Reversing a 4th Circuit Court of Appeal decision in June that blocked the case from going forward, the Louisiana Supreme Court voted 5-2 that the council is an independent body with special powers under the New Orleans Home Rule Charter, allowing it to sue the mayor, unlike legislative bodies in other Louisiana cities.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration improperly paid a city contractor tasked with cleaning up blighted lots and then tried to rush through a renewal of the contract, according to a report
The grant money came from the Wisner Trust, a 110-year-old charitable donation, for the city to fund community beautification, education and recreation projects.
A watchdog is accusing the City of New Orleans of spending Wisner Trust funds on blight abatement work that wasn't properly tracked or proven to be completed.