Louisiana

Louisiana voters have stark contrast in state treasurer candidates on the ballot – Louisiana Illuminator

Published

9 months ago

November 15, 2023

Louisiana voters have stark contrast in state treasurer candidates on the ballot – Louisiana Illuminator

Voters in Saturday’s state treasurer election will have to pick between a lifelong conservative who held multiple jobs in President Donald Trump’s administration and an unabashed progressive who believes climate change is a major threat to Louisiana.

Democrat Dustin Granger, 43, and Republican John Fleming, 72, are facing off in one of three statewide runoff races on the ballot this weekend. The other two contests, for attorney general and secretary of state, also feature Democrat/Republican matchups.

The better-known of the two candidates, Fleming is a physician who served as the congressman representing northwest Louisiana from 2009 to 2017. He stepped down from his seat to run for the U.S. Senate and lost in a primary election to now-Sen. John Kennedy. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, then replaced Fleming.

For Trump, Fleming worked as a deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, and as a senior adviser to the president in the White House.

Fleming and his campaign did not respond to several interview requests made over the past two weeks for this story.

Granger, a Lake Charles native, is a certified financial planner who previously ran unsuccessfully for the Louisiana Senate. He launched his campaign several months ago by emphasizing the need to diversify Louisiana’s economy and the state government’s investment portfolio.

“We have problems with poverty and brain drain. … Our economy is literally upside down,” Granger said in an interview. “That’s why we need somebody who knows economics.”

If elected, Granger would like to focus on the state’s property insurance crisis and attracting high-paying jobs to Louisiana. He specifically wants to recruit alternative energy jobs to the state.

“We’ve been an energy leader for the last 100 years,” Granger said. “But energy markets are changings, and we should want to be an energy leader for the next 100 years. … A lot of these [alternative energy] jobs are union jobs and high-paying jobs.”

Fleming told Louisiana Public Broadcasting he intends to focus on economic development opportunities if he wins the treasurer’s race. He also said the state’s property insurance crisis would be a priority.

The state treasurer doesn’t have direct authority over property insurance, the energy sector or economic development, in spite of what Granger and Fleming have said they want to address. The role of the treasurer is limited in scope.

“There is no specific authority or role given to the state treasurer” on economic development, Fleming said in his LPB interview. “It’s an indirect role, frankly. For the time being, it will have to be a collaboration with the governor and the legislature.”

As the elected treasurer, Fleming or Granger will be the chair of the state bond commission, which oversees the government’s borrowing and debt program. The treasurer also runs the popular unclaimed property program, which helps people access forgotten money, stocks, utility deposits or inheritances they might not know existed.

Granger said he has helped his financial planning clients find money using the unclaimed property program and would like to streamline some of its operations.

“The paperwork has always been cumbersome. You need to go to the clerk of the court to get all these documents,” he said. “Money gets stuck in this purgatory. It is just not acceptable to have this money just tied up.”

Perhaps the most important role the state treasurer plays is to manage and invest the state government’s money.

The current treasurer, Republican John Schroder, has tried to pull away from advisers who employ environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles when investing the state’s money. Schroder, who ran unsuccessfully for governor instead of seeking reelection this year, condemned ESG as a leftist approach that hurts Louisiana’s oil and gas industry.

Louisiana Treasurer John Schroder joins New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell for a groundbreaking ceremony July 19, 2022, for a state-financed affordable housing development in the city’s Hollygrove neighborhood. (Facebook Live stream)

Fleming indicated he would likely avoid firms with ESG policies as well.

“I have nothing against renewable energy. … [But] the so-called renewables are not very competitive,” Fleming said in a previous interview. “Consumers aren’t purchasing renewable vehicles. … They aren’t not doing well in the marketplace.”

Granger, on the other hand, said he would embrace working with firms with ESG principles. Louisiana should support companies that invest in the alternative energy industry, he said.

In recent years, Gov.-elect Jeff Landry has also pushed for the bond commission to use its financial power to force more conservative social policies on liberal New Orleans and the state’s contractors.

As the current attorney general, Landry rallied other bond commission members to temporarily block construction funding for the city over its approach to abortion and COVID-19 restrictions. He also objected to the bond commission’s work with commercial banks that refused to do business with certain firearms companies.

