New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is defending the $43,000 spent on a four-day trip to France where she signed a “sister city” agreement with a resort town on the French Riviera. Cantrell said the trip allowed her to promote tourism back to Louisiana.
“And it was absolutely worth it. Simply because and you’re talking about France. You’re talking about France from which we come, meaning a part of the fabric of the City of New Orleans,” said Cantrell.
Cantrell and her aides stayed at a luxury hotel overlooking the Eiffel Tower. The mayor said she did not pick the hotel…
“The hotel rooms are booked by travel agents, and I can’t tell you why, I would say because that, that’s what was available. I mean I think it’s common sense in that regard,” said Cantrell.
Cantrell is also taking heat for appearing in juvenile court supporting a 14-year-old convicted carjacker who was convicted on three first-degree robbery charges. The mayor said the juvenile offender participated in a program she created called Pathways. Her appearance in court upset the victims in the case, but Cantrell said she was not picking a side…
“That’s not picking a side, that’s supporting a young person that has made decisions that puts him on a better pathway, that’s what I did,” said Cantrell.
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