NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — It’s been six months since the New Orleans City Council voted to put the Pontalba apartment being used by Mayor LaToya Cantrell back on the market.
However, the Metropolitan Crime Commission is reporting she hasn’t moved out her belongings, which is why 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. 24, the council adopted a motion that stripped Cantrell of the Pontalba apartment, giving it to the French Market Corporation, but that reportedly never happened.
“At the end of January, the French Market Corporation was repeatedly asking the Office of Mayor for permission to enter the apartment. Once in January, once in October, once in September,” explained Goyeneche.
New Orleans City Council Vice President JP Morrell sent a letter to Cantrell on Feb. 28, giving her a 12 p.m. deadline on Monday to let the council know when she would turn the keys over to the French Market Corporation. According to a spokeswoman for Morrell’s office, they didn’t hear from her before the end of the day.
Morrell also wrote Cantrell has until March 11 to forfeit the apartment, or she will be formally evicted.
“She would have to then come to court and defend against that eviction,” explained WGNO legal analyst Cliff Cardone. “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.”
Cardone went on to say, if she failed to defend herself against the eviction, a constable or sheriff could be directed to take her belongings out of the apartment and put them in storage or even on the street.
“I guess for people that support her, they think her defiance is admirable, and the people who don’t support her think that it’s just another black eye for the city administration,” Cardone said.
WGNO reached out to the French Market Corporation for comment but has not heard back.
WGNO also reached out to the mayor’s office. Their response was in the form of a March 1 news release, stating the city is in the process of drafting a cooperative endeavor agreement with the French Market Corporation regarding a multimillion-dollar renovation for the Pontalba building.
On Monday night, the City of New Orleans released a statement about the Pontalba building.
In the statement, city officials said “several inaccurate remarks have been circulating regarding the Pontalba Building” since the release of the March 1 statement.
“Any statements or sources-say reports are again not accurate and not a fair representation regarding the Office of Mayor, and not a respectful decorum towards the hard work and dedicated efforts of Mayor Cantrell. In addition, the suggestion that the Mayor is somehow holding up the process regarding the renovation of the building and rental market availability is incorrect. Even before the City Council Ordinance was passed authorizing the return of the Pontalba apartment to the French Market Corporation, the Mayor has not used that apartment,” the statement reads.
In the statement, city officials also said Cantrell is investing in the city.
“The process stated below is not about a single apartment. It is about a multimillion-dollar investment into this historic French Quarter building. Reports or statements that suggest it is a prudent financial step to move forward with renovation work on a single unit would not benefit the City or French Market Corporation,” the statement reads.
City officials said in the statement that the correct status of the Pontalba Building is “not being conveyed to the public” amid positive work being done in the city.
“Regardless of the misinformation, Mayor Cantrell is committed to doing the work in collaboration with City and State partners and will continue to demonstrate her firm commitment to putting the people of New Orleans first over politics while remaining focused on moving this City Forward Together,” the statement reads.
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