Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser speaks to the media during the Super Bowl Host Committee Handoff Press Conference on Feb. 12, 2024. (Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Louisiana Lt. Gov . Billy Nungesser criticized New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell following the truck attack that killed at least 14 people in the city in the early hours on New Year's Day.
In a series of interviews with local news outlets, Nungesser, a Republican, questioned the city's leadership and said he was frustrated by "excuses" related to the barriers that were missing from the entrance to Bourbon Street, NOLA.com reported.
"I've held my tongue long enough," Nungesser said of Cantrell. "Her lack of leadership is an embarrassment."
"I'm a little angry at the fact that some things in that French Quarter we've been trying to do for years have not gotten done," he told 4WWL.
Nungesser, who is reportedly the state's top tourism official, has pushed in recent years to exert more state control over the French Quarter.
In response to his remarks, Cantrell's office told the newspaper that it was too early to cast blame only a day after the deadly attack.
"The City of New Orleans will not be distracted by outside commentary and welcomes everyone to join the positive efforts of the unified command partners," Cantrell Deputy Press Secretary Kourtney Williams said in the statement.
