Louisiana Parish President Quits Amid Federal Probe with Insurance Ties

Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard, a Democrat who rose from small-city mayor to lead Louisiana’s most populous parish, has resigned as federal officials investigated alleged corruption in parish government. His resignation preceded that of Tim Whitmer, who quit as Jefferson’s chief administrator following a controversy over his private insurance agency’s dealings with local government and companies that hold parish contracts.

His attorney, Mike Ellis, said he knew of no pending criminal charges and that the 60-year-old Broussard was stepping down “to clear the air and not be a lightning rod for Jefferson Parish.”

Parish Councilman Elton Lagasse said Broussard told him of his intention to resign Jan. 8. Broussard could not be reached for comment but was expected to issue a statement later in the day. Lagasse said he expects the council to appoint an interim president to serve until an election is held.

Earlier, the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a private watchdog group, said in a letter to the state ethics commission that it had information that Broussard rented a Nova Scotia vacation lodge to contractors doing business with the parish. Broussard said he had disclosed ownership of the lodge as required by ethics laws and denied the property was rented to business people holding contracts with the parish.

Broussard’s resignation apparently ends a four-decade political career, all spent in Jefferson Parish, the major New Orleans suburb split by the Mississippi River.

He worked his way through what is now the University of New Orleans as a rock singer, graduating in 1970, and received a law degree from Loyola University in 1973.

Elected a member of the parish school board in 1974, he moved up to the Parish Council in 1977 and then won the race for mayor of Kenner in 1982.

Populist to the core, he was widely credited as a cheerleader for Kenner, revitalizing its economy and driving tourism to its then depressed riverfront area. He also was credited with improving the parish’s sometimes chilly relationship with New Orleans.

He campaigned for governor in 1991 but withdrew from the race, then was elected council chairman in 1995.

Broussard was in his second term as parish president.

Though a power broker in New Orleans area and state politics, he was little known elsewhere until Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005.

He caught the nation’s attention when he gave a searing account of the disaster on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sept. 4, 2005, days after the storm. With tears in his eyes, he talked about an emergency official he worked with who was unable to save his mother trapped in a nursing home.

He blasted the federal government’s slow response and said, “For God’s sakes, shut up and send us somebody.”

His reputation plummeted because of his decision to send 236 pump workers out of the parish before Katrina hit under a “Doomsday Plan.” As a result, thousands of homes in Jefferson Parish flooded during the 12 hours it took for the workers to return. He tried to make up for that mistake by building new costly “safe houses” at pump stations to ensure that pumps could be started quickly during floods.

He survived the criticism, and a recall petition that gathered 49,000 signatures, and was re-elected in 2007.

Associated Press writers Alan Sayre and Cain Burdeau in New Orleans contributed to this report.