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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| <- |
2010-01-01 |
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| Name | Juan LaFonta |
| Address | 3200 St. Bernard Avenue Suite 107 J
New Orleans, Louisiana 70119, United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | Scott³ |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jul 07, 2015 02:50am |
| Tags |
Black -
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| Info | When Juan LaFonta, a candidate for Congress in Louisiana’s 2nd District, updates his Facebook status he almost always posts the same thing, “Juan LaFonta is working.”
The son of a bricklayer and a public school teacher, Juan LaFonta is no stranger to hard work. Since he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2005, LaFonta has been an effective and dedicated representative for the people of New Orleans. A lifelong resident of Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, Juan has always believed in the values of faith, family and community. He still lives on the same street where he grew up, taking every opportunity to maintain his connections to the people he represents. His single minded focus on the needs of his neighbors is reflected in his life and in his work in the legislature.
Juan is committed to economic development in his community, working to ease the tax burden on local businesses to help create jobs. He is a believer in accessible healthcare, championing the effort to rebuild Charity Hospital and pushing legislation to expand healthcare coverage and requirements on insurance companies. He serves on the House Commerce, Insurance and Retirement Committees, and on the House Special Committee on Disaster Planning, Crisis Management, Recovery and Long-Term Revitalization, formed after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area.
The second child of George LaFonta, a bricklayer, and Joanne Bagneris LaFonta, a public school teacher, Juan worked his way through college. His father has laid brick all over New Orleans and his mother has touched the lives of literally thousands of students in her long and distinguished career.
In 2005, Juan was elected to represent the people of House District 96, which includes Bywater, Treme, Gentilly, the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny, in a special election. He was reelected in 2007 without opposition, and was the first freshman legislator ever elected to a chairmanship in the Louisiana State Legislature when he was elected Chairman of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, a position he held until July 2008.
The reality and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have defined both Juan LaFonta and the Congressional District he is running to represent. Juan was elected to the State House just months prior to the hurricane. Juan LaFonta was personally involved in pulling family, friends and neighbors, who had retreated to the high dry ground of the Mount Olivet Mausoleum, from the flood waters.
In the legislature, LaFonta has been steadfast in his work on hurricane protection and recovery. After assisting in the evacuation, working with US Special Forces to get telecommunications up, locate landing pads, and tend to the needs of the community dispersed, he hit the ground running participating in the necessary action of bringing awareness to the gravity of the storm.
He testified before the Congressional Black Caucus, and focused on securing the funds needed to rebuild the city.
Juan LaFonta testified on the Hill in regards to the Baker Program, which was later defeated. This program was mimicked later and became known as the Road Home Program, was structured differently that the original considered, and provided more than $300 Million to repair streets, and rebuild the city’s firehouses, police stations, local parks and gymnasiums.
LaFonta continued his work to raise awareness and secure funding. He was a lead organizer of the Jena 6 March and helped secure nearly $2 Billion in projects for Metro New Orleans area.
Juan LaFonta earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of New Orleans before acquiring his Law Degree from Southern University. Juan is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and was an adjunct professor at Dillard University for 5 years and serves as a mentor to many in youth in the city of New Orleans.
As a Member of Congress, Juan Lafonta will continue his work for his beloved New Orleans by focusing on economic development, job creation and hurricane recovery and protection. LaFonta will also be a strong advocate for universal health care and a stalwart protector of Social Security and Medicare. In Congress, as always, Juan LaFonta will be working.
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