- Junior Rodriguez
Henry Rodriguez, Jr. (born in 1935 or 1936) is a local politician from
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana , in theGreater New Orleans area. He is ofIsleño descent and is registered as an Independent. He served as Councilmember on the St. Bernard Parish Council from 1976 to 2004 and as President of theSt. Bernard Parish Council, from 2004 to 2008. St. Bernard Parish is aLouisiana Parish (the equivalent of counties in other states) that is adjacent to New OrleansLower Ninth Ward neighborhood.Rodriguez reached national fame in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina , as a regular guest toCNN news showAnderson Cooper 360° . Hurricane Katrina and related levee failures resulted in almost all homes and businesses of St. Bernard Parish being catastrophically flooded. Most had to permanently evacuate their house, and as of early 2006 the majority of the returned population were inFEMA housing trailer.Known for his matter of fact style and his sometimes colorful language, he used his presence on the show to criticize the
Federal Emergency Management Agency for the slow pace of the recovery in St. Bernard Parish and asked for a more effective response. Among other aspects, he claimed that FEMA's bureaucratic approach kept victims of the hurricane from getting proper assistance.Other local politicians criticized the way the federal government handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin andParish PresidentsBenny Rousselle from Plaquemines andAaron Broussard from Jefferson are among the most notable ones.Junior Rodriguez was one of the participants to Movie Director
Spike Lee 's documentary .Election History
Police Juror, Ward K, 1987
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 24, 1987
Councilman, District E, 1995
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 21, 1995
Second Ballot, November 20, 1999
St. Bernard Parish President, 2007
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
Second Ballot, November 17, 2007
ources
New Orleans Magazine : http://www.neworleansmagazine.com/
Louisiana Secretary of State : http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/
St. Bernard Parish: http://www.sbpg.net
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