Military vets vie for Dist. 54

A 25-year-old challenger from Cut Off with a zest to clean up what he describes as a corrupted state political system seeks Louisiana’s 54th House District opposite incumbent Jerry “Truck” Gisclair.

Micah Hebert, a sergeant in military intelligence with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves after five-plus years of active duty, said his top priorities are advocating for coastal restoration, minimizing regulations on local business and creating tax incentives that reward local businesses.

But his higher aspiration, cleaning up the “system of cronyism and nepotism in Louisiana,” is what motivated him to run. Hebert said he would start by working to scale back legislators’ salaries, which are almost doubled the $16,800 base when including per diems, mileage and non-discretionary and discretionary spending.

“Beyond that, I think just keeping the system in check and making sure the no-bid system ends, that it isn’t based on personal relationships but rather on the merit for the actual taxpayer so we can get the most bang for our buck,” he said.

Gisclair, who is completing his first term as the district’s representative, said his top priority is continued work on coastal issues, in particular strengthening the wetlands and bolstering the barrier islands. “The main thing that I’m concerned with is a combination of coastal erosion and hurricane protection,” he said.

Gisclair, 63, of Larose, touted connections with the state and local government and said he would keep working with Lafourche Parish’s levee districts and the state Office of Coastal Restoration and Protection to secure funding for coastal projects.

Although he conceded the meandering deepwater drilling permit process in the Gulf of Mexico and seafood import issues were not necessarily goals he could accomplish as a state lawmaker, they remain important to his constituents so he will continue to communicate with federal representation in an effort to solve the woes.

“Fuel prices and shrimp prices, we have got to do a better job as a nation of weeding out the horrible imports and start consuming domestic products,” he said.

Gisclair owns Coastal Broadcasting (KLRZ 100.3 FM). He said his life experiences, including being stationed in Thailand with the Air Force and working his way up from odd jobs to becoming a business owner, or “living the American Dream,” gave him the ability to do the job and inspired him to do it well.

“I learned how to operate a business, how to manage people, and having a family and seeing the responsibility it takes — how important security for my family is — it inspires me to work even harder on coastal restoration and economic development,” Gisclair said.

Hebert, who twice served in Afghanistan battle zones, pointed at a genuine integrity and perspective that he said he garnered through his military service as the difference between he and Gisclair.

“I’ve almost sacrificed my life, and I’ve suffered too many hardships and I’ve seen too many of my buddies and acquaintances give up their lives, their health, their time for an ideal of free and open society where the government is here to serve the people and better their station in life and allow them to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, everything you read growing up,” Hebert said. “Then I come home and I see all of the cronyism, and I see people giving their relatives no-bid contracts worth millions of dollars.”

Meet the Candidates

JERRY ‘TRUCK’ GISCLAIR

AGE: 63

PARTY: Democrat

OCCUPATION: Owner and operator of KLRZ radio; owner/manager of a construction company

FAMILY: Married, three children, six grandchildren

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: One term as Dist. 54 state representative

MICAH HEBERT

AGE: 25

PARTY: No Party

OCCUPATION: Sgt. Marines in the Reserves, five years and seven months as an active; four tours overseas, two of them were in battle; recipient of Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “Valor” Device for actions in Afghanistan as a Team Leader supporting the elite Marine 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion

FAMILY: Not Married

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None