building a future for all the people of New Orleans, where no one is left out or held back, where we’re the first to try new ideas and new approaches to old, difficult problems.”
Her platform includes addressing the issues of affordable housing, economic development with a focus on workforce training and supporting local businesses. If elected she says she will also address inequality and take on the crime problem taking a more holistic approach. Recruiting more officers is one of her goals but believes the social problems that cause crime need to be addressed; paying a living wage, addressing inequality, better education for all, repairing broken families and helping people with mental health challenges. This is something she says she has been successful in doing as a judge as one of the first in the country to try alternatives to incarceration and says she will continue to be an advocate for as Mayor of New Orleans.
LaToya Cantrell
Cantrell has been a longtime activist and community leader before being elected to the New Orleans City Council representing District B in 2012. If elected Mayor Cantrell says she will fight to make the City safer for all its residents, create better-paying jobs, prioritize neighborhoods left out post-Katrina, restore affordability and fight for a more equitable New Orleans. Her platform includes addressing issues surrounding seniors, affordable housing, the plight of African American Men, crime and public safety, drainage and infrastructure, the economy, women’s rights, LGBTQ, Youth and Family, criminal justice reform, youth engagement and health and wellness.
A statement released to Data News Weekly from her campaign outlining her vision for New Orleans says, “For years, LaToya has been a leader: bringing back the Broadmoor neighborhood after Hurricane Katrina. Touting her work on the council they say, “She protected our hospitality workers with the smoke free ordinance, developed affordable housing, created the “Welcoming Cities” legislation for the immigrant community and other marginalized residents and spearheaded the low-barrier homeless shelter.”
They also stated, “Building off her slogan, ‘Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job,’ LaToya has a plan for improving our people’s lives with better paying jobs, affordable housing including first time homebuyer programs, a stronger and more resilient drainage system and a more effective NOPD with community policing.”
Get Out and Vote
We have provided these brief summaries of both candidates so that you the voters can be informed. We suggest that you go to both of their websites desireecharbonnet.com and latoyacantrell.com, to find out more about their positions on the issues that concern you most.
History in the Making
We are on the cusp of history electing the First Female Mayor and as we approach our 300th Anniversary, so please get out and VOTE and have a hand in shaping the future of our City.
Be the first to comment