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04:59LaToya Cantrell.
05:01Thank you for letting me be myself again.
05:06Thank you for letting me be myself again.
05:15Thank you for letting me be myself again.
06:15So, how are you working to ensure that stable housing is a launchpad for generational wealth
06:21in your city?
06:52And so, what do you think so much?
06:53So, you know, I think a lot of people are using home ownership of home ownership as well.
06:59And I'm sure you're in the state of Louisiana, all of us are calling you home ownership,
07:02any of us are doing home ownership, and we're in the state of Louisiana.
07:05Hurricane Katrina, so that focus on home ownership, even growing it. Also, as it relates to
07:14owner-occupied rehabilitation is a priority for us as well when you think about our historic
07:22fabric. So the city of New Orleans, just connecting those dots from home ownership,
07:28economic empowerment, the financial literacy piece, and I have to throw in there public
07:33health as well through all of those lenses when we're even thinking about home ownership.
07:39Quality, affordable, but also on high, dry, safe ground. So we've activated, I would say,
07:49over 21 million in home ownership programs. 55,000 is a soft second, plus a 5,000 closing
07:58cost. So understanding that it's not just getting the home, it's getting in there, but being able
08:03to keep, grow your equity, and make it work for you for generations. So that also speaks
08:09to the owner-occupied piece, making sure that people can stay in their homes, making sure
08:15that they can ensure that they have the maintenance of their homes while they're seeing particularly
08:21layers of redevelopment or even moving towards gentrification in some areas. You're wanting
08:26to keep people in their homes, making sure, again, that they can improve them and raise
08:32their value as well while things are being raised around them. So the best way that we can make sure
08:39that our people, again, have that transferable wealth is to meet them where they are. It's not,
08:45you have to come to the office to get the paperwork. We go to the community. We go directly to our people
08:52and hand-holding them, not only just getting the key, but along the journey because we want them to,
08:59again, make sure that they can keep that home and it can grow for generations to come.
09:04So you touched on something I think is very important. You talked about that growth aspect.
09:09Mayor Johnson, Savannah is experiencing significant growth. How are you managing that in terms of home
09:16ownership for your residents so they don't feel displaced or pushed out by the growth that's happening or
09:21even the economic opportunities and development? How will you ensure that your residents have a seat
09:26at the table in those conversations as the city continues to grow? Well, first of all, thank you
09:29for the opportunity to be here. Mayor Catrell, my favorite mayor in the world. I'm on the struggle bus this
09:36morning. You have hosted an absolutely phenomenal session here, and so thank you so much. Savannah is
09:44growing, and we're growing and being discovered by people all over the world that have figured that
09:50Savannah is a very, very special place. As a result, they bring their money with them, and so
09:56that drives up prices and costs for housing for people who've lived there. As Mayor Cantrell said, and you
10:02alluded as well, our issue is that we have homes that grandmama and mom and them built, and they're young
10:09people. They're children. They're children's children don't understand the value of what they have. So in Georgia, we have a real hard time with people calling,
10:18you want to sell your house, you want to sell your house, you want to sell your house, you want to sell your house, you know, give me cash right now. And so they'll sell
10:23a $50,000, they'll take $50,000 for a house that's $150,000, and then have, and then buy a car and have to go pay rent somewhere else. When they could take the
10:36same value that mama and grandmama and them built and be able to invest that in themselves. We know that wealth has always been in land.
10:46In land. It's not in money. And so those who have money now, you know, have come from people passing down land, land is an
10:55appreciable asset, and God is not making any more land. So how do we keep individuals in their homes that are there now?
11:03Be it in minor home repairs, the things that might put grandma out of our house, her porch, her roof is leaking.
11:11Yes, sir.
11:11How do we try to turn around and create first time home buyers? Some people pass on wealth, some people pass on poverty.
11:19And so we have to break those generational curses. You can own your own home. Now, it might take some discipline, it might take some
11:26work, but it is so much easier for you to pay for something you own than for you to pay somebody else's
11:34mortgage for something that they own and they get to pass on to their children. So we were part of the
11:39Economic Mobility Leadership Institute. I think you were in the first cohort. We were in the second cohort.
11:44We stole all the stuff New Orleans did and made it look like it was our own. But we recognize that
11:50information is so important. It's not that we don't have the wherewithal. We just don't have the
11:56information. The things that we talk about in our safe spaces are not the same thing the other folks
12:02talk about in theirs. No, it's true. And it's also, you know, it's about building trust. And sometimes we
12:09don't trust the program or we believe that it's not made for us when it really is. And so my hope is
12:17that over time, as you do the work, our people are understanding, wow, this is real. So those, you know,
12:24530 families that are now in a home, they're now telling that story and seeing, like, look,
12:31it worked for me. It's real. So a lot of times, again, in our positions, it's trying really hard
12:37to build the trust in the community so that they really take advantage of the program.
