Lucas Budd is a member of New Orleans’ City Council, a former Assistant District Attorney, and political ally of Jerome Johnson. He is currently awaiting trial on numerous drug charges. Lucas Budd attended St. Odo's, Beaumonde Academy, then Tulane and Tulane University Law School--all of them with his friend Jerome Johnson--before going into politics. Budd has benefited from a long-running political alliance with Johnson, beginning when Johnson was a special aide to then-Mayor Thomas and continuing until both of them were on the powerful New Orleans City Council. His alliance with Jerome Johnson made him a powerful member of the Johnson Machine, a political dynasty composed of Johnson family members and their allies that has been one of the most prominent forces in New Orleans’ politics for over a hundred years. It was speculated that both Lucas Budd and Jerome Johnson were gearing up to run for New Orleans mayor, though clearly Budd’s arrest has ended his candidacy. As for Jerome Johnson’s interest in being mayor, nothing official has been announced. ARREST On the night of May 21—the same night as the Beaumonde Academy prom—NOPD officers pulled over a wildly swerving car on the outskirts of the French Quarter. Inside, they discovered a young shirtless male who quickly fled the scene, as well as large quantities of various illegal drugs and an allegedly deranged Lucas Budd, who had to be physically restrained during the arrest. For more than a week, local television news shows featured almost constant coverage of the Lucas Budd situation. The story, however, yielded few additional surprises. Within hours of his arrest, Budd had been released into the custody of his attorney and retreated to his Garden District home. PERSONALITY Until his arrest, Budd was well-liked by journalists, other politicians, and most voters. Many people in the New Orleans area considered him “one of the good ones,” and they were inspired or at least amused by his frequent showboating, like interrupting a live television interview with the mayor to question him about a municipal services spending cut. In flashbacks, we’ve seen Lucas Budd as a gregarious, intelligent, and straight-talking man, though he clearly had another side as well. As Andre says early in the book, he was a more muted person at home: “I’ve never really gotten a good grasp on who he is, you know? I’ll see him on the news doing something spectacular in court or at a city council meeting and I can never really reconcile that with the guy who comes home with his tie undone and disappears upstairs with Barron’s.” After his arrest, Budd appears spirited and intense, given to somewhat loopy digressions. It’s unclear if this is due to drug withdrawal, mental illness, or just stress. CURRENT SITUATION Since his arrest, little has changed from a legal standpoint. Budd has released no statements of any kind and remains cloistered in his home. He has yet to appear at any City Council meetings since his arrest and has not resigned his seat. He didn’t even need to leave his house for his preliminary hearings: his attorney appeared for Budd in absentia and entered a plea of Not Guilty to all charges. Visitors to the Budd house are turned away by two city policemen and told that Mr. Budd is receiving no guests. His old ally and friend Jerome Johnson has been the only prominent politician to defend him in the press. |
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