[StBernard] Six political novices trying for

[Westley Annis]

Six political novices trying for 
District D
by The Times-Picayune 
Friday October 05, 2007, 9:06 PM
By Paul Rioux 
St. Bernard bureau 

Six political newcomers are vying for the open District D seat on the St.
Bernard Parish Council, with most of them saying they decided to run because
they believe the next four years will be critical to the parish's long-term
recovery from Hurricane Katrina. 

Incumbent Craig Taffaro is vacating the seat to run for parish president.
Seeking to replace him during the Oct. 20 election are Mike Ginart, Larry
Ingargiola, Ginger Mays, Danny O'Neil, Thomas "Zig" Pacaccio Jr. and Charlie
Ricord Sr. 

District D includes Meraux and parts of Violet. The position pays $7,200 per
year. 


Ginart, a lawyer who called this "the most important election of our lives,"
said he is disappointed with the pace of the recovery and said he would
bring a "can-do spirit" to the council. 



"For us not to have one public building back together more than two years
after the hurricane is indefensible," he said. 
Ginart said he would conduct monthly community meetings to discuss ideas for
rebuilding St. Bernard, where virtually every structure flooded during
Katrina. He said the top priority should be improving the levee system and
restoring the vanishing coastline to guard against another flood. 

"We need world-class flood protection. That's the most important thing
because people will not come back unless they feel safe," he said at a
recent candidate forum hosted by the Alliance for Good Government.
"Remember, Katrina was not a natural disaster; it was a manmade disaster." 

Ingargiola, 63, who was the parish's emergency preparedness director during
Katrina, said his experience dealing with FEMA would help him secure
recovery dollars. 

"I have taken every FEMA course out there so I know what FEMA can do and
what it can't do," he said. "It's not a time for somebody to come in and
learn the system. We've got to keep the ball rolling." 

Ingargiola left his position as emergency preparedness director in January
when the Parish Council eliminated financing for his office amid concerns
about the denial of federal reimbursement for hurricane-recovery contracts
he signed. 

He now works for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security as the state's
liaison to St. Bernard Parish. 

Ingargiola said the parish's greatest need is a hospital to replace
Chalmette Medical Center, which flooded during Katrina and has been torn
down. 

"Not having a hospital is the biggest obstacle to bringing people back,
especially older residents," he said. "If you get sick, you have to go to
New Orleans or across the lake." 

Mays, 48, a former office manager who is unemployed, said she is running as
a "concerned citizen, not a politician." 

"I'm a born-again Christian, and I feel like I've been called to do this by
the Lord," she said at the Alliance for Good Government forum Sept. 26. 

Mays said her top priorities would be to restore wetlands, reverse coastal
erosion and build a levee system designed to withstand a Category 5
hurricane. 

"If we don't rebuild the barrier islands, we don't stand a chance," she
said. "We need something to cut down the storm surge so we don't get totally
inundated again." 

O'Neil, 38, said the parish should expedite repairs to the storm-damaged
government complex in Chalmette, calling its gutted first floor a
discouraging symbol of the parish's sluggish recovery. 

"If the government can't take care of itself, how can it help the people?"
he said. "You've got to lead by example." 

O'Neil, a design consultant for a company that makes trade show exhibits and
displays, called for tax breaks to bring businesses back and establishing
24-hour emergency medical services at the parish's temporary clinic until a
new hospital is built. 

But he said there are limits to what the parish government can do to speed
the recovery. 

"It's going to have to be a community-based revival," he said. "The
government can't do it all." 

Pacaccio, 64, who owns Zig's Hideout bar, said the parish should have been
better prepared for a storm like Katrina. 

"As vulnerable as we are to hurricanes, they had no plan about what to do,"
he said of parish officials. "If it wasn't for everyday citizens like me
rescuing people off of roofs, it would have been an even bigger disaster." 

He said businesses from outside the parish have been profiting from the
catastrophe at the expense of St. Bernard taxpayers. 

"What gets me is the vacuum sewer trucks that are tearing up the streets.
Who's going to pay to fix it?" he said. "Everybody's coming in here making
money, but we're going to be stuck with the bill to fix all the damage they
are causing." 

Ricord did not return several phone calls seeking an interview about his
candidacy. 

Paul Rioux can be reached at prioux at timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3321.