NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A hearing is set on Wednesday for a that would prohibit New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell from accessing funds from the Wisner Donation Fund, a trust more than 100 years old.
Trust a pot of money. The hearing is being held for a Judge to consider extending it. The trust fund known as the Wisner Trust is more than 100 years old.
Cantrell and former mayors like Mitch Landrieu have used the trust to pay for various projects. The City Council said that when the trust expired so did the Mayor’s power to spend the money.
It is a two-sided battle over controlling the cash. In order to spend the money, there must be special approval granted by a Judge. Mayor Cantrell’s office sent us a statement in response to the restraining order saying the following:
“The New Orleans City Council fails to fully comprehend the ramification of their actions. This temporary restraining order will cause true detriment to organizations in need of resources for community-led programs and initiatives that our people depend on every day and that this City Council seeks to end with this litigation. Over the years, Wisner dollars have provided parents and caregivers with skills to become leading advocates for their children through the Parent Leadership Training Institute, successfully connected formally incarcerated individuals with jobs as they reenter society, funded programs that support public safety initiatives and interventions through my Office of Gun Violence Prevention and has driven our partnership with Pastor Pat Watson and the Evening Reporting Center aimed at keeping teens out of detention centers.
These resources have also allowed my administration to allocate dollars to programs that address quality of life and public safety issues head-on, such as community cleanup efforts in New Orleans East, the Center for Employment Opportunities, the Downtown Development District Strike Team and grounds patrols in the French Quarter. The City remains laser-focused on maintaining the fundamental requirements of the Wisner fund including the beautification of our city, recreation and education opportunities for our youth and necessary human services for underserved communities. It would be a great loss to the forward movement of New Orleans if the City is no longer able to access and disperse Wisner proceeds, and I charge the City Council leadership with creating an alternative solution to fund these vital programs that aid in keeping our people and our communities safe, healthy, and thriving.”
WGNO will keep this story updated as more information becomes available.
