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Latoya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans

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Latoya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans Life In Brief Maintains ties to local organizations and individuals in the Broadmoor neighborhood and Current Title: Mayor city’s African American community Work History: Approach and Motivations Broadmoor Improvement Association, 2003- 2012 Community-based approach; views policy Founding Board Member, Broadmoor through the lens of her experiences in Broadmoor Development Corporation Saw how the needs of her own neighborhood Member of the New Orleans City Council for were ignored after Katrina and learned the District B, 2012-2018 power of community organizing Mayor of New Orleans, LA, 2018-present Believes engaging with people who live in a community is best way to identify what that community needs Quick Summary As an activist, largely relied on obtaining grants from private organizations to achieve policy Community organizer whose work after Hurricane goals; as mayor, creates partnerships between Katrina launched her into city politics; government, community groups, and the emphasizes grassroots-driven solutions to business and philanthropic sectors housing, public works, and crime Moved to Louisiana to attend Xavier University and fell in love with the state, settling in the New Policy Position and Areas of Orleans neighborhood of Broadmoor Focus Rose to prominence as a community activist in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, working to Policy priorities include housing security, save her neighborhood from being converted improved public works, and crime reduction into a park, which helped earn her earn a seat on the New Orleans City Council Housing: Persistent champion of housing security for displaced, low-income, and homeless Became the first female mayor of New Orleans populations Witnessed housing instability and a decline in Led efforts as President of the Broadmoor public services after the hurricane; has made Neighborhood Association to oppose city affordable housing and investments in proposal to convert her neighborhood and five infrastructure a priority, including through others into greenspace, securing $5 million from increased housing options for homeless and the Clinton Global Initiative and saving low-income populations, and investments in the thousands of residents from displacement city’s sewage and water system As a city council member, worked to open a low- On city council and as mayor, has focused on barrier homeless shelter and introduced reducing crime, including through gun violence legislation to register and inspect city rental outreach units 1 As mayor, announced increased funding for When running for city council, received strong low-income housing credits and community support from Councilwoman Kristin Palmer; the development grants to create affordable two also served together on the Board of the housing Regional Transit Authority As a councilmember, worked closely with at- Public Works: Focuses on providing modern and large council member Jason Williams to reliable infrastructure introduce legislation; Williams still sits on the At Broadmoor Neighborhood Association, led city council the effort to secure a $2 million Carnegie grant Enjoys friendly relationship with city council as to rebuild the local library after Hurricane mayor; initially clashed with former Mayor Mitch Katrina Landrieu as an activist but has since earned his As mayor, negotiated “fair share” deal to support for her work on the city council reallocate tax dollars from tourism revenue to improving the city’s aging infrastructure, Broadmoor Neighborhood: Lasting ties to particularly water and sewage neighborhood’s economic development group, schools, and religious community Established an Office of Utilities to enforce utility franchise agreements and to serve as a conduit Founding board member of the Broadmoor between residents and electric, gas, cable and Development Corporation and Broadmoor telecommunications utilities School Board; oversaw local economic development and renovation of the Andrew H. Public Safety: Works to curb crime and gun Wilson school violence through outreach and economic Created partnerships between the Broadmoor empowerment Improvement Association and local churches, to As a councilmember, installed crime cameras in find office space for development work and to her district and worked to address understaffing open the Broadmoor Art and Wellness Center at the New Orleans Police Department Continues to engage with neighborhood As mayor, founded Cure Violence Initiative to groups, including inviting the Broadmoor reduce gun violence, including through Community Church Summer Camp to visit her programming at public schools on bullying and office the effects of gun violence African American Community: Strong support Stated that the best way to stop a bullet is with from black community; organizes events to a job; launched program to match youth with celebrate black history and culture arrest records with minimum-wage summer jobs Engages with leaders in the black community, including organizing the city’s MLK Celebration Core Communities with community activist Sabrina Mays Strong campaign support from BOLD, a political City Hall insider with ties to activists in organization that elevates black community Broadmoor and the black community leaders to elected office City Council: Currently presides over many of her former city council colleagues 2 Introduced annual Black Film Festival; vocal Publications: Has authored a few op-eds in local enthusiast of city’s ESSENCE Fest, which and African-American focused newspapers on celebrates African American singers crime and Southern Democratic leadership Favorite Subjects: Reducing violent crime, the Relevant Financial Information role of the South in the 2020 election Preferred Outlets: NOLA.com and The Root Attracted donations during mayoral campaign from local companies and in- and out-of-state Media: Appears in Louisiana cable news to business owners discuss housing, infrastructure, and equality initiatives Biggest Corporate Donors (2017) Favorite Subjects: Inclusivity, public works, St. Ann Investments (New Orleans, LA), $5,000 affordable housing Wisznia Company (New Orleans, LA), $5,000 Preferred Outlets: NOLA.com, WWLTV, Citigroup Investments (Gretna, LA), $5,000 WDSU, WLAETV Orleans Properties (Harahan, LA), $5,000 Social Media Habits: Active on Twitter since her election to mayor Richard's Disposal (New Orleans, LA), $5,000 Speaking: Speaks about equity and her personal Biggest Individual Donors (2017) background before college students, civil rights William & Wendy Reily, CEO of Reily Foods organizations, and community organizers Company (New Orleans, LA), $10,000 Favorite Subjects: Experience as first female Doug Ahlers, Self-Employed Business Owner mayor, disaster resilience, inclusivity (Ringfield, CT), $5,000 Preferred Audience: Universities including Bard Di-Ann Eisnor, Director at Google (Palo Alto, College, civil rights groups including Human CA), $5,000 Rights Campaign, and community groups Robert D Reily, Retired (Metaire, LA), $5,000 including NeighborWorks America Charles Kennedy Jr., Owner of the Kennedy Financial Group (New Orleans, LA), $5,000 Family and Personal Background Political Donations Louisiana transplant with early exposure to the Cantrell donated $2,000 to the Democratic importance of social services and community State Central Committee of LA in 2017 involvement Born in Los Angeles, CA and raised by a social Publications, Media and Speaking worker mother and a law enforcement- employed stepfather; father left the family when he became addicted to drugs Public appearances center around views on equality, crime, and infrastructure; primarily Grandmother took in Cantrell when her mother appears in local cable news and at non-profits could no longer take care of her Her grandmother would bring her to neighborhood meetings, and by the age of 13, 3 she was serving as secretary for her local chamber of commerce Dates her political awakening to the early 1990s; her commute to Xavier University took her past the Magnolia public housing development in Central City, where she witnessed poverty and government neglect Criticisms and Controversies No notable controversies 4 .
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