State Senate candidates meet at Chamber forum

Staff Report
No matter who gets your vote Oct. 14 for state Senate District 21, you’ll be voting for a Republican with generally conservative views and a business background.
That became clear Thursday in a candidate forum hosted by the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce in Morgan City.
The forum brought together the three Republicans who qualified to run for the seat now held by state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, who will leave office in January. The candidates are Robert Allain of Franklin, Henry “Bo” LaGrange of Patterson and Stephen Swiber of Gibson.
Thursday’s Chamber event was also supposed to be a forum for candidates in state House District 50. Incumbent Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin, appeared Thursday, but Democratic challenger Gloria Robertson of Franklin didn’t.
Early voting will be Sept. 30-Oct. 7, excluding Sunday. Polls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 14. If a runoff is necessary, it will be Nov. 18.
Senate District 21
All three men can claim a background in business. Allain, the son of the incumbent, has operated the family sugar cane farm and founded Integrity Marine. LaGrange’s business experience includes nine years as a real estate agent. And Swiber said he helped Diamond Services shift its focus to coastal restoration work after the oil price downturn in 2015.
No candidate challenged an opponent directly at the forum. Instead, they focused on different policy approaches.
Allain talked about four pillars of his campaign: reforms in insurance, education, civil litigation and taxes.
“I want to use that position and that platform to make Louisiana better,” Allain said, “more attractive, more competitive, a better place to live in.”
LaGrange pointed to his 33 years of work in St. Mary Parish government, he last 27 years as the parish’s chief administrative officer. During those years he worked on issues such as infrastructure and the environment, he said.
“My experience in business, my experience in government — I bring that to the table,” LaGrange said. “My family experience, my life experience, my work experience.”
Swiber was the candidate who went most aggressively after what he describes as over-regulation. He pointed to rules he believes hamper progress in areas such as education and health care.
Swiber said his first priority is the skyrocketing cost of insurance, and that incumbent lawmakers should make way for new ideas.
“Right now our Legislature has no idea how to address that problem,” Swiber said.
Access to health care can be improved by supporting local hospitals and programs like Teche Action Clinic, Allain and LaGrange said. All also talked about working with Ochsner St. Mary to bring back labor and delivery services, which the Morgan City hospital discontinued in April.
Swiber said government puts up barriers like the certificate of need process.
LaGrange said that diversifying the economy will make Louisiana more attractive to keep and attract businesses, along with investment in infrastructure and worker training. He stressed the need to bring stakeholders together to tackle parish problems.
Allain pointed again to his four reforms. “People want to stay here,” he said. “They want to do business here, but you have to be as attractive as your neighboring states.”
Swiber advocated deregulation again, saying all regulatory programs should be audited for effectiveness. “There’s an entrepreneurial spirit here that’s unlike any other place in America.”
House District 50
St. Blanc, now completing his first term in the Louisiana House, pointed to $300 million in state funds directed to St. Mary.
He said better teacher pay and school security are priorities.
“Generational poverty can only be fought by proper quality education and access to higher education,” he said.
He also urged voters to help him as he represents the parish.
“As your representative, together will continue to fight to lower the cost of insurance in our state,” St. Blanc said. “As your representative, together we will continue to make our region one that continues to attract global and U.S. businesses.”