Jay Batt
Encyclopedia
John "Jay" Batt, Jr. is a local politician from New Orleans, Louisiana
. He is the older brother of actor Bryan Batt
.
, Batt served as the only member of his party on the New Orleans City Council, from 2002 to 2006, having represented District A.
District A runs from the Mississippi River
to Lake Pontchartrain
just below the Jefferson Parish
line in New Orleans. It includes some of the most affluent sections of town, and some the most seriously damaged by the Levee failures of 2005
after Hurricane Katrina
. The severe breech of the 17th Street Canal
in the West End and Lakeview neighborhoods which was responsible for much of the flooding of the city is in District A. The largest section of District A to escape severe flooding was Carrollton
.
Batt's promotion of various commercial developments over the objections of neighborhood associations aroused the opposition of some constituents in the year before Katrina. One group of dissatisfied District A constituents formed the "Anybody But Batt" political action committee
to promote the election of a new councilperson for the district. In the months that followed Hurricane Katrina
, anti-Jay Batt graffiti were observed on flood trashed cars in such neighborhoods as Westlake
, Lakeview
, Mid City.
Batt faced an unusually difficult reelection bid for an incumbent New Orleans city councilmember. Batt succeeded in gaining more votes than any of his numerous opponents, and faced Shelley Stephenson Midura
in a run-off election, which he lost. Midura is registered as a Democrat, but succeeded in also getting the endorsement of some of Batt's Republican primary opponents in the (since 1980) usually Republican District A.
Batt sought to regain his former seat in 2010, running against attorney and community activist Susan Guidry (D), Virginia Blanque (R) and Fred Robertson (independent). In the 6 February election, Batt came in second with 39% of the vote behind Guidry with 44%. http://www.wwltv.com/news/election-results/Election-Results---Council-A-83726412.html. Guidry and Batt faced a runoff election on 6 March, which Batt lost with 38% of the vote to Guidry's 62% http://www.wwltv.com/news/election-results/Election-Results---Council-A-83726412.html.
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, March 14, 2000
Second Ballot, April 15, 2000
Councilmember, District A, 2002
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 2, 2002
Second Ballot, March 2, 2002
Councilmember, District A, 2006
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, April 22, 2006
Second Ballot, May 20, 2006
Councilmember, District A, 2010
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 6, 2010
Second Ballot, March 6, 2010
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. He is the older brother of actor Bryan Batt
Bryan Batt
Bryan Batt is an American actor best known for his role in the AMC series Mad Men as Salvatore Romano, an art director for the Sterling Cooper agency. Primarily a theater actor, he has had a number of starring roles in movies and television as well...
.
Political career
A RepublicanRepublican 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...
, Batt served as the only member of his party on the New Orleans City Council, from 2002 to 2006, having represented District A.
District A runs from the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
just below the Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
line in New Orleans. It includes some of the most affluent sections of town, and some the most seriously damaged by the Levee failures of 2005
Levee failures in Greater New Orleans, 2005
In 29 August 2005 there were over 50 failures of the levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans, Louisiana, and its suburbs following passage of Hurricane Katrina and landfall in Mississippi. The levee and flood wall failures caused flooding in 80% of New Orleans and all of St. Bernard Parish...
after 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...
. The severe breech of the 17th Street Canal
17th Street Canal
The 17th Street Canal is a drainage canal in Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, that flows into Lake Pontchartrain. The canal forms a significant portion of the boundary between the city of New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana...
in the West End and Lakeview neighborhoods which was responsible for much of the flooding of the city is in District A. The largest section of District A to escape severe flooding was Carrollton
Carrollton, Louisiana
Carrollton is a neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, which includes the Carrollton Historic District. It is the part of Uptown New Orleans farthest up river from the French Quarter...
.
Batt's promotion of various commercial developments over the objections of neighborhood associations aroused the opposition of some constituents in the year before Katrina. One group of dissatisfied District A constituents formed the "Anybody But Batt" political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
to promote the election of a new councilperson for the district. In the months that followed 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...
