With both the companies of Sidney Torres and Troy Henry now contracted to collect French Quarter garbage, city officials say trash won’t pile up, but egos might.
Torres’ IV Waste will now operate under a contract with the French Quarter Management District after Mayor LaToya Cantrell cut short their original emergency agreement, which had been set to run through the end of the year. Her administration then awarded a second, controversial emergency contract to Henry Consulting, which does not own any garbage trucks but assures the public it has “deep relationships with people who might.”
With both men now locked in a high-stakes turf battle over who controls the Quarter’s garbage, Torres and Henry have agreed to settle the trash dispute on the court — literally — with a one-on-one “Trashketball” game. Sources say the challenge was issued shortly after the two appeared in back-to-back radio interviews, where things got tense and neither was willing to let the other have the last word. Neither spoke, but several bystanders reported “a lot of eye contact.”
At least five other mayoral hopefuls have weighed in on the matchup, mostly through cryptic Instagram Stories, unsolicited press releases, or by falsely claiming to have helped broker the game “for the good of the city.”
The game is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. under the Claiborne overpass, not far from the city’s recently proposed preservation site for a collapsed I-10 ramp and garbage truck, now considered a cultural landmark by default.
City Council members said they were unaware of the upcoming matchup. When asked who approved it, one source replied, “You’ll have to check with the mayor.” A call to the Mayor’s office went straight to voicemail, which played the familiar message: “The mailbox is full and cannot accept messages at this time,” before abruptly ending the call.
“This is how real business gets done,” said one spectator, as he scribbled “start consulting company” on a napkin. “Honestly, I think all city disputes should be handled like this from now on. Sell tickets, popcorn. Let’s go!”
A source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they’re hoping to land a consulting gig with whoever wins, said the matchup will be a one-on-one game to 21, win by two, played with city-issued basketballs left over from a short-lived Midnight Basketball program. No refs. No fouls. No city oversight. A neutral third party will reportedly review scoring disputes — Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, whose reelection campaign has stalled and who, according to sources, is “open to literally any job right now.”
The winner will gain full control of French Quarter trash collection. As a consolation, the loser receives the final bench spot on the New Orleans Pelicans roster for the upcoming season.
It’s unclear whether either has actual basketball experience, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from getting a city contract before.
A separate anonymous source, who said they’re “just trying to get in good with whoever wins,” claimed Henry might be exploring options to outsource his own spot in the game, though that could not be confirmed by press time.
One way or another, only one will clean up.