Hey New Orleanians! There’s a new mayor in town. Well, almost. Now that the primary is behind us, mark you calendars for November 18th: the general election.
The primary election results have returned and boast some historic news. Despite a contested race, the two remaining candidates for mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell and Desiree Charbonnet, are strong and powerful women. What does this mean? That the 300th mayor will be a major first.
In the wake of the 2016 election, concerns about representation have arose, sparking a wave of women and minorities to run for office. Having a female mayor, more specifically, a female woman of color, will finally provide a platform that reflects the perspective of half of New Orleans’ inhabitants, many of whom have been rendered invisible by a history of male mayors. Often overlooked, accurate representation in office is crucial to levels of trust and interaction between constituents and officials. A guaranteed female mayor elected this year, the first in New Orleans, will assert that the future really is female.