Two of the three candidates who lost bids for the District E seat on the New Orleans City Council have announced endorsements in the runoff election next month, with one endorsing state Rep. Austin Badon and the other backing attorney James Gray. The third-place finisher, attorney Dana Henry, on Monday announced his support for Badon.
The fifth-place finisher, Lower Ninth Ward community activist Mary Fontenot Smith, on Friday said she was endorsing Gray.
One former candidate remains in the wind: former City Hall aide Jerrelda Drummer Sanders has made no announcement supporting either candidate. Badon said he's tried to get in touch with her since the primary election last week, to no avail. Gray's camp said they've not heard from her either. Sanders, who won just under 8 percent of the vote in last week's election, has also not returned a number of messages from the newspaper.
Those who lose in the primary election typically endorse either of the candidates remaining. It is a tradition familiar to Sanders.
Two years ago, she also lost in the primary to Badon and his then-challenger Jon Johnson. In the weeks before the primary, she chose to support Johnson over Badon and later worked in Johnson's council office.
Badon and Gray are battling for the seat Johnson vacated this summer, when he abruptly pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges and resigned.
Badon placed first, just shy of winning outright with 47.5 percent of the vote. Gray placed second with just under 30 percent.
Despite her history of opposing Badon, it's not clear Sanders will throw her support to Gray. She was his loudest critic in the primary election. In the dozen debates leading up to election day, Sanders, Badon and Henry often ganged up against Gray over his residency issue: Gray has not lived at his home in the district since it was flooded during Hurricane Katrina - a fact that Sanders tirelessly mentioned in the run-up to the election.
So her silence may be a decision to support neither of the two remaining candidates.
Gray is also supported by the district's political heavyweights including Mayor Mitch Landrieu, former City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard Lewis, U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond and the Democratic Executive Committee.
He said Friday in a written statement that Smith's endorsement was especially salient because of her work in the Lower Ninth Ward - the only precincts he won in the primary election.
Gray said that Smith hinged her support on his promise to finish projects in the district: the long-overdue revitalization of a hospital in eastern New Orleans, reconstructing the Pete Sanchez Community Center, rebuilding Lincoln Beach and reducing blight.
Smith said Friday evening that she is working on writing a prepared statement explaining her choice.
Smith claimed just over 5 percent of the vote in the November primary.
Henry placed third with just over 9 percent.
"The residents of District E want a leader who is experienced, who understand our community, and who actually lives in District E," he wrote in his endorsement of Badon. "Most importantly, District E wants and needs a leader who is independent, and who will fight for us by putting people before politics. In a race for the District E Council seat, Austin Badon is the only candidate who meets all of those criteria."
Badon is also supported by the Alliance for Good Government, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro and a handful of other politicians and groups.
Source: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/former_district_e_candidates_a.html
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