The effort to subject New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to a recall vote officially flat-lined this week as the Governor’s Office announced that nearly 60% of the 67,022 signatures on recall petitions were invalid.
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday formally accepted the review of petition signatures conducted by the New Orleans registrar of voters, Sandra Wilson. Wilson’s analysis of the signatures submitted showed that only 27,243 of the signatures – 12.1% of the jurisdiction’s 224,876 qualified electors – were valid.
The massive misfire by recall organizers, with 59.4% of the submitted signatures having been rejected, follows a campaign of emotional charges and counter-charges, lawsuits and criticism of Cantrell’s record on violent crime in the city, the delivery of public services and ethics concerns.
But in the wake of the recall’s collapse, the mayor pledged both healing and reform.
“Now, with the divisiveness of the failed recall campaign officially behind us, we must heal and recommit ourselves to working collaboratively to continue the progress we’ve made towards reducing crime, increasing public safety, building a more sustainable and resilient city and creating economic and job opportunities that benefit all of our people," Cantrell said in a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record.
Cantrell’s longtime campaign manager, Maggie Carroll, said a Republican donor helped finance the bulk of the recall campaign.
“We are grateful that the truth has finally come out, that the effort to recall Mayor LaToya Cantrell never had enough signatures,” Carroll said in a statement provided to the Record. “The Mayor’s campaign fully respects the democratic process and has spent nothing to stop the process. … The recall campaign has been divisive, dishonest and opaque to say the least. It’s time for New Orleanians to better our city in the way we do best – by coming together.”
The recall organizers posted a statement on Twitter that didn’t explain the nearly 60% failure rate in the signature drive.
“The efforts of the recall have only just begun,” the statement by NoLaToya.org says. “We are exploring all legal options at this time. We will also move forward with legislation to correct the injustices that were met with along this process. …”