12:42That is for them. And with the world we're living in right now, the struggle is getting
12:48ready to get realer than it was. Yeah.
12:50Yeah. You said something key, knowing about the programs. And I heard you,
12:53Mayor Johnson, talk about not knowing the value. When I look at my generation, we're second,
12:58third generation homeowners inheriting properties from my families and not knowing that value.
13:04Have a good friend of mine in Jacksonville, Florida right now dealing with the property issue
13:08and the family fighting over the value. What I realized is it becomes a situation of financial
13:15literacy, that value that you spoke of, knowing the value and worth, how do you manage those assets?
13:22So the question I next have for both of you, what are you doing in your cities to ensure access to
13:28financial literacy? I've spoken to both of you all in private conversations. We see now student
13:34athletes being able to get paid, buying houses for their mothers and fathers. But that financial
13:41literacy piece, how we maintain that, you both have colleges in your cities. We want to retain these
13:46residents. How are we making sure that financial literacy is something accessible to the residents of
13:52your cities? Absolutely. So one example is that the city of New Orleans put
13:58$5 million, activating it with organizations, trusted organizations throughout the city,
14:06where again, whether they're going towards a home ownership program, you're attaching
14:11the financial literacy piece to that. Whether it's working with our young people, we stood up a
14:18guaranteed income, universal basic income for young people 16 to 24. Again, being very,
14:25very intentional about this. Because again, as you mentioned, it's not just about making it, it's
14:30about how you use it. And knowing and really appreciating the value of a dollar and allowing it to be
14:38leveraged effectively and efficiently. But it's partnerships like with you, Quentin, Wells Fargo,
14:45you hit it too with our colleges and universities. Again, wanting our graduates to finish school,
14:52not in the red, not getting caught up in the get a credit card and don't pay in the interest rates
14:57attached to that. So it's a multifaceted approach that we're taking in the city, but also ensuring
15:06that people are connected to a dollar. So not just tell me how, you know, talk to me about literacy,
15:12but we're actually again through that universal basic income, whether it's $350 a month that you're
15:17getting up to 10 months. But again, working with that family, working with that individual, working
15:23with that student, $50 now, you know, she can get, do whatever she wants to do and not bother mama.
15:29So it's those types of things. Absolutely. So multifaceted and leveraging.
15:36What I'm supposed to say after that, but the truth is, it is about literacy.
15:40Um, we, we, we created, we called it manifest 2025, um, manifest because it's there. You just have to
15:49access it. Um, a big part of that back to our former conversation was about, um, estate planning.
15:59We don't die. Yeah. Even if we go to heaven, we got to leave here. That's right. And a lot of us
16:06do the, unfortunately, I lost my dad, uh, last year, last January. Um, I just didn't think he would
16:15die, but the reality is we, we leave from here and a lot of us mess our families up generation to
16:23generation because mama and them didn't tell the family what it was. And so, you know, death brings
16:31out the worst in people and the best in people. And some families are not speaking right now because of
16:36somebody that died. And so, you know, how do you put that into a plan? How do you put that into a
16:42trust? How do you communicate that with everyone? So everybody's really, really clear about what your
16:48plans were, particularly when it comes to transferring property, transferring wealth, uh, how do we create
16:54ways of understanding zoning? Um, and, and zoning is land use and, and we know if land use drives
17:01everything else, um, things about insurance, we don't understand insurance. So we believe what we
17:06see on commercials. So, um, for literacy for us, it was really about educating people to the things
17:12that we know already, but need to be shared. And we have trusted individuals in our communities.
17:18They do this stuff. That's right. They went to school. There's their seasoned professionals.
17:22So how do we create the way of transferring that information to where people are that can receive it?
17:28They may not be able to make it nine to five Monday through Fridays. They may not be able to
17:32come into an office. They may not have adequate internet access. You have to come and show them
17:38what this is all about. Then let's go ahead and be able to do that. While we're doing that,
17:42taking the younger generation and training them up in a way of understanding it from birth,
17:48so that they're not in the same way that their parents are. That's right.
17:51Mayor, you said something that was so key. I think what it becomes is an issue of access to capital.
