[StBernard] Mud slinging not over yet in St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

Mud slinging not over yet in St. Bernard

Race for St. Bernard Parish President
St. Bernard Parish
Reported by: Evan Anderson, Reporter Email: eanderson at fox8tv.net
			
St. Bernard - The mudslinging continues in what's turned out to be a very
close primary for St. Bernard parish president. Incumbent Craig Taffaro got
43 percent of the vote in Saturdays election, his challenger, David Peralta
garnered 42 percent, separated by only 108 votes. 

What was a four candidate contest, has now turned into a race between two
men who were once close friends. 

"Craig and I were very good and dear friends for a very long time. We had a
major difference of opinion," said David Peralta who is currently a grant
administrator for the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office. 

Now, both have long list of disagreements on how their parish should run.

"We have a difference in where this parish should be going. It's six years
from the storm, recovery is passed, we need to move forward now," said
Peralta. 

"We really ran a passive and positive based campaign about, hey this is what
we've done in four years. We really let the opposition have their way with
us. We'll change that this time," said Incumbent Craig Taffaro. 

David Peralta, a republican from Meraux, was the chief administrative
officer for former parish president Henry "Junior" Rodriguez. Peralta says
he continued that job for eight months under Taffaro.

"He asked for my resignation. I told him I was not going to resign, not
because I didn't want to leave, I was not going to resign with the effect
that my people thought that I turned my back on the employees," said
Peralta. 

So Taffaro says, he fired him. 

"He couldn't cut it, just that plain and simple, he couldn't cut it. He
didn't have the qualifications," said Taffaro. 

Peralta says he's built his reputation off honesty, integrity, and having a
plan and says he hopes that's what people relate to. 

"I'm not a big government kind of guy. Government needs to be there to
assist people, not to hurt them," said Peralta.

"This race is really coming down to whether or not they want to put Junior
Rodriguez back in office, disguised as Dave Peralta," said Taffaro. 

Taffaro's campaign platform pledges on-going recovery, but Peralta claims
most of the money was received, and construction projects started before
Taffaro even took office.

"We should have all that done by now. We shouldn't still have houses that
need to be demolished. We shouldn't have streets that are still being torn
up till this day," said Peralta. 

"We'll make sure the facts are the facts, we'll clarify the lies that
they've told, and we'll clarify to the public just what their decision is
about," said Taffaro. 

Both candidates have four more weeks to try and convince voters they are the
best candidate for St. Bernard Parish president. 

The runoff is set for November 19th.