From holding her purse to taking her to hairdresser, NOLA mayor LaToya Cantrell demeaned her bodyguards
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has sparked outrage for allegedly treating her bodyguard like servants, according to who, she made them hold her purse and do her shopping. She also had them pick up her daughter from her school and take her to the hairdresser, they said. Cantrell's shocking behavior was uncovered after cops launched an internal probe into officer Jeffrey Vappie after he was found spending time with the married mayor in her exclusive French Quarter.
Vappie's wife Danielle has filed for divorce claiming an alleged affair dating back to May 2021. However, the mother of one claims their relationship was "strictly professional." Recently an effort to recall the Democrat mayor of New Orleans failed Tuesday, December 21, after petition sheets containing over 67,000 signatures half of which were considered to be invalid. "My administration has always remained focused on addressing the real pressing issues that face our city," The two-time Mayor said.
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Who is LaToya Cantrell?
Cantrell is the first woman to serve as a New Orleans mayor. This is her second term after she took the office last August, less than a year after she was first selected. Although Cantrell was easily elected in 2021, her mayorship has come under scrutiny for numerous problems, including violent crime, fitful progress on major street projects, and unreliable garbage collection, reported Daily Mail. Most recently, she faced severe backlash for her travel expenses and use of taxpayers' funds. Cantrell splurged $30,000 on first-class plane tickets to France and Switzerland after declaring that economy-class flights are "unsafe" for black women.
What are the accusations against LaToya Cantrell?
Scores of complaints from her bodyguard, one of whom was apparently fired without any reason. Sgt Wondell Smith said, if you angered Cantrell, "you got your butt ran down from head to toe. Potty mouth, I call it," he said during an investigation into Vappie's timesheets. Another officer, Kristy Johnson-Stokes, said that the mayor would make her do chores like picking her daughter up from school, buying her gifts, and watering her plants. Johnson-Stokes told cops, "I don't think anybody would tell [Cantrell], 'No, ma'am. I'm not gonna water your plants for you'." "I mean, I've been asked, 'Hey, Miss Kristy? Can you take my card and go to this department store ... and have it wrapped and come back, so we can go to this event and I can have a gift?'"
"I think the main thing for the team - especially the guys - who was holding that purse? Like, we need our hands, you know? Like, we're not supposed to be holding your bag. But, you know, you might need an assistant for that," she claimed. The security guard alleged that even when Cantrell was out of town, they were expected to help her family. "We would be tasked with picking up her daughter. Sometimes bringing her daughter to school, sometimes picking her daughter up from school. Bring her to tutoring, bringing the daughter to hair appointments, bringing the daughter to sports practices, picking her up from sports practices," Johnson-Stokes said.
Senior security officer Smith, who worked in the mayoral security detail for 18 years, said when he was abruptly removed from his post by Cantrell without providing a reason said, "It hurt like hell." He also worked with the team when Vappie would spend long hours at the Mayor's apartment. He told NOPD: "To this day, I cannot tell you why I was transferred. Not that I can't tell you, let me rephrase that. I have no damn clue. I know it hurt like hell. I know that much." "All day (we were) talking, laughing and, you know, having a good day. So it caught me off guard. I ain't gonna lie," he told cops. Following his transfer, in 2021, Smith retired from the NOPD. As of now, Cantrell has not assigned another ranking officer to oversee the timesheets of her security detail.
Who is LaToya Cantrell's husband?
Cantrell's husband is Jason Cantrell and the pair have been married for more than 20 years. Professionally, Jason works as a lawyer. In 2012, he was suspended from his post as an assistant lawyer in New Orleans after a marijuana joint slipped out of his pocket. Later, Cantrell said her husband resigned from the post and will accept legal consequences for his actions. "I absolutely do not condone the action. He has resigned his position with the city attorney’s office and he will accept the legal consequence as the judicial process take its course,” she said, reported The Republic Monitor.