After Landry becomes governor in January — and controls more of the bond commission seats — pressure to compel the state’s vendors and municipalities to comply with conservative social policies in order to access construction funding could grow. Granger said he would oppose those types of efforts.

“It is anti-competition,” he said.”This is costing working people in this state money.”

Fleming and Granger both beat out GOP state Rep. Scott McKnight to make it into the runoff race with 44% and 32% of the Oct. 14 primary vote, respectively. McKnight was a more centrist candidate, meaning that his voters could, at least in theory, get behind Fleming or Granger in the runoff round.

The voter dynamics for this weekend’s runoff election will be different than they were in the primary. Election turnout is supposed to be extremely low, which typically benefits a Republican like Fleming, but conservative voter participation may also drop off precipitously.

Landry — a popular, Trump-like figure — won his race outright last month and his campaign won’t be pushing voters to the polls during the runoff election.

Granger’s campaign has also been pushing a narrative that he stands the best chance of winning Saturday out of the three statewide Democratic candidates on the runoff ballot. He garnered more votes in the October primary than any other statewide Democrat, including gubernatorial candidate Shawn Wilson, who had been the party’s focus before he lost to Landry.

As a former member of Congress, Fleming should have a significant advantage when it comes to his name recognition with this weekend’s voters.

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Louisiana

$320M Second Phase of Louisiana Navigation Canal Lock Complex Moves Ahead

Published

7 mins ago

August 15, 2024

Press Room

0M Second Phase of Louisiana Navigation Canal Lock Complex Moves Ahead

The state of Louisiana earlier this month marked the start of construction’s second phase of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex. Officials estimate that the HNC’s system of levees, floodgates and locks will provide protection to roughly 2,000 sq mi of land and 200,000 residents in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes from storm surges.

“Today’s groundbreaking brings us one step closer to completing the Morganza-to-the-Gulf system and enhancing the protection against hurricanes and other major storms for the residents of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes,” said Gordon Dove, chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), in a press release.

Acting as the state’s entity to develop, implement, and enforce measures of its protection and restoration Master Plan, CPRA is tasked with managing the construction of the project. The U.S. Corps of Engineers maintains the HNC itself and will retain operational responsibility of the lock complex structure when construction is completed.

Sealevel Construction, Inc., Thibodaux, La., was named the project’s general contractor. Slated for completion by April 2028, the project is estimated at $320 million. Kathleen Rodrigue, a company spokesperson, said Sealevel is responsible for the construction of the structural portion of the project, while Rigid Constructors of Lafayette, La., will lead dredging work.

While self-performing site work, Sealevel will additionally construct the coffer damns and two sector gates, with an estimated 55,000 cu yds of concrete. Sealevel will install pipe, timber, concrete and sheet piles, with the largest piling measuring 184-ft long and 30 in. in diameter.

The HNC Lock Complex will aim to prevent saltwater from entering the Terrebonne Basin while also distributing freshwater into estuaries to promote growth of thousands of wetland acres, improving conditions for wildlife and area fisheries.

“Coordination by state and federal agencies and elected officials at every level got us where we are today, breaking ground on the second phase of the HNC Lock Complex project,” said Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry in a CPRA press release. “I want to express my gratitude to everyone from Terrebonne, CPRA, the Corps, and our state and federal legislators for acknowledging that the communities, cultures and businesses thriving in south Louisiana are invaluable and must be continuously protected.”

The HNC Lock Complex, to measure 110 ft across and 800 ft in length, will feature inland and Gulf-side sector gates on each side and will connect to the Bubba Dove barge floodgate by a floodwall spanning the channel. Together, the structures will allow for large ship passage. In addition to constructing the lock chamber itself, Phase 2 components include construction of an operational area, control building and 175-ft access bridge. The contractor will dredge an estimated 135,000 cubic yards of material that will be used to shore up 15 acres of marsh habitat.

In a press statement, CPRA Board Member Anthony Alford said “It’s difficult to express just how exciting today is for the people of Terrebonne Parish and the surrounding ecosystem. This project has been in the works for well over a decade, and there have been times where I’ve wondered if I would ever see it completed.

