Louisiana Politics: Regional politics come into view
With Acadiana on the gubernatorial map as a swing region, the Republican frontrunners are making major investments in the area and working on their Cajun accents.
Incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards, meanwhile, would simply do well to hold what he received in the 2015 primary — he did particularly well in the western edge of the Cajun prairie, sweeping Evangeline to Beauregard, as well as 18 other rural parishes that were lost by former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in 2014.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham hosted a fundraiser in the River Ranch area that was attended by a cross-section of 75 to 100 donors, and his campaign cracked six figures that evening.
“We know that Acadiana is critical, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an office opened there in the very near future,” said general consultant Lionel Rainey III.
While Abraham is expected to perform best in his native north Louisiana, he speaks the language of southwest Louisiana, from sugar cane to rice, as a member of the House Agriculture Committee and a lead negotiator on the Farm Bill.
Former Gov. Edwin Edwards, who was actually a Cajun homeboy and not a piney north politico, was able to build a narrative in south Louisiana around similar issues when he first ran for Louisiana’s premier office.
Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone, the race’s only full-time candidate, has been in Acadiana as well, but he doesn’t sound like a one region candidate.
Rispone’s campaign is also placing a particular emphasis on scheduling appearances in the Shreveport-Bossier area, Lake Charles and St. Tammany Parish.
Cormier takes the helm
The executive board of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana has selected Guy Cormier as its new executive director, effective this month.
He replaced the retiring Roland Dartez following more than 18 years of local government experience, including a stint as St. Martin Parish president.
LaPolitics recently visited with Cormier to delve into his vision for the future of PJAL and to get his read on the current political landscape.
LaPOLITICS: We’ve seen near record numbers of turnover on the municipal and legislative level. Does the same trend hold true for parish presidents and police juries? If so, what do you think has been contributing to this trend?
CORMIER: The majority of our elections are this fall so I am not sure if we will see record numbers of turnover. I have talked to quite a few folks who are not seeking re-election because of term limits prohibiting them or just plain burnout. I think it is certainly no secret that it is getting harder to serve in elected office. Many families make personal and financial sacrifices in order to hold elected office. Some are just not able to devote the time it requires to do the job anymore. Also, there is often a lot of misinformation that is put out on social media and it can become frustrating for those who serve for the right reasons. I am personally grateful to our association members, legislators and any elected official who make the sacrifices to serve.
What issues is the PJAL tracking headed into the regular session?
As always, we will be tracking all bills that may have an impact, good or bad, on local government. A couple issues we will be following closely are any proposed bills dealing with central sales tax collection and proposed bills dealing with any changes to the Industrial Tax Exemption Program.
We’ve seen a lot of attention focused in recent weeks on a proposed bill to centralize sales tax collections. What will we see PJAL doing on this issue during session?
Our membership met a couple weeks ago during our annual convention and voted unanimously to oppose any bill that would remove the authority of local governments to collect their own taxes.
We have also met with the LMA, Sheriffs Association, School Board Association and the District Attorneys Association about this issue. As of now, we all appear to be in opposition to the State mandating a central point of collection, however we look forward to having a conversation with the proponents of this idea.
They said It
“PTA moms make the world go around.” —State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, on a 2015 opponent’s attack, to the Manship School News Service
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