Fresh off defeat at polls, Taffaro lands job with Jindal administration
St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, who lost his bid for re-election, has been named the new head of hazard mitigation programs for the state of Louisiana, the state announced. Taffaro will assume a new title, director of hazard mitigation and recovery coordination, and report directly to Gov. Bobby Jindal's commissioner of administration, Paul Rainwater.
Craig Taffaro becoming St. Bernard Parish president in January 2008. His salary is slated to be $150,000 a year, according to state spokeswoman Christina Stephens.
Chief among Taffaro's new duties will be overseeing the state's troubled $750 million home-elevation grant program. That should relieve Pat Forbes, the director of the Office of Community Development, of some responsibility over a program under fire for alleged corruption and in the midst of implementing key reforms.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to join Gov. Jindal's team and the chance to continue the momentum of recovery beyond the borders of St. Bernard Parish," Taffaro said. "While I hope for the best in St. Bernard, being part of a larger team will mean greater recovery for the state as a whole. I'm grateful to Gov. Jindal and Commissioner Rainwater for having the confidence to afford me this opportunity."
Stephens said Forbes is going to focus more on running Community Development Block Grant programs authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Rainwater said in a statement that Taffaro has proven that he is "skilled at working with federal funds and cutting through red tape to get projects done." With that in mind, he will also be in charge of working with parish leaders receiving a new allocation of $390 million in Hazard Mitigation money from FEMA.
Also, Taffaro will oversee issues related to the Louisiana Land Trust, the quasi-public entity that controls properties purchased by the state through the Road Home buyout program.