Rosalind Peychaud

This article is about the Louisiana political figure Rosalind Peychaud. For the component of the Sazerac cocktail, see Peychaud's Bitters.

Rosalind Magee Peychaud (born 1948) is a Democratic former state representative for Louisiana House of Representatives District 91 (which she represented from 2002 to 2004). As of 2009 Peychaud became deputy chief of staff for U.S. Representative Joseph Cao, a Republican who represents Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. She serves in his New Orleans district office.^[1]

Background

Peychaud was born Rosalind Magee in Monticello, Mississippi, in 1948. Her father was James H. Magee Sr. (died 2002 September 18), a deacon in Monticello's Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Her mother was Marion Magee. Rosalind Magee Peychaud has two sisters (Catherine Magee Thompson and Regina Magee Hudson) and a brother (James H. Magee Jr.).^[2] Peychaud holds a B.A. degree in educational psychology from Jackson State University and a master's degree in social work from Tulane University.^[3]

NDF and other involvements

Rosalind Peychaud speaks on community organizing to students at Southeastern Louisiana University's Business Perspectives Program 2009.

Peychaud is also the executive director of the New Orleans Neighborhood Development Foundation (NDF), in which role she has also been involved in the Affordable Housing Advisory Authority of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas.^[4] She is a member of the New Orleans City Planning Commission, the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee (NCDC) of the City of New Orleans, and the Crescent City Connection Oversight Authority (CCCOA).^[5] NDF was established in 1986 and also had offices in Jackson, Mississippi. A distinct focus of NDF in New Orleans is the area now known as the Hoffman Triangle.^[6] On 2009 June 20 when NCDC made a decision with respect to two houses owned by Cao, Peychaud for ethical reasons recused herself from the vote.^[7]

Hoffman Triangle

Signs in the Hoffman Triangle announce community improvement meetings and activities.

Peychaud coined the term "Hoffman Triangle" during her service in the Louisiana House of Representatives. She based the term on the name of the John W. Hoffman Elementary School at the corner of South Prieur Street and Third Street, within the Hoffman Triangle. The Hoffman Triangle was, in Peychaud's own words, an area of intense "trash, drugs and blight" in the inner city of New Orleans. Conditions there naturally worsened during and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.^[8] Conditions in the Hoffman Triangle continued to concern Peychaud when she served on 2008 March 7–8 as a panelist for the Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth.^[9]

BOLD political organization

Peychaud is identified with the reform faction of the Orleans Parish Democratic Party and has repeatedly opposed William J. Jefferson and the Progressive Democrats. In a district which had been represented by Jefferson protégée Renée Gill Pratt, Peychaud won the seat over Jalila Jefferson-Bullock (one of William J. Jefferson's daughters) in a special election on 2002 May 4 and subsequently lost it to her in the general election of 2003 November 15.^[10] Peychaud supported Karen Carter Peterson against William J. Jefferson in the 2006 Democratic primary election for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. When Jefferson won the Democratic primary again in 2008, Peychaud joined with a number of other prominent Democrats in supporting Republican Cao, who ousted Jefferson in the 2008 general election.^[11] Longstanding antagonism has characterized the relationship between the Jeffersons and Peychaud^[12] —a situation which has repeatedly aligned Peychaud not only with Karen Carter Peterson but also with James Carter (no relation to Karen Carter Peterson), Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, Cheryl A. Gray Evans, Stacy Head, and Helena Moreno.^[13] See BOLD.

Personal life

Rosalind Magee Peychaud is married to Joseph Ernest Peychaud, a descendant of Antoine Amédée Peychaud, originator of Peychaud's Bitters. Rosalind Peychaud, a Baptist, is a virtual teetotaler.

Notes

1. ^ Peychaud's bio in Leadership Directories.
2. ^ The information appears in Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove's proclamation of 2002 September 21 as James H. Magee Sr. Day in Mississippi (proclamation dated 2002 September 20).
3. ^ Peychaud's bio on Zoominfo.com. See also Tom Bledsoe's writeup with a photo of Peychaud on the Housing Partnership Network web site (accessed 2009 May 26), Peychaud's popup bio on Gulf Coast Housing Partnership site, and Peychaud on Peoplefinders.com.
4. ^ FHLB Annual Report 1997.
5. ^ Governor Bobby Jindal Announces Appointments to the Crescent City Connection Oversight Authority, 2008 May 01; Nominee to CCCOA (Crescent City Connection Oversight Authority) by state senator Cheryl A. Gray Evans.
6. ^ New Orleans Neighborhood Development Foundation fundraising notice published by Jackson State University (accessed 2009 May 26).
7. ^ Jonathan Tilove, "Cao to raze blighted homes" in Times-Picayune, 2009 June 20, Saint Tammany Edition, pp. B1-B2 (web version = Cao gets go-ahead to raze 2 houses he owns. See also Karen Gadbois, "Does Joe Cao know what blight is?"
8. ^ Ariella Cohen, "Hoffman Triangle keys Central City rebirth" in New Orleans CityBusiness, 2008 March 12 (accessed 2009 May 26). Cf. the Hoffman Triangle page on the Neighborhood Development Foundation web site. See also Neighborhood Development Foundation on Citysearch.com.
9. ^ The conference, which occurred in New Orleans, was on the theme "Trends to Watch"; Peychaud was in the session titled Innovations and Inequities in Gulf Coast Recovery.
10. ^ Jonathan Tilove, "Rep. Jefferson's daughter seeking promotion" in Times-Picayune, 2007 May 12 (accessed 2009 May 26). Election results for 2002 May 04; Election results for 2003 November 15.
11. ^ Frank Donze, "Cao's Star Already Rising in D.C." in Times-Picayune, 2009 January 5, Metro Edition, pp. A1, A4. On 2009 August 05, Jefferson was indicted on 11 of 16 felony counts (details and sources in William J. Jefferson#Indictment and trial).
12. ^ "Jefferson Family Values" on the Adrastos web site, 2007 October 17 (accessed 2009 June 18).
13. ^ For more articles see the Rosalind Peychaud listings on Zoominfo.com.

Political offices
Preceded by Renée Gill Pratt (D)	Louisiana Legislature House District 91 (Orleans Parish) 2002–2004	Succeeded by Jalila Jefferson-Bullock (D)

Persondata
Name	Peychaud, Rosalind
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	1948
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death