Rep. Henderson, Reed S.

House Member

Rep. Henderson, Reed S. (D)
District# 103, Chalmette

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : Angel Marino
Email Reed S.Henderson
Phone: (504)278-6599
Fax: (504)278-6597
Address: P.O. Box 739
Chalmette, LA 70044
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, Orleans Delegation
- Occupation: Commodity trader
- Education: University of Louisiana at Lafayette, B.S.
- Spouse: Hope
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
  Democrat Reed Henderson led the primary election with 22 percent of the votes against five other candidates, including attorney Anh “Joseph” Cao and former St. Bernard Parish Council Member Clay Cosse, who were both endorsed by the Times Picayune. A St. Bernard Parish Council member, Mark Madary, made the runoff with Henderson. Henderson defeated Republican Madary in the runoff by margin of 285 votes.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: Orleans 32.4%, St. Bernard 67.6%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Arabi, Chalmette, New Orleans, Poydras, Violet
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
Economic: District 103 encompasses Arabi, western Chalmette, parts of eastern New Orleans, including Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine and Irish Bayou, and the rural communities in St. Bernard from Hopedale and Delacroix to the east side of the Violet Canal. This district was completely devastated by the storm surge, flood waters and wind damage of Hurricane Katrina. Many of the casualties of Hurricane Katrina were residents of this district who remained during the storm. Two years later, the district is slowly showing signs of recovery, with families gradually moving back to the area, but it is still struggling to survive.
The two largest industries in this district are the petrochemical industry and the commercial fishing industry. There are two petroleum refineries in Chalmette and several petrochemical facilities in Plaquemines Parish that employ many residents. On the eastern edge of the district, many commercial fishermen operate small fishing boats that harvest oysters or shrimp from the salty waters of Chandeleur Sound and Breton Sound or they fish one of the many inland lakes and bays, such as Bay Boudreaux and Eloi Bay. An oyster processing plant operates in this district.

Social: Prior to Hurricane Katrina, this district was home to many suburban neighborhoods full of residents enjoying comfortable, if not overly affluent, lifestyles. Many of the residents were raised in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and then moved to the area in the 1950s and 1960s. Even though the majority of residents make a nice living, unemployment is still present in this district.

Political: This district is fairly politically balanced, as both Republican and Democratic candidates have done well here in recent elections. Overall, residents are more conservative than liberal. Neighborhood protection and opposition to taxes are important issues to residents.

Biography

- Reed Henderson replaces Ken Odinet, who was term-limited and made an unsuccessful run for the Senate District 1 seat. A commodity trader, Henderson is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
- Henderson has become an influential player on the House Natural Resources Committee. In 2009, he helped the oyster industry avoid certain exemptions in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. On the horizon, he’d like to see the state include in its coastal planning and funding what he refers to as “central wetlands,” which describes land that is further away from the coast.
- Henderson will fight for better flood protection to try to get residents to return to the district. Look for Henderson to try to eliminate the state income tax on the first $50,000 of annual income, as he believes that cutting taxes has always spurred economic growth and increased governmental revenues.