[StBernard] DiFatta pulling out of Senate race<br>

[Westley Annis]

Also saddened to hear about Councilman Di Fatta's health.  DiFatta together
with the rest of St Bernard Parish Council received the Outstanding
Legislator of the Year Award 2007.  They were awarded this prestigious honor
as a team.  Joey is a very honorable integral part of the team.  

SJK

-----Original Message-----
DiFatta pulling out of Senate race
Posted by St. Tammany bureau October 04, 2007 10:00AM
By Christine Harvey 
St. Tammany bureau 

St. Bernard Parish Councilman Joey DiFatta said today he is withdrawing from
the 1st District Senate race, citing health concerns as the reason for his
decision. 

DiFatta, 53, said that he has been having chest pains for a few weeks, and
his doctor advised him to slow down and make some changes in his life. He
added that the stress from enduring Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath may
finally have gotten the best of him. 


A jeweler who had already received several political endorsements, DiFatta
lost his Chalmette home to Katrina, and it took him almost 14 months to
rebuild. In the interim, he has been a strong voice for his constituents,
traveling often to Washington, D.C., to fight for help in recovering from
the storm. 

When he chose to run for state Senate, DiFatta relinquished the opportunity
to run for re-election to the St. Bernard Parish Council. DiFatta, who has
served on the council for the past 12 years and is currently its chairman,
said he has enjoyed serving the parish and its people. 

"I just want to thank all the people and supporters, and hopefully they
understand I had to make this move," said DiFatta, who plans to spend the
next several days relaxing and regaining his composure. "I've enjoyed the
tenure I've had." 

He did not rule out the possibility that he would run for public office in
the future. DiFatta's latest campaign finance report shows that he has
almost $69,000 in the bank -- money that he said he will use to pay some
outstanding campaign bills, though he noted that he can hold onto the money
for use at another time. 

DiFatta's withdrawal from the race leaves two candidates -- A.G. Crowe and
Ken Odinet -- fighting for the seat, which includes St. Bernard Parish and
parts of St. Tammany, Plaquemines and Orleans parishes. The election is Oct.
20 primary.

Both state representatives, Crowe chose not to run for a third term in
District 76, while Odinet was term-limited after serving 20 years in
District 103. 

Odinet, who lives in Arabi, said this afternoon he had not yet heard that
DiFatta was stepping aside, adding that he was saddened to hear DiFatta has
been ill. But he said he's still got a race to run against Crowe, and he
hopes the voters look at their records when making a decision on election
day. 

Crowe, a Pearl River resident, did not immediately return a call Thursday
for comment.