Foes present signatures, seek New Orleans mayor recall vote

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Opponents of embattled New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell say they have enough signatures from a petition drive to force a recall election to remove Cantrell from office. Boxes of signatures were submitted shortly before Wednesday’s deadline for presenting the petition. Still, an election isn’t a sure thing, and the signatures will likely be challenged in court. Cantrell was first elected in 2018 and easily re-elected in 2021. But her second term has been plagued by numerous problems including violent crime, fitful progress on major street projects and unreliable garbage collection. Cantrell supporters early on cast the recall effort as a Republican attack on a Black woman mayor and Democrat.