Mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell has certainly made our situation in Shreveport look a bit more... bearable, at least.  She was recently criticized for her excessive travel expenses, traveling first class around the world, and charging it all to the city of New Orleans.

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Cantrell traveled first class or business class on international trips claiming all were on 'city business.'  According to Live & Let's Fly.com, just some of her 2022 travel expenses included:

  • $17,854.57 for airfare from New Orleans to France in business and first class On Delta Air Lines and United Airlines

  • $9,810.07 for airfare from New Orleans to Switzerland in business class on Delta Air Lines

  • $13,978.37 for airfare from New Orleans to Singapore in business class on ANA (she later canceled this trip and holds this amount in future credit)

Cantrell initially refused to reimburse the city for $30,000 in first class travel expenses, justifying the cost by saying traveling coach is dangerous to black women:

“As all women know, our health and safety are often disregarded and we are left to navigate alone.

“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.”

WWL TV in New Orleans reported in September Mayor Cantrell's refusal to repay her extravagant expenses back to the taxpayers of New Orleans.

This is in addition to the firestorm of controversy she ignited by sitting in support next to a teenage carjacker in a courtroom, while the carjacker victim and family was also present in the courtroom.  And just this week she has been criticized for allegedly using a $3,000 a month, city owned condo for her own personal use.

New Orleans city policy states officials must seek the lowest fares available, or reimburse the city for deluxe accommodations.   Cantrell recently announced she will pay back her extravagant travel expenses.

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