Walter Boasso
Encyclopedia
Walter Joseph Boasso is a wealthy business
man and former Democratic
state senator
from Chalmette
, the seat of St. Bernard Parish in south Louisiana
. He was defeated in a bid for governor
in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary
. Boasso won 47 percent in his own St. Bernard Parish, his sole plurality showing in any of his state's sixty-four parishes. From 2004 to 2008, Boasso represented Senate District 1, which includes parts of Orleans, Plaquemines
, St. Bernard
, and St. Tammany parishes
, many of those areas having been devastated by Hurricane Katrina
.
in 1978. He obtained a business
degree from the University of New Orleans
. Boasso began his own company cleaning storage tanks for local companies during summer vacation
s. He soon established a large corporation
, Boasso America. The company is still headquartered in St. Bernard Parish and employs hundreds of people in several states. He described the business as being started "with a brush and a bucket of Tide." During August 2007 Boasso America Corp., was sold to a Florida company, Quality Distribution Inc. at a profit of $60 million. The company will maintain its presence in South Louisiana.
He now works in the human resources section of the Maine
-based Boone Corp.
in the mid 1990s. He was selected as the chairman of the Port
of New Orleans Authority Board of Commissioners in 2001 and to the state Senate in 2003.
On February 6, 2007, Boasso announced his plans to run in the primary for the governor. He faced opposition from the Republican U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal
, also of suburban New Orleans. After the decision by Louisiana Republicans to endorse Jindal, Boasso was approached about running for governor as a Democrat.
To that end, on April 26, 2007, Boasso formally switched parties again. In addition to Jindal, he was forced to contend with rival Democrat Foster L. Campbell, Jr.
, of Bossier City
in Bossier Parish, a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
.
were nearly the only source of help for his parish. Media coverage was aimed almost entirely at New Orleans alone. Boasso noted that rescuers from Canada
were in the parish before any state response got there. Boasso has continued to push for assistance for St. Bernard Parish and has promised that Boasso America will continue to operate there.
In 1996, Boasso succeeded the Republican state Senator Lynn Dean
of Plaquemines Parish. After Boasso's defection, the seat returned to Republican hands. In the 2007 primary, state Representative A. G. Crowe
of Pearl River
defeated the Democrat Kenneth L. Odinet, Sr., 11,625 (52 percent) to 10,811 (48 percent). In 2008, Odinet switched to the Republican Party in an unsuccessful candidacy for the Louisiana Public Service Commission
.
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 4, 2003
Second Ballot, November 15, 2003
Governor of Louisiana, 2007
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man and former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
state senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Chalmette
Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of St. Bernard Parish in south Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He was defeated in a bid for governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
. Boasso won 47 percent in his own St. Bernard Parish, his sole plurality showing in any of his state's sixty-four parishes. From 2004 to 2008, Boasso represented Senate District 1, which includes parts of Orleans, Plaquemines
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemines Parish is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache...
, St. Bernard
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
, and St. Tammany parishes
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....
, many of those areas having been devastated by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Biography
A life-long resident of St. Bernard Parish, Boasso graduated from Chalmette High SchoolChalmette High School
Chalmette High School is a high school in the Chalmette area unincorporated St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of St. Bernard Parish Public Schools.Chalmette High School opened in 1954 at the current site of Chalmette Elementary School, previously known as Chalmette Middle...
in 1978. He obtained a business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
degree from the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
. Boasso began his own company cleaning storage tanks for local companies during summer vacation
Summer vacation
Summer vacation is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students and instructors are off school typically between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the country and district.-Students:In some countries, students participate in programs such as organized sports, summer camps, and...
s. He soon established a large corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
, Boasso America. The company is still headquartered in St. Bernard Parish and employs hundreds of people in several states. He described the business as being started "with a brush and a bucket of Tide." During August 2007 Boasso America Corp., was sold to a Florida company, Quality Distribution Inc. at a profit of $60 million. The company will maintain its presence in South Louisiana.
He now works in the human resources section of the Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
-based Boone Corp.
Political career
Originally a Democrat, Boasso switched to the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in the mid 1990s. He was selected as the chairman of the Port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
of New Orleans Authority Board of Commissioners in 2001 and to the state Senate in 2003.
On February 6, 2007, Boasso announced his plans to run in the primary for the governor. He faced opposition from the Republican U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, also of suburban New Orleans. After the decision by Louisiana Republicans to endorse Jindal, Boasso was approached about running for governor as a Democrat.
