Agency's policy director is challenging Jindal in governor's race
BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration canceled plans for a training seminar involving one of Jindal's little-known opponents within two weeks of the Democratic candidate entering the governor's race.
Androniki "Niki Bird" Papazoglakis blames the cancellation of a planned January seminar for social workers on her sign-up for the Oct. 22 ballot.
Papazoglakis, who has never before run for office, is policy director of a nonprofit group that advocates for domestic violence and sexual abuse victims, called PAVE: Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment.
Papazoglakis said PAVE leaders had been talking with the Department of Children and Family Services about a $5,000 speaking contract for the seminar until last week, when the department notified Papazoglakis and PAVE's executive director that the seminar was scrapped because of budget issues.