[StBernard] Two from St. Bernard Parish face off in race for 103rd House District

[Westley Annis]

Two from St. Bernard Parish face off in race for 103rd House District

Published: Tuesday, November 08, 2011, 8:45 PM

 By Dennis Persica, The Times-Picayune 

Two St. Bernard Parish men are vying for the 103rd District seat in the
state House of Representatives in the Nov. 19 runoff. Republican Ray
Garofalo of Meraux and Democrat Chad Lauga of Arabi led a four-candidate
field in the Oct. 22 primary to succeed Rep. Reed Henderson, D-Violet, who
did not seek re-election so he could run for St. Bernard Parish assessor.
Garofalo had 31 percent of the vote to Lauga's 27 percent.

The seat represents all of St. Bernard Parish, which makes up more than 80
percent of the district's population, and parts of Plaquemines Parish and
eastern New Orleans.

Garofalo led in St. Bernard with 32 percent of the vote there, with Lauga
running second in the parish with 25 percent. Lauga easily led in the
Plaquemines part of the district, winning an outright majority there. He had
a narrower lead in the four Orleans precincts in the 103rd district.

With the recent redrawing of legislative districts, St. Bernard is left with
one, instead of two, seats in the House, a fact that led all four candidates
in the primary to emphasize the importance of electing an experienced person
to the job.

Garofalo, 53, graduated from Holy Cross High School, has a bachelor's degree
in business and a law degree from Loyola University. He is married, with
three children. He is a self-employed developer and entrepreneur.

Lauga, 37, graduated from Chalmette High School. He is divorced. He has
worked as an electrician and is the political director for Local 130 of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Neither candidate has held political office before. It is Lauga's first run
for public office; Garofalo has run unsuccessfully for the St. Bernard
Parish Council and its predecessor, the St. Bernard Parish Police Jury.

Republican Michael Bayham and Democrat Cullen Tonry, both of Chalmette,
finished third and fourth, respectively, in the primary.