17:56Yes. But helping our people understand that they have access to capital. So one of the questions
18:00I want to ask you, because when you hit the nail on the head, it's personal to me. I lost my dad
18:05through the gun violence when I was 15 in my hometown of Newark, New Jersey. The reason my mother was
18:10able to pay for my education at Clark Atlanta University in full is because it was a life insurance
18:14policy. Incidental. He was murdered, so he got doubled. But not knowing how to manage that as a small
18:21business owner to close out my dad's business. What are some resources you're giving to small
18:26business owners, minorities, in terms of access to capital to make sure it's sustainable and
18:31transferring from generation to generation? Well, to your last point, I'm tired of seeing young
18:39people die and you see GoFundMe accounts. Right. Which means then, you know, I mean,
18:45when I was a small child, my parents had insurance on me. I didn't know what insurance was. I just knew they
18:50were paying somebody. I know now they were creating a way that something happened to me.
18:55And I mean, and y'all see it. People, you know, GoFundMe accounts, the guy has his t-shirt on,
18:59and we're raising money for Ray Ray or whoever he is. But for us, it's also important for businesses.
19:05How do we create that way? First of all, we hit it right on the head. There is a huge disconnect
19:12between businesses, small businesses and governments, because in the past, we have not been as forthright.
19:18I think people like Mayor Cantrell and myself being there, engaging them where they are. I have a small
19:25business conference every year. We've engaged literally to say we're going to do business with
19:31small minority and women-owned businesses. I think we have to say that, even though it's not the cool
19:36thing to say in the universe right now. We want to do business with black people. We want to do business
19:42with women. We want to do business with those disadvantaged groups that have been left out of that occasion.
19:48So for us, as a city government, we're going to do that. We're going to raise people up to be able to do that,
19:53things like LLCs, things like business plans. We're going to help you do this for free to prepare you,
20:00because there's so many great business people out there that have the talent but don't have the business acumen.
20:05That's right. And I know people who have the business acumen, they really don't have the talent. I mean,
20:09I've eaten food from people who really don't know how to cook, but they have a really good business
20:13acumen. Absolutely. But there's some folks who cook really, really well. Yeah. They just don't know
20:18where the LLC is. So to that point, Mayor. That's right. Mayor Cantrell, you have a very interesting,
20:23unique situation here in New Orleans where you deal with a lot of natural disasters. When we talk about
20:28the sustainability and growth of those small businesses, what are some things you're doing here to help
20:33small businesses in terms of expansion and really that sustainability piece in terms of a natural
20:39disaster somewhere that happened, business perhaps wiped out? How are you helping businesses to sustain
20:44past that? You dealt with COVID here. You talked about it the other day. What are some resources you
20:50have to make sure businesses, if the world was to shut down today, the business is not done for?
20:56Sure. So several approaches to that. One, really providing access to capital. We can
21:03educate, but they also need access to the resources. So ensuring that, for example, we fought for direct
21:10allocation. My brother, Mayor, and I, many mayors across this country for those federal dollars because
21:17they would go or come to the state and stay at the state and never hit the ground. So we were able to
21:23activate and create an economic mobility fund for businesses to not only apply, but to also hold their
21:31hand through the process, making sure that not only they're able to scale up, but also ensuring that
21:37they can, when the disaster hits, that they still have access to those resources, but being also a little
21:44bit innovative. So one example is Feed the Second Line program that we put millions into that has been
21:50leveraged as well. The idea is that when we have to shut a business down or you have a disaster, of course,
21:57there's food in those refrigerators, restaurants, and the like. Instead of those, the food going away,
22:04it's then prepared and, of course, they're feeding the community. But the key to that is making sure
22:09that they have generation power, meaning access to generators so that they can have power, so they
22:16can feed the Second Line. So making sure if those lights go out, that they have the ability to stay on.
