| John Batt | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Orleans City Council from District A | |
| In office June 1, 2002 – June 1, 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Scott Shea |
| Succeeded by | Shelley S. Midura |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
John "Jay" Batt, Jr. is a local politician from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the older brother of actor Bryan Batt.
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A Republican, 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).[1][2] In the 6 February election, Batt came in second with 39% of the vote behind Guidry with 44%. [1]. Guidry and Batt faced a runoff election on 6 March, which Batt lost with 38% of the vote to Guidry's 62% [2].
Councilmember, District A, 2000
Threshold > 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 | 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 | 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 |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Scott Shea (R) |
Councilmember, District A 2002–2006 |
Succeeded by Shelley Stephenson Midura (D) |
