NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Latest on the inauguration of LaToya Cantrell as the new mayor of New Orleans (all times local):
11:20 a.m.
LaToya Cantrell has taken the oath of office as mayor of New Orleans - the first woman to hold that post.
Cantrell was sworn in Monday morning in ceremonies presided over by former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile.
In her inaugural speech, Cantrell stressed the need for New Orleans residents to work together to solve challenges including fixing the city’s aging drainage system and boosting economic opportunity.
Cantrell had been on the City Council since 2012. She succeeds term-limited fellow Democrat Mitch Landrieu, whom she thanked for bringing progress to the city as it recovered from Hurricane Katrina.
History also was made when new council members were sworn in: Cindy Nguyen (winn) became the council’s first Vietnamese member.
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8 a.m.
New Orleans is about to get a new mayor.
LaToya Cantrell, the first woman to hold the post, takes the oath of office Monday, succeeding term-limited Mitch Landrieu. She won a November runoff election with 60 percent of the vote.
Cantrell, a Democrat, leaves a City Council post she won in 2012. Before that, she was an activist in the Broadmoor neighborhood, among the areas hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Inauguration ceremonies on Monday give her a chance to set the tone for her administration as she faces challenges including an aging drainage system and violent crime.
Meanwhile, she’s dealing with an investigation of city finances. Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry’s probe began after Cantrell’s runoff opponent accused her of misusing her City Council credit card.
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