22:23Even as it relates in our community, lighthouses, we call them. This is with our faith-based community
22:28that also helps small businesses. But when that disaster happens again, you'll know that you can
22:34meet your people where they are with the resources that they need in the community that they live in,
22:39because we put millions to ensure that those resources are available to them. It really goes on
22:44and on. Even debundling, if you will. We have been able to debundle large contracts, for example,
22:52making sure that the small businesses are able to bid. And even bid is prime, so kind of turning that map
22:59around that speaks to being intentional about women-owned businesses. Of course, black women, no doubt about
23:05it, black and brown. But we're upscaling them and providing them with resources again so that they can
23:11thrive. So you hit it. Even the cultural community in New Orleans is something that we have to pay
23:18attention to, and we really have, being intentional. In New Orleans, sometimes people think, you know,
23:25our biggest is hospitality. It has been. But it's the sales tax. But the majority of the sales tax
23:34made right here in the city goes to the state and stays there. Wow. So what we had to do was kind of
23:40turn that map around there, fight for a little bit more. We called it fair share in 2019. And so when we
23:48did that, you know, there were resources that were going to organizations locally to market our cultural
23:55bears. But when we got turned that around and said, hey, these people, they're the backbones of the
24:02economy, not only of New Orleans, but the state of Louisiana. So we now put those dollars into the
24:09people. Instead of marketing them, we're giving them direct access. And so over the past three years, one
24:15example, 15 million has gone directly into the culture, not a middleman, but directly. And so over the
24:23time, we've been able to build trust. And so our creative community now understands that it's real,
24:30and it is for them. So it's really exciting to see that expand, because they're the future of this
24:37city. They keep this city thriving. And we have to preserve the culture of the city of New Orleans.
24:42And we need you all to preserve that culture so we could come back and get our oysters.
24:46That's it.
24:48This is something that you talked about, fair share, and I want to ask this to both of you,
24:52that fair share piece. One of the things I've been mesmerized about in the city of Atlanta,
24:57we know Maynard Jackson, as he expanded the airport, made sure that there were contracts
25:03for minorities. Can you talk a bit, both of you, about the procurement process to make sure that
25:08minority-owned businesses are included?
25:10Well, supplier diversity, we have an office of supplier diversity, again, being very
25:17intentional about it. We have what we call like a speed dating with subs and primes, you know,
25:25again, so that as we debundle, that really everyone has access. They know what's coming out of the gate,
25:32so there are no surprises. Even, I go back to our cultural community, now they're signed up as vendors
25:38with the city, so that they know when an RFP is hitting the ground, that it's going to go directly
25:43to them as well, so that they can bid. It's government, so you have to bid. We can't
25:48give anything away, but we can definitely make it easy to do business with the city. And that's our goal.
25:55Mayor Maynard Jackson was such a transformational figure. He did stuff that we can't do now.
26:02It's Crozier versus Virginia kind of created to get that narrowly defined criteria for minority
26:10women-owned business enterprise programs. And now, of course, you know, the Trump administration is
26:15talking about even getting rid of that. So I think for us, it's really been about how do you skill
26:23our minority and women-owned vendors to compete on that big scale? And so how do we provide them with
26:30the information? How do we help provide them with the technical assistance? How do we de-bundle in
26:36ways that they now can create ways to be primes? How do you create those speed dating opportunities
26:43in which they're meeting each other? How do you insist without insisting that our culture here is that
26:51we're giving small businesses and local businesses and minority-owned businesses the opportunities so
26:57people are very clear when they come here, or when they come to New Orleans, what the deal is.
27:02I mean, I think people, you know, businesses kind of feel your culture, and they know what you're all
27:07about. And so if they're coming to our cities, and they're trying to do business with us, they
27:13understand that that's kind of how it's going to have to go. And it just becomes a part of how they do
27:18business. So I think we have to be very clear. We have to be very intentional about that. And then we have
27:24to be able to execute. We have to insist that when you get that opportunity, you do well.
27:30Yes. Because every time you don't, you make it worse for 10,000 others that are trying to be able
27:37to do that. So we're not saying because you deal with minority businesses that you should expect
27:43a lesser product. That's right. Your stuff has to be together. It has to be right. Your paperwork,
27:48your workmanship, whatever that is, has to be acceptable as well. Or we're not using you.
27:53That's right. Well, and Quentin, you mentioned Maynard Jackson, no doubt about it. But it really
27:59spoke to my heart in a way. You know, I am seven years in as mayor. I complete my tenure in January of
28:07next year. One of the things that I've learned in looking at Atlanta over the years from Mayor Jackson,
28:15was that every mayor that came after really recommitted themselves to continuing to grow
28:24those businesses. So as I look at how I'm in my grace period, my hope is that the city of New
28:31Orleans will be able to ensure that the leadership will keep programs going. The businesses that were
28:38able to grow over the last seven years, don't kill them, help them. Because when you have the continuity,
28:45then you really do grow the pie. And you can see, and you would see Atlanta right now,
28:51that is that Mecca because it has been able to sustain the support and the investment and not
28:59killing it because it was a different administration. You know, we fall victim to that sometimes.
29:06Mayor Cantrell has set a very high bar for anybody coming after her.
29:11And I hope they get half as good as she is.
