New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has defended using taxpayers’ money to purchase first-class seats on international flights and insisted she will not pay the money back after previously stating that it is unsafe to fly economy as a black woman.
Cantrell, a Democrat, made the comments at a press conference on Sept. 8 where sheinsisted that she would not be repaying the nearly $30,000 in taxpayers’ money that she spent on first-class flights to France and Switzerland.
“All expenses incurred doing business on behalf of the city of New Orleans will not be reimbursed to the city of New Orleans,” Mayor Cantrell said.
“One thing is clear: I do my job, and I will continue to do it with distinction and integrity every step of the way. That’s what I have to say on that.”
According to The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate, Cantrell has charged the city of New Orleans $29,000 to travel first- or business-class instead of via economy since January 2021,with her flights costing more than $38,200 overall.
Last month, the mayor defended her actions by stating that the upgraded travel was due to fears over her safety.
“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,” the mayor told the Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate in August.
“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.”
Ah yes. The old Race Card. I’m a Black Woman, so I can do whatever the fuck I want and if you point out I’m a piece of shit, then you’re a racist. And airplanes are SUCH havens of high crime, back in economy class.
Meanwhile, New Orleans itself is a crime-ridden shithole whose murder rate has absolutely exploded over the last 3 years. No worries about that, though. She’s concerned she may get mugged back in seat 37A.
Well lady, you are a piece of shit. That’s the worst bullshit excuse I’ve ever heard in my life. How these pieces of shit keep getting elected is beyond my comprehension. New Orleans must be stuffed to the gills with people so dumb, they make Bruce Haywood look like Isaac Newton.
New Orleans’ travel policy states that municipal workers must “purchase the lowest airfare available,” while employees who “choose an upgrade from coach, economy, or business-class flights are solely responsible for the difference in cost.”