To that end, on April 26, 2007, Boasso formally switched parties again. In addition to Jindal, he was forced to contend with rival Democrat Foster L. Campbell, Jr.
Foster Campbell
Foster L. Campbell, Jr. , is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a former 26-year member of the Louisiana State Senate, and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Campbell polled 161,425 votes and won two parishes: Red River and...
, of Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
in Bossier Parish, a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
.
Hurricane Katrina
Boasso has been lauded for his response to the disaster that struck his constituents on the morning of August 29, 2005. Katrina sent a tidal surge of up to 25–30 feet in height that drowned St. Bernard Parish in a matter of minutes. Boasso was in Baton Rouge at the time, and on being advised of the situation returned to the parish before the winds had completely died. He spent the following weeks bringing supplies, including fuel, food, medicines, and transportation to the parish. Many local residents said that Boasso and Democratic U.S. Representative Charlie MelanconCharlie Melancon
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Melancon was the U.S. Representative for , serving from 2005 to 2011, and the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican David Vitter.-Early life, education and career:...
were nearly the only source of help for his parish. Media coverage was aimed almost entirely at New Orleans alone. Boasso noted that rescuers from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
were in the parish before any state response got there. Boasso has continued to push for assistance for St. Bernard Parish and has promised that Boasso America will continue to operate there.
Quotes during Hurricane Katrina
- “I've got 122,000 people in my district, and everybody's been affected (by Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
),” said Boasso. - “I don't care about finger pointing,” Boasso said. “I'm hollering and screaming and you know what? If they can't help us we're going to help ourselves.”
- "Fabulous, fabulous guys," Boasso said. Referring to the Vancouver, Canada's USARUSARUSAR may refer to one of the following:*Unconditional Search and Replace, an initialism used in computing for features in text editors and computer operating systems...
team who came to his flooded town's aid, "They started rolling with us and got in boats to save people." - "We've got Canadian flags flying everywhere."
Legislation
Boasso garnered national coverage for the "Boasso Bill," his proposed state legislation that would eliminate the system of local levee boards and replace them with a professionally staffed board to prevent the levee failures that contributed to the flooding.In 1996, Boasso succeeded the Republican state Senator Lynn Dean
Lynn Dean
Lynn B. Dean is a boat manufacturer from St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, who served from 1996 to 2004 as a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 1 . The district embraces a portion of the New Orleans suburbs, including the lower southeastern coastal parishes of Plaquemines...
of Plaquemines Parish. After Boasso's defection, the seat returned to Republican hands. In the 2007 primary, state Representative A. G. Crowe
A. G. Crowe
Almond Gaston Crowe, Jr., known as A.G. Crowe , is a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 1 in St. Tammany Parish.- Political history :...
of Pearl River
Pearl River, Louisiana
Pearl River is a town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,839 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
defeated the Democrat Kenneth L. Odinet, Sr., 11,625 (52 percent) to 10,811 (48 percent). In 2008, Odinet switched to the Republican Party in an unsuccessful candidacy for the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
.
Electoral history
State Senator, 1st Senatorial District, 2003Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 4, 2003
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Walter Boasso | Republican | 19,842 (49%) | Runoff |
| Wayne J. Landry | Democratic | 12,288 (30%) | Runoff |
| Wayne Mumphrey | Republican | 8,538 (21%) | Defeated |
Second Ballot, November 15, 2003
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Walter Boasso | Republican | 25,233 (61%) | Elected |
| Wayne J. Landry | Democratic | 16,011 (39%) | Defeated |
Governor of Louisiana, 2007
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, October 20, 2007
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Bobby Jindal Bobby Jindal Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party.... |
Republican | 699,672 (54%) | Elected |
| Walter Boasso | Democratic | 226,364 (17%) | Defeated |
| John Georges John Georges John Georges is a New Orleans, Louisiana, businessman who formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the body which supervises higher education in his native state.... |
Independent | 186,800 (14%) | Defeated |
| Foster Campbell Foster Campbell Foster L. Campbell, Jr. , is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a former 26-year member of the Louisiana State Senate, and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Campbell polled 161,425 votes and won two parishes: Red River and... |
Democratic | 161,425 (12%) | Defeated |
| Others | n.a. | 23,682 (3%) | Defeated |
External links
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Walter J. Boasso (LA) profile
- Follow the Money - Richard D. Young