LaToya Cantrell

Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist for The Times-Picayune and The Advocate, joined Louisiana Considered to break down the charges and discuss what lies ahead for the mayor.

A federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday after a long corruption investigation.

When New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell backed out of a $90 million legal settlement with the Orleans Parish School Board earlier this year, her administration pointed to the city’s own troubled finances.

Defying New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the New Orleans City Council voted on Thursday (April 10) to dedicate $10 million to New Orleans public schools — partly fulfilling the terms of a legal settlement that Cantrell rejected.

The move seems likely to face a challenge from Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who pushed back on the proposed November agreement because she didn’t believe that the city budget could shoulder the costs, she said.

“The problem in our city is not that we’re too high tech,” tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Matt Wisdom said. “It’s that we don’t have enough technology in infrastructure.”

The City of New Orleans won't have to pay a $90 million settlement to its school board, though it does have to honor the first payment, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

“The city’s financial positioning has taken a major shift,” Chief Financial Officer Romy Samuel said at a special meeting to discuss the school board settlement on Feb. 11.

“We need to get back to the basics,” Helena Moreno said in a video shared on Facebook. “I believe we need a leader who’s there 24/7, someone who’s ready to roll up their sleeves and get things done. It’s time to make the people of New Orleans the top priority once again.”

The New Orleans City Council is poised to pass Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s $1.78 billion budget for 2025 at its regular meeting on Thursday (Nov. 21) – but with some notable additions.