Rep. Badon, Austin

House Member

Rep. Badon, Austin (D)
District# 100, New Orleans

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : Josett Thompson
Email Badon, Austin
Phone: (504)243-7783
Fax: (504)243-7785
Address: 5555 Bullard Avenue
Suite 101
New Orleans, LA 70128
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336

Profile

- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Democratic Caucus
  Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus
  Orleans Delegation
- Occupation: Coordinator of Workforce Development
- Education: St. Augustine High School; University of New Orleans; Troy State University
- Spouse: Therese
- Year Elected: 2003
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2012
- 2007 Election
  Badon easily won his bid for reelection with seventy-two percent of the vote. Even though this election was only Badon’s second run for an elected office, his successes have proven that he is a difficult candidate to defeat. In his first election bid, he unseated former New Orleans Saints Pro-Bowl linebacker Pat Swilling.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: Orleans 100.0%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: New Orleans
Economic: This district is located in the northeastern area of Orleans parish between Hayne and Chef Menteur boulevards and bordered by Paris and Bundy roads. Lake Ponchartrain sits along the northern border of this district. This entire district was affected by Hurricane Katrina. The residents sustained loss of life and property damage. As a result, many businesses, schools and hospitals were lost.
Two of the largest employers in the district are Lockheed Martin and Folgers coffee. Primarily a residential area with land available for more residential and industrial development, a lot of apartment complexes provide housing for residents. Many residents commute to the inner city portion of New Orleans for work or are employed in health care, aerospace and technology industries in the district.

Social: The majority of the residents in this district are affluent and working class African Americans. Adding diversity to this district are some white families and Asian Americans, who have made New Orleans east their home. Inner city and ninth ward residents have moved to this district over the past couple of decades.

Political: With over eighty percent of African Americans in this district, issues like economic development, crime and education are important to the overwhelming majority of Democrats. The voters in this district have strongly supported gaming. Very few registered Republicans reside in this district.

Biography

- The 2007 Alliance for Good Government Orleans Legislator of the Year, Austin Badon had an extremely productive and successful first term. In his re-election bid for his second term, Badon was endorsed by LABI, the AFL-CIO, the Times Picayune and many other associations and elected officials. He also endorsed the Blueprint Louisiana reform agenda. Badon is currently employed by Southern University New Orleans as the coordinator for service learning. Valuing a good education and community involvement, Badon previously served as the coordinator for workforce development at Nunez Community College and as the program director for Boy Scouts of America.
- Badon concentrates on local issues, which include economic development, crime and education. Badon authored and passed the constitutional amendment that consolidated the seven Orleans parish assessor offices into one office beginning in 2010. Other legislation that Badon has authored includes a bill that increased the punishment for vehicular homicide. An all-around effective legislator, Badon plans to concentrate on economic development and hurricane protection in his second term. You can count on Badon always being in attendance, as he has not missed a single session day on the chamber floor since he took the oath of office in 2004.
- Badon is always on the lookout for local road money and has passed legislation in the past reorganizing the distribution formula for the Parish Transportation Fund. In 2009, he also passed a law creating the crime of false impersonation of a peace officer and forcing local public school boards to disclose instances of sexual misconduct, abuse and neglect among teachers.