Jefferson Parish Battleground
in Senate Race
In the primary election on Nov. 5, Sen. Mary Landrieu edged out Suzie Terrell
in Jefferson Parish by less than 1,000 votes (48,207 to 47,291). However, John
Cooksey and Tony Perkins received a total of 18,846 votes, the vast majority
of which will probably go to Terrell in the run-off. Landrieu's percentage in
Jefferson (41.5 percent) was her lowest total in the 13-parish southeast section
of the state other than in the majority-Republican St. Tammany Parish.
Many experts believed that Landrieu would
do better in Jefferson Parish, especially with the support of the major political
leadership. Landrieu was endorsed by District Attorney Paul Connick,
Sheriff Harry Lee and Council Chairman Aaron Broussard, all Democrats.
In addition, in a move that upset Jefferson Parish Republicans, GOP Parish President
Tim Coulon also endorsed the incumbent senator, citing her support of
multiple parish projects.
The run-off on Dec. 7 will surely be hotly
contested in Jefferson Parish, with Terrell needing to win handily in the populous
parish. If President George W. Bush visits the state to campaign for
Landrieu, look for him to possibly stop in Jefferson Parish, as he did in April
2001 when he visited Zephyr Field.
Capitano Strikes First
Kenner Councilman Phil Capitano has made no secret of his desire
to run for mayor of Kenner. For months, Capitano has been meeting with key business
and political leaders to discuss his bid for the top post in Kenner. His next
step is to discuss his intentions with the voters of Kenner in a letter that
will be sent in a few days.
Capitano will be seeking the input of citizens
on his intentions to run for mayor, as well as submitting his qualifications
for the job. "This will help Phil build grassroots support," says one Kenner
insider. "With so many political players jumping around, he needs to let voters
know that he has only one goal and that is to be mayor of Kenner."
The current mayor, Louis Congemi, is
widely rumored to be interested in running for parish office in the fall of
2003. In fact, Congemi held a fundraiser on Nov. 7 to raise funds for a bid
for parish office. He could run for the district council position held by Ed
Muniz, who must step down due to term limits, or run for one of the two
at-large positions that voters approved on Election Day.
With Congemi looking elsewhere, potential
candidates are lining up to run for mayor of Kenner. Along with Capitano, Kenner
Police Chief Nick Congemi, Jefferson Parish Councilmembers Muniz and
John Lavarine Jr., and Kenner Councilman-at-large Terry McCarthy
are all looking at the race. However, several of them are also looking at the
new Jefferson Parish Council-at-large position. Capitano, although approached
by supporters to run for the Jefferson Parish Council, has only expressed interest
in running for mayor of Kenner.
New Alliance for Good Government Leadership
Members of the Jefferson Parish chapter
of the Alliance for Good Government recently elected new leadership for the
upcoming year. The new president will be Roger Villere Jr., owner of
Villere's Florist which has locations in Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes.
He has been active for years in the Louisiana Republican Party, serving as a
State Central Committee member and National Committeeman. He also ran unsuccessfully
for state representative in District 81, in a race that was won by now-Congressman
David Vitter.
Joining Villere as officers will be Vice President
Ray Baas, Secretary Eric Miller, Treasurer J.P. Tujague,
Parliamentarian Robert Marrero, 1-Year Board Member Nikki Lescale
and 5-Year Board Member Jack Sassone.
Mad Scramble Begins
The year 2003 will be an exciting year in Jefferson Parish politics. All
state legislators will be up for reelection, and there will be seven new positions
on the Jefferson Parish Council as well. With term limits being ratified by
the voters and a new council structure being approved, none of the present members
will be allowed to run for the seat they now occupy.
One district councilmember who will be vacating
his seat is Parish Councilman Nick Giambelluca. State Rep. Jennifer
Sneed has made no secret of her intention to run for Giambelluca's seat,
citing her interest in dealing with local issues that directly impact citizens.
With Sneed most likely leaving her state seat, several candidates in the Old
Metairie district has expressed interest in replacing her. One of them is John
LaBruzzo Jr., territory manager for Applied Medical. LaBruzzo has never
run for office before, but is pressing the flesh at political functions and
organizing his campaign plan. Another potential candidate could be attorney
Ben Slater, who finished second to Sneed in 1999.
