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Louisiana Races Pit Father Vs. Son

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By BECKY BOHRER, The Associated Press

Published: September 16, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - In a state known for colorful politics and cronyism, two races this fall stand out, pitting sons against fathers.

In St. Bernard Parish, Henry 'Junior' Rodriguez Jr. is being challenged by his son, Henry Rodriguez III, for the parish presidency. In nearby Jefferson Parish, John Young III is vying to unseat his dad, John Young Jr., on the parish council.

'Normally you have a Louisiana switcheroo' where a father quits a race just before the candidate qualifying period ends, virtually assuring a son or daughter is elected, said Clancy DuBos, political columnist and editor of Gambit Weekly in New Orleans. That happened in 1975 when Jefferson Parish Assessor Lawrence A. Chehardy qualified, then stepped down in favor of his son, Lawrence E. Chehardy. The younger Chehardy is still the parish assessor.

In the Oct. 20 elections, where both sons say they're running to win, 'I think the sons will have an easier time criticizing their fathers, and I think the fathers will do as all parents do, love their children and tolerate their children's shortcomings, including their children's thanklessness,' DuBos said.

'They're having their King Lear moments right now,' he said.

Both sons say they love their fathers and don't want to say anything negative about them - or much at all, for that matter. Both hope to focus on the issues - the slow pace of recovery from Hurricane Katrina in Rodriguez's case and 'motivating change' in Young's.

'Everybody's trying to make it that me and my father have problems and I'm looking to get even,' said Rodriguez, a 49-year-old card dealer at Harrahs' New Orleans casino. 'But my main reason I'm running is that when you walk out your front door or where your front door used to be, if you like what you see, don't vote for me. If you don't like what you see, vote for me.' St. Bernard Parish was devastated by Katrina in August 2005. By one survey, all but two buildings in the parish were damaged by floodwater. The population has been slow to return, and houses stand in abandoned rows in some neighborhoods.

Rodriguez said he broke his daddy's heart by running but felt he had no choice if he wanted to draw attention to the devastation that remains in St. Bernard. Running for another post wasn't an option, he said, because it might appear to voters that he and his father were 'trying to control the parish.'

Though Young III, a 22-year-old film student, wouldn't say why he is challenging his father, his candidacy is the latest twist in a family drama that's been front-page news locally. His mother - his father's ex-wife - Mary Lou McCall, is running for state Senate against the elder Young's girlfriend, incumbent state Sen. Julie Quinn.

McCall said that if she'd had a 'vendetta' against her former husband, she would have run against him. She said she played no role in her son's decision to run.

'When he told me he was running, I told him to ... pray about it and go with God,' McCall said. 'He has the right to run for office.'

Young Jr. agreed, though he admits he was caught off guard by his son's decision. He declined to say whether it had caused a rift between the two.

'I love my son. He's an intelligent young man, and he has the right to run,' said Young Jr., 50.

He said he understands the interest in his race - 'It's a bit unusual my son qualified' - but he said he wouldn't let that be the center of his campaign. Instead, the first-term councilman intends to focus on his record, emphasizing the economic strides he says Jefferson has made since Katrina and outlining his vision for the future of the parish, which did not suffer as much hurricane damage as neighboring New Orleans or St. Bernard.

He plans to spread his message at civic meetings and on TV and radio. His son, meanwhile, plans a grassroots campaign, banking on small donations from friends.

Rodriguez plans to put up signs and fit in as much door-to-door campaigning as he can before he has to go to work in the evening. His father, outspoken in his frustration with post-Katrina bureaucracy that has slowed the recovery and especially with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, did not return telephone messages seeking comment.
DuBos doubts either son is a serious challenger. However, he said there could be some voter confusion in the Young race. And in the case of St. Bernard, where the elder Rodriguez faces 'one or two major opponents, ... the son could stir things up there.'

Jacques Berry, a spokesman for the Louisiana secretary of state's office, said in an election featuring candidates with the same last name, the incumbent is denoted on the ballot. In recent years, the same-name issue has arisen in other statewide elections but hasn't caused a ballot problem, he said.

Pearson Cross, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, said he didn't know what to make of the two races.

'I think Louisiana voters are used to the unexpected and the kind-of-bizarre by other standards,' he said. 'We've long gone to polls expecting craziness out of our system.'

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