Bodi White
Encyclopedia
Mack A. White, Jr., known as Bodi White (born 1956), is an incoming Republican
member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Central City
in East Baton Rouge Parish in south Louisiana
. His District 6 includes parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston
, St. Helena
, and Tangipahoa
parishes.
White won the Senate seat in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, by having narrowly defeated fellow Republican Mike Mannino, 12,886 votes (51.7 percent) to 12,047 (48.3 percent). The Senate seat is currently held by Republican Julie Quinn
of Jefferson Parish
, who did not seek reelection.
Under redistricting
, Senate District 6 has a different configuration reaching from Baton Rouge to the Florida Parishes
. White describes the district as "sprawling, almost 100 miles long. It is an area of tremendous growth. The I-10
and I-12
corridors have added five new representative districts and 1-1/2 new Senate seats as a result of the census. It's also where we expect the growth to be over the next ten years." White describes the Senate district as "conservative" with "working people [who] believe in family values, and [oppose] tax increases.”
. White holds an undergraduate degree in criminal justice
from Southeastern Louisiana University
in Hammond
and completed graduate work in the same field from Loyola University
in New Orleans
. White was a detective for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office for six years and a supervisor at ExxonMobil
for seventeen years. He is an agent with Rogillio Real Estate Company in Baton Rouge
and also owns a small private security company.
White and his wife, the former Robin Wunstel, wed in the fall of 1982. They have three children, Kimberly White, Kristen W. McKnight and her husband, Ivan Emmett McKnight, and Mackie White, and a granddaughter. He is a long-term member of the Blackwater United Methodist Church in Zachary
in East Baton Rouge Parish. White has been named the Central City "Man of the Year". He assists in providing student scholarships for his alma mater, Southeastern.
from District 64 to succeed fellow Republican Tony Perkins
, who became the president of the Family Research Council
, a conservative Christian political organization. Thereafter, White defeated two "No Party" opponents in the primary held on October 20, 2007, with nearly 77 percent of the vote. White served on the House committees of Administration of Criminal Justice, Appropriations, Budget, and Judiciary. He also sat on the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Resources. White holds 100 percent ratings from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. He voted in the 2011 legislative session against the bill to make the Louisiana cigarette tax permanent. Then he voted against the attempt to override Governor Bobby Jindal
's veto of the permanent cigarette tax. He voted against a bill to prohibit hand-held cellular devices while driving.
In the House, White pushed for ethics reform. He wrote a bill to protect government whistleblowers who disclose llegal or unfair activities in their office. He supported full disclosure on lawmakers' financial dealings. He favors the executive director of the Ethics Administration being a full-time appointee. White has pushed for mandatory governmental ethics training for legislative officials.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from Central City
Central City, Louisiana
City of Central is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. The newest city in Louisiana, it is the 12th largest city in the state. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in East Baton Rouge Parish in south Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. His District 6 includes parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston
Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Livingston Parish Is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston. As of 2010, its population was 128,026....
, St. Helena
St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
St. Helena Parish is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Greensburg. As of 2000, its population was 10,525.St. Helena Parish is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Baton Rouge–Pierre Part Combined Statistical Area.-History:For the past...
, and Tangipahoa
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...
parishes.
White won the Senate seat in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, by having narrowly defeated fellow Republican Mike Mannino, 12,886 votes (51.7 percent) to 12,047 (48.3 percent). The Senate seat is currently held by Republican Julie Quinn
Julie Quinn
Julie Ann Unangst Quinn is an attorney from Metairie, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate...
of Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
, who did not seek reelection.
Under redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
, Senate District 6 has a different configuration reaching from Baton Rouge to the Florida Parishes
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes , also known as the North Shore region, are eight parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana, which were part of West Florida in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike much of Louisiana, this region was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, as it had been...
. White describes the district as "sprawling, almost 100 miles long. It is an area of tremendous growth. The I-10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
and I-12
Interstate 12
Interstate 12 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana. I-12 starts in Baton Rouge at Interstate 10, and travels along the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain before ending at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 59 near Slidell...
corridors have added five new representative districts and 1-1/2 new Senate seats as a result of the census. It's also where we expect the growth to be over the next ten years." White describes the Senate district as "conservative" with "working people [who] believe in family values, and [oppose] tax increases.”
Background
An East Baton Rouge Parish native, White's father was Mack White, Sr. (1934–1999) of BakerBaker, Louisiana
Baker is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,793 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baker is located at...
. White holds an undergraduate degree in criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
from Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
and completed graduate work in the same field from Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. White was a detective for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s office for six years and a supervisor at ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
for seventeen years. He is an agent with Rogillio Real Estate Company in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
and also owns a small private security company.
White and his wife, the former Robin Wunstel, wed in the fall of 1982. They have three children, Kimberly White, Kristen W. McKnight and her husband, Ivan Emmett McKnight, and Mackie White, and a granddaughter. He is a long-term member of the Blackwater United Methodist Church in Zachary
Zachary, Louisiana
Zachary is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,275 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in East Baton Rouge Parish. White has been named the Central City "Man of the Year". He assists in providing student scholarships for his alma mater, Southeastern.
State representative
White was first elected without opposition in 2003 to the Louisiana House of RepresentativesLouisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
from District 64 to succeed fellow Republican Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins (politician)
Anthony Richard "Tony" Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian think tank and public policy foundation based in Washington, D.C...
, who became the president of the Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
, a conservative Christian political organization. Thereafter, White defeated two "No Party" opponents in the primary held on October 20, 2007, with nearly 77 percent of the vote. White served on the House committees of Administration of Criminal Justice, Appropriations, Budget, and Judiciary. He also sat on the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Resources. White holds 100 percent ratings from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. He voted in the 2011 legislative session against the bill to make the Louisiana cigarette tax permanent. Then he voted against the attempt to override Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
's veto of the permanent cigarette tax. He voted against a bill to prohibit hand-held cellular devices while driving.
In the House, White pushed for ethics reform. He wrote a bill to protect government whistleblowers who disclose llegal or unfair activities in their office. He supported full disclosure on lawmakers' financial dealings. He favors the executive director of the Ethics Administration being a full-time appointee. White has pushed for mandatory governmental ethics training for legislative officials.