A terrorist attack at 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day exposed to the world the deadly consequences of the dysfunctional leadership of New Orleans. The Crescent City has been controlled by the Democratic Party since 1872, when the last Republican Mayor left office.

The current Democrat Mayor, LaToya Cantrell, is thankfully in the final year of her second term in office. She has been enmeshed in controversy from the beginning of her tenure as Mayor.

While she survived a recall effort, she is currently embroiled in a federal investigation involving local businessmen, who allegedly gave her gifts in exchange for the firing of a city employee.

She is also implicated in the indictment of her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, a former policeman, who has been charged with wire fraud and making false statements. The indictment alleges that Cantrell began having an affair with Vappie, then married, while he was “on duty” guarding her.

It is also alleged that Cantrell and Vappie spent personal time together at the city owned Upper Pontalba apartment, located adjacent to Jackson Square in the French Quarter. In previous mayoral administrations, this apartment was strictly used to accommodate dignitaries visiting New Orleans. The historic apartment was reportedly utilized by Cantrell as a personal residence. It took a prolonged battle with the New Orleans City Council for Cantrell to finally surrender the keys to the apartment.

When Cantrell was not spending time with her bodyguard and living in the city-owned apartment, she was enjoying lavish international trips, often accompanied by Officer Vappie. In fact, they travelled together on 14 out-of-town trips, often to far-flung destinations such as Qatar, France,........

© Townhall