NEW ORLEANS — One year into her term, Mayor LaToya Cantrell has gotten high marks for the deal she made to bring millions of dollars to the city, to fund long overdue repairs to the drainage system.
That was one of the topics she talked about with Eric Paulsen on the anniversary of her first year in office. While timing was on her side for making headway in getting tourism dollars for infrastructure, she says she had no choice since the problems of the past are now hers as mayor. She said she got a big taste of that right out of the gate.
CANTRELL: Less than a week, I would say right after a week after being inaugurated, we had a rain event and I was being questioned what am I going to do when the streets are flooding and I just said 'Yes we do flood in the city of New Orleans due to rainwater.' But of course we have to look at it as an entire system. We can't pump our way out of the situation. It's not just the Sewerage and Water Board, it's our entire infrastructure system: water, sewer, drainage, roads, transportation options, all those things. But as it relates to flooding in our city, we have an urban water plan that needs to be fully implemented, we had millions of dollars that had not hit the ground in terms of infrastructure, green infrastructure improvements and then we had rain events where people's cars were flooded and then coming out of an era to where the public and the (City) Council at the time were lied to. I served on that council when we were lied to about the pumps so I came in kind of laser-focused on this issue.
PAULSEN: On that issue, and not to point fingers, but I'm kind of pointing fingers...the S&WB was neglected for a long time. The catch basins were neglected for a long time. There were some big mistakes made in prior administrations about what to do with the antiquated generating system that should have been upgraded and was not.
CANTRELL: That's a fact but now is the time and because of the failing infrastructure where it impacted people's daily routine....
PAULSEN: But that was affecting it all the time. I know you don't like pointing fingers but you came in kind of handicapped because of decisions that were made prior to your administration.
CANTRELL: Sure, that's correct. But I'm owning them. And I think maybe that's just an approach that I've taken, but folks thought it (the infrastructure funding deal) couldn't be done, it was a wasted cause, it was even grandstanding I was accused of doing but I was very serious and focused on getting a little bit more of the revenue generated right here in the city that will be allocated towards infrastructure.
See more of Eric Paulsen's interview with Mayor Cantrell Friday on the Eyewitness Morning News on WWL-TV and WUPL-TV.
