Former New Orleans mayor weighs in on the recall petition of Mayor LaToya Cantrell

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A former New Orleans mayor is weighing in on recent litigation involving the recall petition of Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

Marc Morial was the city’s youngest mayor from 1994-2002. He says the mayor’s job is not easy, and no one has a magic wand to solve the city’s issues.

A consent judgment signed by an Orleans Parish judge last week reduced by 5,000 the number of valid signatures the petition must contain to be successful. The agreement settled a lawsuit brought by recall organizers against Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Sandra Wilson, which alleged more than 31,000 voters who had died or moved out of the city were still improperly listed on active voter rolls. In the wake of the settlement, Morial demanded clarity and transparency.

“This is separate from the issue of whether you want the recall to go forward or not. But I don’t think the Secretary of State can simply talk out of both sides of his mouth,” Morial said. “There needs to be some absolute clarity.”

Morial was one of two former New Orleans mayors inducted Saturday night into the Louisiana Political Museum Hall of Fame. Mitch Landrieu -- Cantrell’s immediate predecessor as mayor -- declined to comment on the recall efforts.

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