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LaToya Cantrell
2018 - Present
2026
7
LaToya Cantrell (Democratic Party) is the Mayor of New Orleans in Louisiana. She assumed office on May 7, 2018. Her current term ends on January 12, 2026.
Cantrell (Democratic Party) won re-election for Mayor of New Orleans in Louisiana outright in the primary on November 13, 2021, after the general election was canceled.
Cantrell rose to local prominence through her work to recover and restore the Broadmoor neighborhood following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2012, she won a special election for the New Orleans City Council to serve a partial term. Cantrell was elected to a full term in 2014, where she sponsored a measure prohibiting smoking in city bars and casinos.[1]
In her first term as mayor, Cantrell was involved in negotiations to secure $50 million for the Sewerage & Water Board. She also established a four-phase reopening plan for New Orleans during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on Cantrell's political career:
Biography
Cantrell was born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California. She moved to New Orleans in 1990 to pursue her B.A. in sociology from Xavier University of Louisiana. She also received executive management training at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.[1][2]
She first entered politics as a member of the Broadmoor Improvement Association, which saved the Broadmoor neighborhood following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and secured $5 million in pledges from the Clinton Global Initiative to rebuild.[1]
Cantrell worked as a nonprofit management executive prior to her election to the city council in 2012. She also served as a board member of the Salvation Army of Greater New Orleans, Arts Council Committee of Greater New Orleans, Neighborhood Partnership Network, 4-H Foundation of Louisiana, Smart Growth Louisiana, and the National Association of Bench and Bar Spouses.[1][2]
Tenure as mayor of New Orleans
- See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Louisiana)
On May 12, 2020, Cantrell announced a four-phase reopening plan for New Orleans during the coronavirus pandemic. The city's stay-at-home order was set to expire May 15. The plan required the following public milestones to be met before moving between phases: sustained trend of low and declining new cases, increased testing capabilities, robust contact tracing and isolation procedures, and healthcare capacity.[3]
Cantrell progressed more slowly than the state, entering into Phase Two—which allowed several businesses, including shopping malls, restaurants, bars, and beauty salons to open at 50% capacity—on June 13, 2020.[3] Phase Two of the statewide reopening plan, which also allowed many businesses to operate at 50% capacity, went into effect on June 5.
S&WB infrastructure deal
In May 2019, Cantrell and Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced that the Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB) would receive a one-time payment of $50 million combined from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and unused federal grants from Hurricane Katrina recovery funds. Another $26 million would be placed in an infrastructure fund annually.[4][5]
Traffic camera speed allowance
In February 2019, Cantrell lowered the speed limit range for traffic cameras to issue tickets to 6 mph over the limit in school zones and 8 mph over the limit elsewhere. The change was made without an announcement, prompting Kristin Giselson Palmer, who chairs the city council's Transportation Committee, to say, "The lack of proper notification can be upsetting for people who believed they were operating by the rules, and further erodes their trust in local government.[6]
Cantrell said, "This wasn’t, and absolutely is not, a money grab. This is about our children. ... They deserve to be protected at every level, and I’m going to do that."[6]
Tenure on the New Orleans City Council
Smoking ban
Cantrell served on the New Orleans City Council from 2012 to 2018. The New York Times called an ordinance to prohibit smoking in city bars and casinos Cantrell's best-known accomplishment during her time on the city council.[1] Cantrell, who sponsored the measure, said she wanted to protect bartenders, customers, and musicians from secondhand smoke.[7]
