Emergency director for Jefferson is hired;
By Meghan Gordon
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Copyright 2007 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Nearly a year after Jefferson Parish’s emergency director stepped down, council members Wednesday approved hiring the New Orleans airport’s safety and hazardous materials expert to replace Walter Maestri, once the region’s most recognizable hurricane management expert.
Kenneth L. Padgett Sr. is expected to start March 31, giving him two months to learn the parish’s updated emergency plans before the 2007 hurricane season. Parish administrators said Padgett’s resume and scores of certifications stood out as the most qualified in the field of 21 candidates.
The Parish Council approved the appointment without comment, reversing several members’ earlier plans to defer the resolution until their next meeting to give themselves more time to meet him and review his resume.
Padgett, 48, has supervised safety and hazardous materials responses at Louis Armstrong International Airport since 1990, writing many emergency procedures and developing training exercises for staff. He also works part time as an emergency medical technician for East Jefferson General Hospital and is a reserve combat and flight medic for the Louisiana National Guard.
Padgett previously coordinated all ground transportation at the airport, served as assistant operations chief of Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, and was an airborne communications technician for the Air Force. He holds a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics and associate’s degrees in fire science and communications operations technology.
Council members said they had no reservations about supporting Parish President Aaron Broussard’s pick after reviewing Padgett’s experience and talking with him directly. Padgett’s salary will be about $78,000.
“The resume’s extensive,” Chairman Tom Capella said. “He’s qualified: from Army experience, to EMT, to fire experience, to running everything out at the airport.”
Both Capella and Councilman John Young pointed out that Padgett makes a strong team with Mel Ryan, who was named assistant emergency director in July. Ryan is a retired State Police major with 32 years of experience at the agency.
“We didn’t, luckily, have to see where Mel shines last year, and that’s contraflow,” Capella said. “If we ever have to put contraflow into effect, Mel Ryan, through his years with the State Police, would be an absolute expert on that.”