Henry Joseph Rodriguez, Jr. (September 27, 1935 – May 3, 2018), known as Junior Rodriguez, was an American politician from

St. Bernard Parish St. Bernard Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Bernard; es, Parroquia de San Bernardo) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest community is Chalmette. The parish was formed in 1807. St. Bernard Parish is part of ...

in the Greater New Orleans section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. He was of Isleño descent and was registered as an Independent. He served as Councilmember on the St. Bernard Parish Council from 1976 to 2004 and as President of the

Council, from 2004 to 2008. St. Bernard Parish is a Louisiana Parish (the equivalent of counties in other states) that is adjacent to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood.

During Katrina and it’s aftermaths

During Katrina, he and his councilors requested boats and rescued hundreds of people who took refuge on rooftops when the flood occurred.

Samuel G. Armistead Samuel Gordon Armistead (August 21, 1927 – August 7, 2013) was an American ethnographer, linguist, folklorist, historian, literary critic and professor of Spanish. He is considered one of the most notable Hispanist scholars of the second h ...

. La Tradición Hispano - Canaria en Luisiana (Hispanic Tradition - Canary in Louisiana). Pages 176 - 177. Anrart Ediciones. Ed: First Edition, March 2007. However, Rodriguez reached national fame in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as a regular guest to CNN news show

Anderson Cooper 360° ''Anderson Cooper 360°'' (commonly shortened to either ''AC-360'' or ''360'') is an American television news show on CNN and CNN International, hosted by CNN journalist and news anchor Anderson Cooper. Since May 20, 2019, ''360°'' has been b ...

. 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 in the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exe ...

(FEMA) housing trailers. Known for his matter-of-fact style and his sometimes colorful language, he used his presence on the show to criticize the

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 New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Ray Nagin Clarence Raymond Joseph Nagin Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former politician who was the 60th Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 2002 to 2010. A Democrat, Nagin became internationally known in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane ...

and Parish Presidents

Benny Rousselle Benedict G. Rousselle, known as Benny Rousselle (born January 20, 1951), is a Realtor and an Independent politician from Plaquemines Parish in Greater New Orleans, Louisiana. From 1996 to 1999, Rousselle served District 105 in the Louisiana Hous ...

from

Plaquemines Plaquemines Parish (; French: ''Paroisse de Plaquemine'', Louisiana French: ''Paroisse des Plaquemines'', es, Parroquia de Caquis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 23,515 at the 2020 census, the parish ...

and

Aaron Broussard Aaron Francis Broussard (born January 6, 1949) is a former American politician who served as the president, a combined municipal-parish position, of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, from 2003 to 2010. A Democrat, Broussard became known nationally fo ...

from Jefferson are among the most notable ones. Junior Rodriguez was one of the participants to Movie Director

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's documentary '' When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts''.

Election history

Police Juror, Ward K, 1987 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 24, 1987 Second Ballot, November 21, 1987 Councilman, District E, 1991 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 19, 1991 Councilman, District E, 1995 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 21, 1995 Second Ballot, November 18, 1995 Councilman at Large, Eastern Division, 1999 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 23, 1999 Second Ballot, November 20, 1999 St. Bernard Parish President, 2003 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 4, 2003 Second Ballot, November 15, 2003 St. Bernard Parish President, 2007 Threshold > 50% First Ballot, October 20, 2007 Second Ballot, November 17, 2007

Sources

* New Orleans Magazine : http://www.neworleansmagazine.com/ * Louisiana Secretary of State : http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/ * St. Bernard Parish: http://www.sbpg.net

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Junior 1935 births 2018 deaths Presidents of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana People from St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Louisiana Isleño people Louisiana local politicians