NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell is preparing to travel overseas again after the recent travel controversy that had angered many residents in the city.
Cantrell is heading to Buenos Aires in Argentina for the C-40 World Mayors Summit. The mayor is listed as a speaker for the event. The summit is a triennial climate action conference that will start on Wednesday, October 19, and run through Friday.
This will mark the mayor’s fourth foreign trip this year. She had visited Switzerland, France, and Amsterdam. Critics say she shouldn’t be spending the city’s money on travel during the city’s crime crisis.
The travel controversy led to the city council docking the mayor’s salary to cover the travel upgrades. Cantrell recently agreed to return the money. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that she would pay the city back nearly $30,000 for travel expenses.
Cantrell said that she resisted paying back the money at first because she said that the higher-cost flight upgrades on trips to Switzerland and France were for legitimate business purposes, boosting economic development for the city.