Smith, Monti vie for Senate seat

One of the products of 2010 U.S. Census and subsequent reapportionment was the inclusion of a portion Lafourche Parish into Louisiana’s 19th Senate District, where a three-term incumbent is squaring off with a first-time challenger.

Thirty-year-old Garrett Monti, the general manager of a company that provides cleaning supplies to St. Charles Parish businesses, is looking to unseat Gary Smith, a 39-year-old attorney and businessman in Norco.

Smith has held the office since 1999. He is campaigning on economic development, flood and hurricane protection, and funding higher education across the state.

St. Charles, one of the Mississippi River parishes, shares a similarity to Lafourche in that it is prone to storms and rainwater floods. Nobody will disagree with the threat and funding is always the real issue, so Smith said his proven record of working with local businesses, the state and the federal government to “creatively” fund protection projects should carry some weight with voters.

“We were able to creatively put together a system whereby we got a bigger bank for our buck,” he said. “We also were able to incorporate some of our local private companies who have a vested interest in the levee protection here and were able to get them put money up for some of the pumping systems.”

He said the state must “live within its means” and devise creative plans that will free up additional monies for health care and education. The state’s officials must also work to “piggyback” off successful tax incentives afforded to businesses in making Louisiana “a center for economic development,” he said.

Monti shares the same goals as the incumbent, but he depicts himself as the “little guy, the common guy.” He harped on wetlands restoration, hurricane protection and economic development.

“What I would do to address those is to make sure that the state government allocates enough money so we that can get some of the federal matching dollars so that we don’t lose any federal appropriations that are out there,” Monti said.

The challenger added that he would work to spur economic development and job growth, with his background as the general manager of a family-owned business making him “uniquely qualified to know what the impediments are and solutions are to starting your own business.”

When asked what makes him a better candidate than Smith, Monti pointed to his political affiliation, business experience and underdog status, branding himself as a man for the people juxtaposed against a career politician.

“This is my first run at public office, and I’m not looking to make a job out of it,” he said. “It needed to be done, and there were no other candidates coming forward because I think part of it was the way the district was drawn left some potential candidates out and then my opponent has a lot of money and that’s intimidating for some people.”

Similarly, Smith pointed to his background as the difference between he and his challenger. He said his education, legal training and business experience afford him the skills to craft legislation and understand its impact.

“I’m able to craft all of those together to be able to best represent people here in Dist. 19 and bring together that element of experience that is going to be so needed when you get up into the Senate,” he said.

Meet the Candidates

GARY SMITH

AGE: 39

PARTY: Democrat

OCCUPATION: Attorney, businessman

EDUCATION: Destrehan High graduate; BA from LSU; juris doctorate, Loyola School of Law, master’s from Tulane Law School

FAMILY: Married with one son

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Three terms in Louisiana Senate (1999-2011)

GARRETT MONTI

AGE: 30

PARTY: Republican

OCCUPATION: General manager, Quality Cleaning Equipment and Supply

EDUCATION: La. School for Math, Science graduate; attended LSU and UNO

FAMILY: Married, no children

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Elected to the St. Charles Republican Parish Executive Committee in 2004; elected chairman of the committee in 2008