10:27 PM CDT on Saturday, April 8, 2006

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — St. Bernard Parish officials were among the legions who criticized former FEMA director Michael Brown in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but it appears now they're looking at hiring the man whose name is still met with groans in Louisiana.

Brown, who lost his job as the federal point man handling Katrina's aftermath, is now negotiating to represent St. Bernard Parish in the recovery process. Within weeks of the storm, Brown resigned from FEMA and was replaced by David Paulison.

But Brown's reputation has recovered slightly after a videotape was released showing him directly warning President Bush the day before the disaster that it would be "the big one" and "the bad one" and that the New Orleans-area levees could be topped.

"They were crucifying him, and then the tapes came out showing that they knew all along," St. Bernard Parish President Henry "Junior" Rodriguez said.

Like previous FEMA directors, Brown has formed a consulting company that tries to help businesses and communities negotiate the maze of federal bureaucracy.

"I hope to give them some publicity about the plight they're facing right now," Brown said of St. Bernard. "They're in difficult straits right now."

St. Bernard was one of the hardest-hit parishes in the storm, with 129 people killed and 26,000 homes destroyed. Federal rules prohibit Brown from lobbying his former agency directly for another five months, though he will be able to tell parish officials how to deal with the agency.

Brown said his FEMA experience will help St. Bernard. "It's a perspective that very few people have," he said.

Though St. Bernard officials said talks are preliminary, Brown and parish officials are drawing up a contract and might formalize it by the end of next week, he said. Brown, who normally charges $250 an hour, said he will likely charge a monthly fee.

Rodriguez said he and three council members met with Brown informally in a hotel lobby when they were in Washington, D.C., last week lobbying for recovery assistance.

Rodriguez and the council members who met with Brown in Washington said they found him down to earth and eager to help. Rodriguez said Brown's knowledge of how to work through the system's red tape would speed the flow of recovery dollars into the parish.

"We've been having trouble with FEMA," Rodriguez said, adding, "I think he certainly would be an asset."