NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The City of New Orleans released a statement regarding Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Pontalba apartment, claiming she isn’t using it and that she hasn’t restricted access to it.
Recently, the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance stating that Cantrell must vacate the apartment. Once she does, the owner of the property, the French Market Corporation, will renovate it and list it for public use.
On Monday, March 4, leaders with the Metropolitan Crime Commission said Cantrell’s belongings were still inside the Pontalba apartment. Armed with that information, the council is now threatening to evict her.
“We received information from a source that the apartment was still vacant and that it had not been placed into commerce,” said Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche. “So, we made a public records request to confirm all of that. After we received the documentation, we released it to the public.”
On Aug. 23, 2023, Cantrell attempted to override the council’s vote to end her use of the apartment. Councilman Oliver Thomas, who voted against the override, said he didn’t want future mayors to be punished for prior actions.
Gregory Joseph, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, called the vote “a personal vendetta” and “a grudge the council continues to hold against the mayor.”
Goyeneche explained that the French Market Corporation requested to enter the property three times in January, September and October.
On Feb. 28, City Council Vice President JP Morrell sent Cantrell a letter stating she had until 12 p.m. on Monday, March 4 to turn over the keys to the property owners and until March 11 to forfeit the apartment.
A spokeswoman for Morrell’s office said they didn’t hear from her before the end of the day.
WGNO legal analyst Cliff Cardone explained that Cantrell would have to go to court and defend against that eviction.
“The city can evict someone who does not have a lease, which apparently, she doesn’t, for no reason or any reason at all, as long as they give her adequate notice,” said Cardone.
On Wednesday, March 6, the City of New Orleans released a statement regarding the renovation efforts to be made at the apartment.
The French Market Corporation, as part of their renovation review to determine the status and repair needs of the Pontalba Building, has had custody and control of the keys to enter Unit 530B and has done so on multiple occasions to make assessments of that unit.
There have been no impediments restricting The French Market Corporation from entering the unit since the City Council Ordinance was passed.
As reiterated in several Official Statements from the City of New Orleans, the Mayor is not utilizing the apartment, and any suggestion that the Mayor is preventing access to it is inaccurate.
This underscores the importance of providing accurate information to the public. We hope that any reasonable person would recognize that initiating an eviction process is unreasonable when there is no tenant to evict.
Mayor Cantrell is committed to working collaboratively with local and state partners and will continue to demonstrate her commitment to putting the people of New Orleans first.
City of New Orleans
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