, anti-Jay Batt graffiti were observed on flood trashed cars in such neighborhoods as Westlake
Westlake
-New Zealand:*Westlake, New Zealand, a suburb of Auckland**Westlake Girls High School**Westlake Boys High School-United States:*Westlake, Daly City, California*Westlake, Los Angeles, California*Westlake, Louisiana*Westlake, Ohio*Westlake, Oregon...
, Lakeview
Lakeview, New Orleans
Lakeview is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Lakeview District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Robert E. Lee Boulevard to the north, Orleans Avenue to the east, Florida Boulevard, Canal Boulevard and I-610 to the south and...
, Mid City.
Batt faced an unusually difficult reelection bid for an incumbent New Orleans city councilmember. Batt succeeded in gaining more votes than any of his numerous opponents, and faced Shelley Stephenson Midura
Shelley Stephenson Midura
Shelley Stephenson Midura is a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana and a former member of the New Orleans City Council. A Democrat, she represented District A from 2006 to her retirment in 2010. She first won election when she defeated Republican incumbent Jay Batt...
in a run-off election, which he lost. Midura is registered as a Democrat, but succeeded in also getting the endorsement of some of Batt's Republican primary opponents in the (since 1980) usually Republican District A.
Batt sought to regain his former seat in 2010, running against attorney and community activist Susan Guidry (D), Virginia Blanque (R) and Fred Robertson (independent). In the 6 February election, Batt came in second with 39% of the vote behind Guidry with 44%. http://www.wwltv.com/news/election-results/Election-Results---Council-A-83726412.html. Guidry and Batt faced a runoff election on 6 March, which Batt lost with 38% of the vote to Guidry's 62% http://www.wwltv.com/news/election-results/Election-Results---Council-A-83726412.html.
Election History
Councilmember, District A, 2000Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, March 14, 2000
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Scott Shea | Republican | 6,451 (45%) | Runoff |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 4,691 (33%) | Runoff |
| Others | n.a. | 3,078 (22%) | Defeated |
Second Ballot, April 15, 2000
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Scott Shea | Republican | 7,245 (52%) | Elected |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 6,557 (48%) | Defeated |
Councilmember, District A, 2002
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 2, 2002
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Scott Shea | Republican | 13,800 (48%) | Runoff |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 11,370 (39%) | Runoff |
| Sal Palmisano | Republican | 3,845 (13%) | Defeated |
Second Ballot, March 2, 2002
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 15,152 (51%) | Elected |
| Scott Shea | Republican | 14,697 (49%) | Defeated |
Councilmember, District A, 2006
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, April 22, 2006
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 10,805 (40%) | Runoff |
| Shelley Stephenson Midura Shelley Stephenson Midura Shelley Stephenson Midura is a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana and a former member of the New Orleans City Council. A Democrat, she represented District A from 2006 to her retirment in 2010. She first won election when she defeated Republican incumbent Jay Batt... |
Democratic | 7,703 (28%) | Runoff |
| Sal Palmisano | Republican | 3,272 (12%) | Defeated |
| Others | n.a. | 5,374 (20%) | Defeated |
Second Ballot, May 20, 2006
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Shelley Stephenson Midura Shelley Stephenson Midura Shelley Stephenson Midura is a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana and a former member of the New Orleans City Council. A Democrat, she represented District A from 2006 to her retirment in 2010. She first won election when she defeated Republican incumbent Jay Batt... |
Democratic | 14,552 (52%) | Elected |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 13,670 (48%) | Defeated |
Councilmember, District A, 2010
Threshold > 50%
First Ballot, February 6, 2010
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Susan Guidry | Democratic | 10,173 (44%) | Runoff |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 9,046 (39%) | Runoff |
| Virginia Blanque | Republican | 3,324 (14%) | Defeated |
| Fred Robertson | Independent | 461 (2%) | Defeated |
Second Ballot, March 6, 2010
| Candidate | Affiliation | Support | Outcome |
| Susan Guidry | Democratic | 8,059 (62%) | Elected |
| Jay Batt | Republican | 4,869 (38%) | Defeated |
Sources
- City of New Orleans : http://www.cityofno.com/
- Louisiana Secretary of State : http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/
- The Automatik : http://www.theautomatik.com/