Zoning variance disputes
Cantrell was involved in two zoning variance disputes. In the first instance, developers wanted to build a six-story Marriott Hotel in the Warehouse District, where the zoning code only permitted five floors. Cantrell opposed the zoning variance. The second dispute involved the development of a $120 million hotel that would be three times taller than what the zoning code permitted and require removal of portions of three pre-Civil War buildings. Preservationists opposed the variance. Cantrell allowed the proposal, which was later withdrawn, to move through the city's planning process.[7]
ICE hold policy
Working with the Congress of Day Laborers and Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gussman, Cantrell supported a resolution requiring the New Orleans Police Department to deny Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests.[8][9]
Elections
2025
LaToya Cantrell was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2021
See also: Mayoral election in New Orleans, Louisiana (2021)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of New Orleans
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of New Orleans on November 13, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | LaToya Cantrell (D) | 64.7 | 48,750 |
 | Vina Nguyen (R) | 13.5 | 10,133 | |
 | Leilani Heno (No party preference)  | 8.8 | 6,605 | |
 | Belden Batiste (D) | 5.1 | 3,863 | |
 | Joseph Amato (Independent) | 1.7 | 1,256 | |
 | Eldon Anderson (D) | 1.3 | 987 | |
| Byron Cole (No party preference) | 1.2 | 919 | ||
 | Luke Fontana (D) | 1.0 | 720 | |
 | Manny Chevrolet Bruno (No party preference) | 0.8 | 578 | |
 | Johnese Smith (D) | 0.7 | 553 | |
 | Matthew Hill (Independent) | 0.7 | 535 | |
 | Nathaniel Jones (Independent) | 0.3 | 231 | |
 | Douglas Bentley I (Independent) | 0.2 | 163 | |
| Reginald Merchant (No party preference) | 0.0 | 32 | ||
| Total votes: 75,325 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2017
The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, held primary elections for mayor and seven city council seats on October 14, 2017. A general election took place on November 18, 2017, for races where no candidate received 50 percent of the primary vote. The filing deadline for this election was July 14, 2017.[10][11] LaToya Cantrell (D) defeated Desiree Charbonnet (D) in the general election for mayor of New Orleans.
| Mayor of New Orleans, General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  LaToya Cantrell |
60.35% | 51,342 | |
| Democratic | Desiree Charbonnet | 39.65% | 33,729 | |
| Total Votes | 85,071 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Saturday, November 18, 2017," accessed November 18, 2017 | ||||
The following candidates ran in the primary election for mayor of New Orleans.
| Mayor of New Orleans, Primary Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | LaToya Cantrell |
39.00% | 32,025 | |
| Democratic | Desiree Charbonnet |
30.48% | 25,028 | |
| Democratic | Michael Bagneris | 18.76% | 15,405 | |
| Democratic | Troy Henry | 6.42% | 5,270 | |
| Democratic | Tommie Vassel | 1.36% | 1,120 | |
| Independent | Hashim Walters | 0.56% | 462 | |
| Democratic | Thomas Albert | 0.56% | 456 | |
| Independent | Edward Bruski | 0.55% | 450 | |
| Democratic | Frank Scurlock | 0.47% | 385 | |
| No Party | Manny Chevrolet Bruno | 0.32% | 264 | |
| No Party | Derrick O'Brien Martin | 0.29% | 238 | |
| Independent | Patrick Van Hoorebeek | 0.28% | 232 | |
| Democratic | Charles Anderson | 0.28% | 230 | |
| No Party | Byron Cole | 0.26% | 212 | |
| No Party | Matthew Hill | 0.13% | 108 | |
| Democratic | Edward Collins Sr. | 0.12% | 96 | |
| Democratic | Brandon Dorrington | 0.11% | 92 | |
| Democratic | Johnese Smith | 0.05% | 38 | |
| Total Votes | 82,111 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Saturday, October 14, 2017," accessed October 14, 2017 | ||||
Endorsements
The following table displays group endorsements issued in New Orleans' 2017 primary election. Endorsing organizations may offer endorsements to more than one candidate in anticipation of a top-two general election or if they believe more than one candidate meets their criteria for official support.
