NEW ORLEANS — There are 167 days between now and the day Mayor-elect Latoya Cantrell takes office, a five-month span that officials say will make for a seamless transition from Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office to the current administration.
“The mayor and I, in some cases, have not seen eye-to-eye, but we always come out on top,” Cantrell said Tuesday during a joint press conference with Landrieu. “We will shine for the citizens of New Orleans. The people will definitely be put first.”
Cantrell said a big priority will be suspending the traffic camera program until the city collects data on whether the controversial cameras actually improve public safety.
Landrieu recalled that when he first took office, the city was on the verge of bankruptcy, there were piles of contracts and city bills waiting to be paid on the mayor’s desk, and the mayor had no information on the day-to-day operations of City Hall.
“So much of our work in the early days was just getting organized and getting City Hall to function,” Landrieu said. “It’s critical for the next mayor that our team gets this right.”
Landrieu said he and his administration began forming a transition team three months ago, even before the primary election. Deputy Mayor Judy Reese Morse will oversee Landrieu’s transition team.
Cantrell, meanwhile, said she’s in the process of forming her own transition team, which will be announced in coming weeks.
“We definitely expect citizens to be engaged throughout the process,” she said. “It’s very important … We want to build consensus before making drastic changes.”
Watch the full press conference below: