SITUATION
Following her heroic efforts to rebuild her Broadmoor neighborhood following Hurricane Katrina, LaToya Cantrell was elected Councilwoman in District B. During her stint as councilperson, Cantrell authored legislation to ban smoking in public places and built a strong base of supporters for her efforts to develop the New Orleans community.
With the Mayoral Election in 2017 looming, Bill Rouselle began to encourage LaToya to run for the City’s highest office. By mid-2016, he began meeting with her and key City stakeholders to explore the possibility. At the beginning of 2017, she formed a Campaign Committee and declared her candidacy for Mayor of the City of New Orleans
STRATEGY
Bright Moments managed all aspects of public and media relations during the early stages of the campaign. The services included meetings with various constituents, associations, and organizations. BM coordinated event creation and production, as well as press conferences and campaign events. Also providing a dedicated staff assigned to support the then mayor-elect at all meetings and events by directing any required follow up activity. With meager financing, Bright Moments proposed a Listening Tour to get the candidate known citywide while learning the key concerns of every neighborhood. The Listening Tour was one of the most impactful strategies of the campaign. BM team coordinated a two-week tour over 12 neighborhoods introducing Latoya to residents of the city. This strategy coupled with an aggressive social media campaign played a key role in her victory in the first primary.
With a double-digit lead in the first primary, the campaign braced for a series of attacks, which had been pre-vetted by the campaign team. Financing became more available and Bright Moments produced radio and social media campaigns to offset the attacks and present the candidate in a positive light. With strong grassroot support, Latoya Cantrell captured 60% of the vote and became the City’s first African-American female Mayor.
RESULT
She WON!!!