| Candidate endorsements | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorser | Mayor | At-large 1 | At-large 2 | A | B | C | D | E |
| Alliance for Good Government[12] | Michael Bagneris | Helena Moreno | Jason Williams (i) | Joe Giarrusso III | Seth Bloom | Kristin Palmer | N/A | N/A |
| Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO[13] | Desiree Charbonnet | Joseph Bouie Helena Moreno |
Jason Williams (i) | Joe Giarrusso III | Jay Banks Timothy David Ray |
Nadine Ramsey (i) | Jared Brossett (i) | James Gray (i) |
| Independent Women's Organization[14] | LaToya Cantrell | Helena Moreno | Jason Williams (i) | Aylin Acikalin Maklansky Joe Giarrusso III |
Seth Bloom Timothy David Ray |
Nadine Ramsey (i) Kristin Palmer |
Jared Brossett (i) | James Gray (i) |
| New Orleans Coalition[15] | Michael Bagneris LaToya Cantrell |
Helena Moreno | Jason Williams (i) | Joe Giarrusso III | Timothy David Ray | Kristin Palmer | Jared Brossett (i) | James Gray (i) |
2014
- See also: New Orleans city council elections, 2014
Elections for the city council of New Orleans, Louisiana consisted of a primary election on February 1, 2014, and a general election on March 15, 2014. Running unopposed, incumbent LaToya Cantrell (D) won re-election by default to the District B seat.[16][17]
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
LaToya Cantrell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Federal grand jury indictment (2025)
On August 15, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Cantrell on charges of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The indictment alleged that Cantrell engaged in criminal conduct to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie. Vappie was also charged in the indictment and pleaded not guilty in a separate criminal case connected to his relationship with Cantrell.[18]
The couple allegedly traveled together privately, and Cantrell paid Vappie as if he were on duty. Vappie was also compensated for the time he spent with Cantrell at an apartment owned by the city of New Orleans. The pair allegedly communicated via WhatsApp and deleted messages to conceal their activities.[18]
The indictment also alleged that Cantrell and Vappie intimidated subordinates, lied to colleagues, made false statements to the FBI, and committed perjury before a federal grand jury to cover up the alleged fraud.[19]
Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
Cantrell was mayor of New Orleans during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in New Orleans, Louisiana, began on May 30, 2020.[20] No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed.
| To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
Cantrell praised the handling of the protests on June 1, 2020: "As it relates to our traffic division you saw them stopping cars, you saw them making a way and that's what what we want to do, continue to make a way for our residents to be safe but also create the environment so that they can use their voices to stand against any injustice that they see fit."[27]
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The New York Times, "Who Is LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans’s First Female Mayor?" November 20, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Orleans City Council, "LaToya Cantrell: Councilmember District "B"," accessed June 17, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NOLA Ready, "Safe Reopening," accessed June 17, 2020
- ↑ NOLA, "Deal for $50 million payment to Sewerage & Water Board reached by mayor, governor," May 7, 2020
- ↑ NOLA, "LaToya Cantrell's first year as New Orleans mayor: See breakdown of her wins and losses," May 11, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 NOLA, "Mayor Cantrell defends New Orleans traffic camera speed change: 'I stand by it 100%,'" April 18, 2019
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Politico, "LaToya Cantrell, Madame Mayor?" April 16, 2015
- ↑ Who Dat Dish, "Mayoral Candidate LaToya Cantrell talks NOLA politics and Saints," April 4, 2017
- ↑ Next City, "Meet the 2 Black Women Vying to Be the Next New Orleans Mayor," November 2, 2017
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2017 Elections," February 2017
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed July 14, 2017
- ↑ Twitter, "Alliance for Good Government," accessed September 18, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO," accessed August 13, 2017
- ↑ The New Orleans Advocate, "Several candidates disqualified in New Orleans, and other area political news," July 30, 2017
- ↑ New Orleans Coalition, "Endorsements," accessed August 22, 2017
- ↑ Louisiana Elections "Candidate Search" accessed December 14, 2013
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State "Unofficial Election Results - 2/1/2014," accessed February 2, 2014
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 AP, "New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard," accessed August 15, 2025
- ↑ United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Louisiana, "New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted for Fraud and Obstruction of Justice," accessed August 15, 2025
- ↑ WWL TV, "Hundreds march in New Orleans, protesting George Floyd's death during arrest," May 30, 2020
- ↑ Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑ Associated Press, "Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death," April 20, 2021
- ↑ CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedchi1 - ↑ FOX 8 Live, "City leaders praise New Orleanians for protesting peacefully," June 1, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of New Orleans 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
New Orleans City Council District B 2012-2018 |
Succeeded by Jay Banks (D) |
| |||||||||
