Senate Member
Sen. John A. Alario, Jr. (D)
District# 8
Contact Information
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District Office
Legislative Assistant : Cheryl Gaudin
Email John A. Alario, Jr.
Phone: (504) 340-2221
Fax: --
Address: 1063 Muller Parkway
Westwego, LA 70094
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: 225-342-2046
Capitol House Fax: 225-342-0624
Profile
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- District #: House District 0
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: --
- Occupation: Tax Consultant
- Education: West Jefferson High School; B.A., Southeastern Louisiana University; Lincoln Institute of Land Policy - Mass.
- Spouse: Widower
- Year Elected: 2008
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
Alario takes over the seat of Senator Chris Ullo, a long time member of the legislature, who could not run due to term limits. After Alario’s own term limits were reached in the House, he faced a strong challenge by Republican candidate John Roberts for the Senate seat. This was Alario’s first competitive race in twelve years. Roberts, a Gretna businessman, received heavy backing from the state’s Republican Party. Alario, however, retained endorsements by local Republicans and The Times Picayune and was able to gain the Senate seat.
District Profile
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Registered Voters by Parish: Jefferson 100.0%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Avondale, Barataria, Bridge City, Estelle,
Grand Isle, Harvey, Jean Lafitte, Marrero,
Terrytown, Timberlane, Waggaman,
Westwego, Woodmere
Economic: District 8 stretches from Westwego to Grand Isle, Louisiana’s only inhabited Barrier Island, and includes portions of Gretna, Terrytown and Harvey. The district is largely residential with pockets of major industry such as Northrop Grumman’s Avondale Shipyard, one of the largest employers in the state. Oilfield service and fabrication yards are located along the Harvey Canal as well as American Cyanamid Company in Westwego. Sports are also an economic driver in the district with a number of professional sports connections. Grand Isle, in addition to oil and gas service and transportation companies, has numerous commercial and recreational fishing enterprises, including the annual Tarpon rodeo.
Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: District 8 was hit hard by the 2005 hurricane season. Hurricane Katrina wiped out large sections of Grande Isle and led to significant damage and upset on the west bank. Grand Isle faced further destruction from Hurricane Rita, which brought additional flooding and wind damage. The area has recovered considerably though, with much of the damage and infrastructure repaired and evacuated residents returning to the area.
Social: The district is primarily middle class, with some blue-collar voters in the Westwego, Bridge City and Avondale areas.
Political: Overall, voters are conservative and increasingly Republican. Top issues include drainage, since flooding is a constant problem, coastal erosion, and hurricane protection.
Biography
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- John Alario, a former two-term Speaker of the House who still wields considerable influence, is one of the most powerful members of the Legislature. Though he did not return to the speaker’s chair for his final term in the House, Alario remained a powerful force through his role as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
- During his two terms as speaker and a stint as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, Alario built relationships with elected officials from across the political spectrum. He earned a high degree of goodwill and forged relationships with black legislators and members from rural areas and Acadiana.
- As a CPA, it’s only natural that Alario has an interest in tax policy. A consistent goal of his, despite the odds, is increasing the amount of the homestead exemption. He’s also shown an interest in recent years in laws that would make it harder for local taxing bodies to roll millage rates forward.
- Alario’s top priorities for his term in the Senate are crime reduction, flood protection, and stabilizing insurance rates. He also has been a leader on tough issues including keeping the land-based casino in New Orleans open, and negotiating contract with the NFL’s Saints franchise and the NBA’s Hornets. He works closely with his fellow West Bank legislators to steer capital outlay dollars to the area.
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