Senate candidates share their views at forum

Lafourche voters set to choose whether teachers get pay increase
April 18, 2017
Local dispatchers honored for service
April 18, 2017
Lafourche voters set to choose whether teachers get pay increase
April 18, 2017
Local dispatchers honored for service
April 18, 2017

Nine candidates for the vacant State Senate District No. 2 seat came to Thibodaux to describe their vision for the state.

The candidates participated in a forum held by St. Luke’s Community Center on April 7th. They touched on a number of topics ranging from the state’s budgetary issues to criminal justice reform.


The candidates at the forum represented nine of the 13 total in the crowded field to replace Troy Brown, who resigned in February while facing expulsion from his fellow senators due to pleading no contest to two separate misdemeanor charges for domestic violence. The forum featured candidates from all over District 2’s wide geographic range, with participants hailing from Brusly and Vacherie and Gonzales and many more places in between. Tommy Lyons from Thibodaux was the only local candidate at the forum, as Lafourche Parish Council Member Jerry Jones, also a candidate, did not attend.

The candidates were asked about addressing the state’s budget, which has faced deficits sometimes topping $1 billion the last few years. Due to the current state budget setup, the only two sectors of government that can be freely cut to balance the budget are healthcare and education spending. All candidates advocated for fully funding the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), which provides scholarship money to qualifying Louisiana students who attend college in-state. Most candidates stressed the importance of workforce training and trade schools as pathways to productive, good-paying jobs for Louisianians. Wayne Brigalia, a Republican from Sunshine, said he would want dual-enrollment available at all high schools in the state so students could earn college credits before enrolling at a university or have earned a trade certification by the time they graduate, thus saving the state money on TOPS expenditures.

Rep. Ed Price, a Democrat from Gonzales who represents District 58 in the Louisiana House of Representatives, said the state would have to look at its tax structure to address its budget long-term. He particularly focused on tax credits, which he said top $7 billion per year. Price said he would like the state to examine each tax credit and sunset the ones that are not offering a large return in terms of jobs created.


“One of the things we got to focus on is reforming our tax structure. We have the highest sales tax in the nation. That cannot continue. So we have to do something about it and we’ve got to make some tough decisions, and I’m willing to do that,” Price said.

Willie Massey-Favre, No Party from Gonzales, said the state would have to take a combination of measures to address its budget. She called on eliminating some tax credits and restructuring the tax system, noting the high sales tax rate is particularly impactful when residents make large purchases like cars or homes. Massey-Favre said the state would also have to trim its budget wherever it could to save as much money as possible without increasing the state’s tax burden.

“We can’t continue to spend money that we don’t have, so we have to be mindful of that. Like if we were at home and something isn’t working or we can’t afford it, we have to go down to the next level so we can afford it,” Massey-Favre said.


Lyons spoke about the long process of changing government on both the state and local level to address budgetary issues. He noted legislators must address dedicated funds which are currently protected from budget cuts. Lyons said the restructuring of government would be an arduous but crucial process in ensuring Louisiana’s long-term financial stability.

“We have to re-form government top to bottom, including local government. I’m talking 2030, I’m not talking the same day. We talk about grandkids, our grandkids, if we do the right thing, will thank us. If not, we’re going to have people here in 15 years talking about the same thing,” Lyons said.

Rep. Edmond Jordan, a Democrat from Brusly representing District 29 in the state House, touched on criminal justice reform as a means to saving the state money. Most of the other candidates also voiced their support in criminal justice reform, but Jordan was the only one of the nine willing to commit to legalizing marijuana for recreational use as a key piece of reducing incarceration rates for nonviolent offenders. Jordan said while reducing the state’s prison population would mean the state can save money on corrections, the main impetus for reform is a moral one.


“From a budgetary standpoint it’s very good, but it also is the moral and proper thing to do. And people just don’t want to say that, but that’s absolutely it,” Jordan said. “We have a lot of young men who are growing up without fathers in the home because they have been incarcerated on low-level offenses. That’s the reason: these people save our budget and save on the back end and have these fathers raise their kids and help make our society a better place.”

Senate ForumKARL GOMMEL | THE TIMES