New Orleans Mayor Cantrell claims affair accusations are sexist 'bulls---,' wouldn't happen to a man

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's detractors weigh in on recall efforts

NOLaToya organizers, recently resigned New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson and Louisiana Lt. Gov Billy Nungesser share their thoughts on recall efforts against controversial mayor LaToya Cantrell.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell slammed allegations that she engaged in an extramarital affair, suggesting that they are baseless and the product of sexism. 

According to NOLA.com, Cantrell allegedly texted one of the news outlets’ reporters on Wednesday to push back on what she described as "false allegations."

"By the time I complete my tenure as mayor I would have slept with half of the City of New Orleans based on false accusations that come my way sometimes daily," Cantrell messaged. "This is only one of them."

In a follow-up text, Cantrell allegedly told the reporter: "If I were a MAN you would NOT be texting me about this bull---t."

NOLA and the mayor's office did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

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Mayor LaToya Cantrell speaks onstage at the Evening Concert Series during the 2021 Essence Festival of Culture at the University of New Orleans in New Orleans in this image released June 26, 2021. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

New Orleans Police Department Officer Jeffrey Vappie was removed from Cantrell’s security team after an investigation into irregularities in his pay. The investigation found that Vappie’s timesheets included long hours clocked on days he was not assigned to the mayor’s details, or on days when she had little scheduled.  

A new divorce petition filed on behalf of Vappie’s wife alleges that he admitted to an "adulterous affair" with a woman listed in the Jan. 4 filing as "Mrs. L.C." Multiple news outlets, including WVUE-TV and WDSU-TV, have independently verified that the unnamed woman is indeed the mayor. 

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell speaks during the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on July 2, 2022. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Essence)

Vappie’s wife first filed the divorce papers the day after WVUE ran a segment examining several instances when Cantrell and Vappie allegedly spent hours together in a city-owned apartment. She now says Cantrell played a factor in her marriage’s turmoil.

The divorce filings list 10 dates from August and September 2022 where Vappie and "L.C." engaged in a sexual relationship." Vappie’s wife claims that the relationship between her husband and Cantrell started in May and continues to this day.

The scandal hitting the mayor comes at a particularly difficult time. Cantrell is currently facing a recall in New Orleans. 

Organizers of the recall have slammed Cantrell over record-breaking crime rates, understaffed police and EMS departments, severe government inefficiencies and allegations of corruption as well as poor infrastructure, among other things. 

A "Recall Mayor LaToya Cantrell" billboard erected in September 2022 in New Orleans. (Eileen Carter)

The recall faces an uphill climb, with just five weeks left to collect over 20,000 signatures. Political analysts have noted that the number needed to initiate a recall is likely even higher, with some signatures destined to be thrown out due to error. 

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This is not the first scandal to rock a female mayor in the U.S. 

In 2018, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry eventually resigned after it was revealed she was having an affair with a police officer leading her security detail. She pleaded guilty to a charge about the misuse of overtime hours she took to go on trips with the officer.