Embattled New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell stated Tuesday she’ll pay the town again for practically $30,000 price of first-class aircraft tickets to Europe — a sudden U-turn that got here after a metropolis council member threatened to take motion to claw the money again.
The Democrat had beforehand resisted paying the cash again, saying the posh flight upgrades on journeys to Switzerland and France had been for respectable enterprise functions, boosting financial growth for the town.
However the metropolis legal professional and Cantrell’s personal chief administrative officer have just lately stated the prices should be reimbursed.
And Metropolis Council President Helena Moreno stated final month the council has the facility to slash the mayor’s wage subsequent 12 months if she doesn't pay for the upgrades.
Cantrell, at a Tuesday groundbreaking for a YWCA facility, didn't give a timeline for paying again the cash, telling a reporter: “I’m not doing that. I don’t want to do this.”
She insisted that the journey upgrades had been “enterprise bills” that had been vital for her well being and well-being, noting the COVID-19 pandemic. She has additionally cited safety considerations.
“Based mostly on the coverage overview, nevertheless, I should reimburse,” she conceded. “So I’m shifting ahead to do this.”
Her about-face got here after the town legal professional dominated that Cantrell is taken into account a metropolis worker, and as such should observe a coverage that requires all metropolis workers to pay for any journey upgrades out of their very own pocket.
Cantrell, 50, has ignited a separate controversy when it was revealed that she’s been residing rent-free in a city-owned, $3,000-a-month luxurious house within the French Quarter.
When she was requested about her use of the unit on Tuesday, the mayor defended her actions, saying that she was following the instance of earlier mayors.
However an investigation printed final week from information station WvUE-TV accused her of doubtless violating a metropolis worker coverage that reads: “Use of metropolis property is for work-related functions, and never private profit.”
A separate report Thursday from the Metropolitan Crime Fee, a residents group devoted to exposing public corruption, claimed Cantrell has lived within the high-end house for months, with one other metropolis worker apparently appearing as a superintendent within the constructing.
It additionally revealed that the mayor — who earns $188,000 a 12 months — put up privateness screens on the balcony and acquired packages on the tackle, the article stated.
With Submit wires
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