Jeremy Alford: Recall politics, New Orleans style
The campaign to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell gathered 3,000 signatures during its first three days of operation, mostly through pop-up events. That was indeed a hot start for a long shot recall bid, and now supporters need to find ways to keep that momentum alive.
The recall petition was just filed two weeks ago by Eileen Carter, the mayor’s one-time social media manager and the sister of former state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson. Also listed on the filing was perennial candidate and community activist Belden “Noonie Man” Batiste.
Carter and Batiste are community-level leaders in the city, but they’re not associated with the kinds of political brands in New Orleans that could pull off a recall. Still, election officials say the coordinators are organized — to the point that individual signatures are being matched to
voter records onsite and in real-time to avoid future verification problems.
No matter how organized they are, gathering 53,500 signatures by Feb. 22 will be a herculean task. Failure, which is likely, will serve as yet another reminder that Louisiana makes the recall process more difficult than it should be for voters.
To remove Cantrell from office, 20% of registered voters in Orleans Parish must sign the petition being managed by Carter and Batiste, which would then prompt an actual recall election. If voters choose to fire Cantrell, the City Council would then select one of its two at-large members — currently Councilmembers JP Morrell or Helena Moreno — to serve as interim mayor until a special election can be held. Like Cantrell, Morrell and Moreno are Democrats.
The threshold to trigger such a recall election was one-third of registered voters until 2018, when state Rep. Paul Hollis, R-Covington, convinced lawmakers to make the recall law more user-friendly. In the years leading up to change, the higher threshold helped parish presidents and big city mayors involved in corruption investigations (and, in one case, a sexting scandal) survive recalls that should have ended their careers.
Morrell, who’s endeavoring to stay neutral on the recall publicly, said he wasn’t sure where the effort would lead. Cantrell, however, has missed too many opportunities to mend fences across the city, he added. “I believe the people of New Orleans are frustrated,” Morrell said. “There are a tremendous amount of issues facing the city, particularly crime, sanitation, busted infrastructure, as well as the added economic pressure of high taxes, inflation and brutal utility bills.”
As the politics play out in the background, those in the hospitality sector — the industry that serves as New Orleans’ heartbeat — are weighing how to best engage (or not engage). After feeling the brunt of the mayor’s COVID-19 restrictions and following an uncomfortable uptick in crime, bars and restaurants responded quickly with pop-up signing locations. The reaction from folks involved in lodging, hotels, conferences and conventions, meanwhile, has been slightly more muted for a variety of reasons.
Asked if any members had expressed interest in engaging with the recall, Stan Harris, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, said there have long been concerns about the direction of the city. “Our LRA New Orleans members are dependent on the city of New Orleans working efficiently and providing critical services like public safety and cleanliness that our residents, employees and guests deserve,” said Harris.
“When these services are deficient, it is the responsibility of the mayor to elevate the conversation, develop action plans and implement corrective measures. When our member feedback becomes more about the areas where the city is ineffective, discussing all options is reasonable.”
Ms. Mae’s, an iconic dive bar in the city, was among the first supporters two weeks ago to serve up a “signin’ party,” and more events are being planned.
The Louisiana Association of Beverage Alcohol Retailers, a new member of the state lobbying corps, intends to work with businesses in the coming weeks and months to educate them on how to best host signing parties and to make sure the right information is being collected. “The industry has been really hurt over the last few years, and the mayor hasn’t done much to help,” said Andrew Kilshaw, director of government affairs for LaBar, a state affiliate of American Beverage Licensees. “We want to help retailers be engaged and informed.”
As for hotels and lodging establishments, engagement will be minimal, due mainly to so many out-of-state and corporate owners. Those who do have some real skin in the game, meanwhile, are hesitant to participate because there’s no guarantee the recall is going to work — and, to put it bluntly, Cantrell and her team do not play around when it comes to holding grudges.
Moreover, there are concerns about what this recall process could do to the mood of the city. Already the Democratic mayor is claiming a Republican conspiracy is to blame in a city filled with locals who are always ready to mobilize and fight for what they believe in.
As for organizers and other folks who want a new mayor, they have five months and two weeks left to make their shared point.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow