Born in 1949 in Marksville, Louisiana, Aaron F. Broussard moved to Kenner in 1958. He became an Eagle Scout, an All-Star halfback at Kenner Playground, and member of Phi Lambda Epsilon National Educational Fraternity and Hi-Y. He graduated from East Jefferson High School in 1966. He worked his way through college as a lead singer in a Rock 'n Roll band. Aaron attended Louisiana State University, the University of Southeastern Louisiana, and then received a BA degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans (LSUNO) with a major in History and a minor in Sociology in 1970.
Aaron was State President of Young Democrats of Louisiana in 1972 and attended the National Democratic Convention in Miami that same year. He was Campaign Manager for several Jefferson Parish campaigns. He was named to the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity in Law School. In 1973, Aaron received a Jurist Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law.
In 1974, Aaron was elected to the Jefferson Parish School Board and re-elected in 1976 by 92% of the vote. He served as Vice-President of the School Board in his first term and as Chairman of the Building Committee overseeing the construction of the greatest amount of new schools ever built at one time in Jefferson Parish.
In 1977, he was elected as a District Chairman to the Jefferson Parish Council serving one-fourth of the Parish and then re-elected in 1981 with approximately 82% of the vote. The Alliance for Good Government named him Man of the Year in 1979, several years later presented him with its Civic Award, and years later presented him with its Legislator of the Year Award.
In 1982, Aaron was elected Mayor of the City of Kenner. While serving as Mayor, the city experienced a boom in economic growth. In 1983 Rivertown, a collection of family-oriented museums, was developed. The Esplanade Mall, one of the state's most successful shopping areas, was built in 1985 and in 1991 Mayor Broussard was the driving force in building the Pontchartrain Center, an all-purpose facility that hosts conventions, sporting events, trade shows, graduations and Mardi Gras Balls. He was re-elected for a second term as Mayor by 91% of the vote in 1986, and re-elected in 1990. In 1994, he was unopposed in the election to serve as Kenner's Mayor for a fourth term.
In 1991, Aaron announced his candidacy for Governor of the State of Louisiana against incumbent Buddy Roemer and campaigned statewide, but withdrew from the race prior to qualifying.
Aaron was the Founder of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. He was also Co-Founder and twice President of the Louisiana Conference of Mayors, which is still active today.
He founded P.A.C.E. (Parishes Against Coastal Erosion) to find efficient, expedient methods to protect our coast, preserve our wildlife habitats, and breathe new life into our seafood industry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program awarded P.A.C.E. the "Gulf Guardian Award" in the government category in 2006.
While Mayor of Kenner, he was presented with the "National Livability Award" by the U.S. Conference of Mayors for his distinguished leadership in culture, arts, and civic programs. The National Association of Counties presented Aaron with an award for innovative legislation in combating gas explosions in Jefferson Parish while he was a Jefferson Parish District Councilman.
In 1995, he was elected Chairman of the Jefferson Parish Council by 81% of the vote. President Clinton appointed him to the National Committee on Tourism. As Chairman of the Jefferson Parish Council, Aaron garnered public input on governmental proceedings in a first-of-its-kind priorities conference entitled JEFF 2000 in concert with the University of New Orleans Chancellor and staff.
Under Aaron's leadership as Council Chairman, the Parish has embarked on the most extensive capital improvement initiative in Jefferson's history including the $245 million road improvement program as well as the $475 million ongoing Southeast Louisiana Flood Control Project (SELA).
Chairman Broussard was instrumental in establishing the Jefferson Office of Tourism and Tourism Advisory Board. He also served as Chairman of the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) of the Greater New Orleans nine-parish area. He still chairs the RPC Environmental Committee and the Rail Transportation Committee.
In 1999, Aaron was re-elected Council Chairman of Jefferson Parish without opposition. In December 2000, Aaron received the JEDCO Chairman's Award for the Year 2000 "Champion of Economic Development."
Aaron was "Grand Marshall" of the Irish-Italian Parade in 1994, "King Argus" on Mardi Gras Day 1999, and "Grand Marshall" of the Jefferson Parish St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2003.
In October 2003, Aaron was elected as Jefferson Parish President to serve a four-year term beginning in January 2004. Within his first year of office, he had already achieved a list of accomplishments including organizing another priorities conference, JEFF 007, again in conjunction with UNO to gain public input to streamline and consolidate various parish departments and services.
With a general fund crisis at hand, he developed a plan to rededicate funds to provide needed services in areas that were under-funded or not funded at all. In November 2004, voters approved the plan allowing funding for economic development, senior citizen services, culture and parks, and criminal justice.
Throughout his years in public service, Aaron has served on many various committees and boards and has been awarded many prestigious honors for his distinguished leadership in culture, arts, and civic programs.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Aaron created Operation Lifeline to provide medical care and other services to neighborhoods throughout the parish and led recovery efforts including clearing roadways and restoring vital public services such as water, sewerage and drainage. "Jump Start Jefferson" was put in place to help businesses reopen and to provide the necessary goods and services for the recovery.
He initiated the complete modernization of all Hurricane Evacuation and Recovery Plans for Jefferson Parish. He provided the leadership for the building of 13 safe rooms to keep parish pump station operators safe and on the job even during the most severe hurricanes.
He carried the message to Washington that the region needed 100-year Hurricane protection, including higher and armored levees simultaneous with completion of all drainage projects under the SELA program, improved pumping capacity at the surge gate at the mouth of the 17th Street Canal, surge gates on the Harvey Canal and Company Canal on the West Bank, and secure flood protection on the east side of the Harvey Canal.
Under the Parish President's leadership, Jefferson Parish recovered quickly after Katrina and led the region's recovery effort. Over 5,325 net new businesses opened in Jefferson Parish and the parish led the nation in job growth between 2005 and 2006, the year after Katrina.
In July of 2007, parish voters overwhelmingly approved an expansion of the use of the property tax dedicated to paying the parish's local match for federal SELA drainage projects to allow surplus funds to be used for local drainage capital projects. This was another innovation to improve drainage and better protect the parish from tropical weather and everyday rainstorms without raising taxes.
On October, 2007, Aaron was re-elected to his second term as Parish President.
In the Spring 2009 semester, Aaron was a Visiting Professor at UNO, teaching a Political Science Class. He also received the UNO College of Liberal Arts "Distinguished Alumnus Award" in April 2009.
Aaron lives in Kenner with his wife Karen. He has two grown children, Troy and Amy, that are both married. His two grandchildren are Troy A. Broussard, Jr. and Aaron Patrick Broussard.
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