New Orleans Voters Choose โNext Leader Amidst Corruption โขconcerns and calls for Reform
New Orleans residents โคwill head to teh polls this Saturday to elect a new mayor, concluding LaToyaโ Cantrell‘s second term which has been shadowed by corruption allegations. The โelection marks theโค beginning ofโ a series of significant โฃmayoral races across the U.S., with contests also scheduled in New York and Detroit in November.
The vote takes place against a backdrop ofโ escalating concerns about โcrime in the city, prompting โคcalls – including from formerโฃ Presidentโค Donald Trump – for the deployment of the National โGuard. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landryโค has formally requested this โฃintervention, though a decisionโ from the federal goverment isโข still pending.
Cantrell, a democrat barred from โseeking re-election due to term limits, has largely remained out of the โpublic eye since โfederal charges โwereโฃ filed in August. These allegations center around accusations that she concealedโค a romantic relationship โฃwith her former bodyguard, โJeffrey โคVappie, and improperly used taxpayerโ funds to finance personal trips – including visits to wineries โ- with him. Cantrell has โdenied โฃany wrongdoing regarding charges of conspiracy, fraud, and obstructionโฃ of justice.
This isn’t the first time โaโ new Orleansโ mayorโค has faced legal scrutiny. Former Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2014 following convictionsโข for bribery,โ money laundering, and fraud committed duringโ his time in office from 2002 to 2010.
The current field ofโค over ten candidates is largely focused on aโค messageโฃ of restoring stability to Cityโฃ Hall. โคleading the pack inโ fundraising is Helena Moreno, the โcurrent City Councilโ Vice President and โขa former journalist, whoโข has amassed over $3.4 million โคforโฃ her campaign. State โคSenator Royce Duplessis andโ veteran councilman Oliver Thomas are โalso โconsidered strongโ contenders. Notably, Thomas previously served 37 months โinโค jail after โbeing convicted of bribery in 2007.
The election will be decided either by a candidate securing over 50% of the vote, or by a runoff election โbetween the top two vote-getters onโข November 15th.
Moreno, the daughter of Mexican immigrants andโ a petrochemical executive, is campaigningโ on a platform centered around improving public safety, bolstering city services, and fostering economic advancement. Thomas has pledged to prioritize the needs โofโค underserved communities,โ while Duplessis isโค appealing to the city’s majority-Black electorate, positioning himself as an outsider capable of fixing a “dysfunctional” municipalโค government.
beyond the mayoral race, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson is also seeking re-election. Her tenure has been marked by criticism following a high-profileโ jailbreak in May, culminating in the recent capture of the final escapee, convicted murderer Derrick Groves, in Atlanta. Hutson faces โขseveral challengers critical of her jail management.
A typically low-profile race for Clerk of Criminal Court has โฃalso garneredโ significantโค attention. Challenger Calvin Duncan, whoโ spent nearly threeโค decades in prison for a murder conviction beforeโค beingโ released in 2011 after presenting new evidence of his innocence, is advocating for improvements to the city’s criminal โcourt records system. However,incumbentโฃ Darren Lombard โand โLouisiana’s Attorney General dispute Duncan’s claim of exoneration,citing โa plea deal he โขaccepted. While his convictions were vacated by โฃa judgeโฃ in 2021,and he is listed in the National Registry of Exonerations,the debateโข over his case continues.