Junior Rodriguez


Henry Joseph Rodriguez, Jr., known as Junior Rodriguez, was an American politician from St. Bernard Parish 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 St. Bernard Parish Council, from 2004 to 2008. St. Bernard Parish is a Louisiana Parish that is adjacent to New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood.

During the Katrina and his aftermaths

During Katrina, he and his councilors requested boats and rescued hundreds of people who took refuge on rooftops when the flood occurred. However, Rodriguez reached national fame in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as a regular guest to CNN news show Anderson 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 in the Federal Emergency Management Agency housing trailers.
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 and Parish Presidents Benny Rousselle from Plaquemines and Aaron 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
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezDemocratic1,169 Runoff
Melvin GuerraDemocratic762 Runoff
Othersn.a.928 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 21, 1987
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezDemocratic1,505 Elected
Melvin GuerraDemocratic1,060 Defeated

Councilman, District E, 1991
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 19, 1991
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezIndependent2,655 Elected
Melvin GuerraDemocratic1,038 Defeated
Othersn.a.1,603 Defeated

Councilman, District E, 1995
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 21, 1995
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezIndependent1,898 Runoff
Douglas DeanRepublican1,474 Runoff
Othersn.a.1,261 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 18, 1995
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezIndependent2,625 Elected
Douglas DeanRepublican2,280 Defeated

Councilman at Large, Eastern Division, 1999
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 23, 1999
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Craig Taffaro, Jr.Republican7,926 Runoff
Junior RodriguezIndependent7,705 Runoff
Roddy Rodriguez, Jr.Democratic5,682 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 20, 1999
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezIndependent10,358 Elected
Craig Taffaro, Jr.Republican9,801 Defeated

St. Bernard Parish President, 2003
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 4, 2003
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezIndependent8,701 Runoff
Scott WolfeRepublican8,650 Runoff
Clay CosséRepublican6,488 Defeated
Kent DiazIndependent1,689 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 15, 2003
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Junior RodriguezIndependent13,916 Elected
Scott WolfeRepublican10,851 Defeated

St. Bernard Parish President, 2007
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Craig Taffaro, Jr.Republican5,710 Runoff
Junior RodriguezIndependent3,294 Runoff
Donald SerpasIndependent1,158 Defeated
Henry Joseph Rodriguez, IIIIndependent711 Defeated
William "Bill" VillavasoIndependent610 Defeated

Second Ballot, November 17, 2007
CandidateAffiliationSupportOutcome
Craig Taffaro, Jr.Republican6,545 Elected
Junior RodriguezIndependent4,518 Defeated