29:14But we have to keep good things going. Because it's the people that we serve. It's not a mayor,
29:21and it's not an administration. We have to see the continuity. And I think that's what our people
29:26deserve. And Mayor, you really helped us to segue into our last question. We thank you for your
29:31leadership. Over 300 years of the city of New Orleans history, the first women to lead this city,
29:38major city. Let's give it up for that. We thank you for your leadership, Super Bowl, national crisis.
29:45We've really watched you do your thing. A woman in leadership, we have the president of the African
29:50American Mayor's Association. Thank you, sir, for your leadership. So the question I have for both of you,
29:55you really answered it already, Mayor. What call to action do you have as it pertains to that
30:02continuity you spoke of? As we talk about housing, financial health, generational wealth, to keep that
30:09continuity so we're sustainable generations past myself. What call to action would you give if you
30:15had one to give from your vantage point of leadership as you transition and during your transition of
30:21leadership taking the baton leading the African American Mayor's Association? Go ahead, Van. Mr.
30:29President. I think we were built for this. Tough times don't last. Tough people do. We are the
30:38beneficiaries of those. I'm the president of the African American Mayor's Association that has
30:44well over 300 mayors across the country. When there was a time when we had none. So how do we
30:50now leave the field better than when we had it? We have the ball for a short period of time.
30:57We know mayors are not a lifetime sport. So then how do you raise it to the next level and expect
31:04somebody to come in and do the same thing? And so I'm hoping that hopefully I've built a sense of
31:10resiliency or a sense of being able to walk with crowds and keep my virtue but walk with kings and not
31:18lose a common touch. I know you feel me on that. But to be able to make sure that it's always about
31:23the people that I serve. Absolutely. I would say call to action is
31:30you know really looking at leadership in a way that has to be continued.
31:39So that's growing your own, growing from within, building people up. We're in a climate that wants
31:49to tear mayors down and black ones and black women especially and have taken our mayors out
31:59and who've been through the trenches, who you know was faced with oh you can't do it but every turn
32:05demonstrating that we are built for this and we're leading our people. So I would say the call to
32:11action is to be engaged and involved on the local level and making sure that who you elect truly does
32:19represent and reflect the values that have been set because the people will let you know their values,
32:27right? And you're aligning your administration and your priorities with the values of the community.
32:34So when it comes to electing leaders, you have to be intentional about that.
32:39Because we're doing the work and then here comes somebody else who wants, may not look like you
32:44because you didn't lay it all out. You know, but we have to ensure and make sure that,
32:50you know, we have to support local leadership. And I can look at some of my sister mayors
32:56that did the job but that were taken out. And it doesn't, and I was one of them,
33:02but the fact of the matter is they didn't take me out. But if they did, they tried, you know,
33:07and I was elected 60% of the vote. I was reelected 65% of the vote. And three months later,
33:14I was in a recall funded by 1.4 million. So, and was able to move through that because of the people.
33:22So what I'm saying, the call to action is to pay attention, be engaged, put your vote behind people
33:29that have alignment with your values and support them. Because you applaud about being the first
33:37woman. Thank you for that. But it's about the support as you move through. Because I'm telling
33:44you, it goes from celebration to crucifixion real fast. And so, but that's where you can hold down
33:52your local leadership and hold us accountable as well. But it's doing the job. That's what it's about.
33:58So I love my brother, Mayor. No weapon. No weapon. My brother, Mayor, we're in this. And we just say,
34:03thank you to Wells Fargo for understanding that literacy matters. The programs that you've allowed
34:10us to stand up. We're meeting our people. They see it. And we're building trust. So thank you for this
34:16opportunity. Mayor, let me thank both of you because you said something about holding down your elected
34:20officials. Well, you hold us down. You bring resources to your people. You hold us accountable. And so,
34:25we at Wells Fargo, we're thankful to have partners such as you to advocate on behalf of your people.
34:31Absolutely. And thank you personally for your leadership and your mentorship of me.
34:35Thank you. Again, just a pleasure to be here. And thanks to Wells Fargo. And we need more.
34:41You know, the fact is, we're finding out during this time who our real friends are. They say your
34:46real friends show up at the showdown. That's right. And so, we need our friends to amplify because those
34:52who are there when it felt good, you know, have backed off. They're not returning phone calls
34:56anymore. So, we need our friends to continue to invest. Absolutely. And the fact of the matter is,
35:02you now have programs that you can point to within our cities that are doing the work. So,
35:08it's like continue to support where we're seeing the growth and the benefit. And that's to the people
35:14that we serve. Well, thank you, mayors. This time has been wonderful. We hope you all learned something
35:18from this, from storefront to sustainability. Thank you all. Thank you very much.
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