“This project is the lynchpin of the entire Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction Project,” Alford added. “The ability to let fresh water flow freely throughout the canals and tributaries of Morganza that have been decimated by saltwater will breathe new life into these waterways and allow the areas to flourish once more.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Treasurer denounces Bank of America for ‘disgraceful practices’

Published

7 hours ago

August 14, 2024

Press Room

Louisiana Treasurer denounces Bank of America for ‘disgraceful practices’

BATON ROUGE, La. (KALB) – On Monday, August 12, Louisiana Treasurer Dr. John Fleming announced his recommendation for not approving Bank of America as an authorized fiscal agent for the State of Louisiana.

State Treasurer Fleming announced he did not approve an application by Bank of America for the financial institution to become one of the many “authorized fiscal agents” for the State of Louisiana, nor was the application recommended to the Louisiana Interim Emergency Board.

According to Fleming, he made his decision after reviewing news reports and evidence alleging the institution has deliberately denied banking services to the customers of Christian organizations, firearms manufacturers and fossil fuel producers out of political bias and discrimination and not bank policy or law violations; a claim the financial institution says is “factually incorrect.”

“Since the 1960s, the people of the United States have made it clear that discrimination against fellow Americans is unacceptable. It appears that Bank of America, among other financial institutions, has revived this disgraceful practice.”

Among the discriminatory actions and political bias, Fleming said the institution has conducted a practice known as “de-banking,” an act where a banking organization closes an entity’s bank account due to concerns of risk (financial, reputational or legal).

Fleming highlighted Bank of America’s connections to a United Nations-based alliance made up of 43 other countries, that advocates for stronger green energy, which the Louisiana Treasurer says if implemented, would have “extremely negative economic consequences for the people of Louisiana.”

Dr. Fleming has previously denounced Bank of America in April, in a joint letter with 12 other U.S states alleging the bank has a “track record of de-banking religious organizations.”

“No American should be denied access to banking services or face discrimination because of their political viewpoints, party affiliation, religious beliefs or occupation.”

Bank of America has since released a letter in response to the accusations, denying religious and/or political views as a factor in account decisions. In a given statement to KALB, Bank of America says they are, ” proud to provide banking services to more than 100,000 non-profits associated with religious organizations.”

You can view Bank of America’s full response to the joint letter here:

Due to Fleming’s choice not to recommend the application for Bank of America to become an authorized fiscal agent, the financial institution will not handle or disburse funds for the State of Louisiana.

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Louisiana

Arrested: Louisiana Man Accused Of Sexually Abusing Children

Published

14 hours ago

August 14, 2024

Press Room

Arrested: Louisiana Man Accused Of Sexually Abusing Children

A southwest Louisiana man who was arrested in July and again this month on allegations of abusing children is said to have been working as a teacher and a deacon at a Baptist church according to KPLC.

According to the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, they started an investigation into Andrew Guidry on July 22 after complaints came in about the man. They arrested him on two counts of Sexual Battery on a victim below the age of 15.

When he was arrested he was booked into the Beauregard Parish Jail on July 24, and his bond was set at $100,000.

Then during the month of August, another victim came forward claiming they were harmed. Guidry was arrested by Beauregard Sheriff’s detectives on August 5 for another Sexual Battery count. The Sheriff says the person was in charge at the time the incident happened.

KPLC then continued to investigate the 32-year-old man to discover that Guidry was a teacher at Beauregard High School between the years of 2022 and 2024. School officials say they do not believe that the victims involved in these crimes were students at the school. Checking other records they found that for six days at some point Guidry was a substitute teacher at

It was also discovered that Guidry was a deacon at Dry Creek Baptist Creek. Their Senior Pastor Charlie Bailey says Guidry is suspended from a leadership position within in the church while the authorities are continuing to investigate this man.

At the beginning of the case, and continuing now, officials with the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office are asking anyone who might have been a victim to call them at 337-463-3281.

Guidry is currently being held in jail on a $50,000 bond after the latest victim has come forward.

As far as members of Dry Creek Baptist Church, Bailey says he does not think any of the victims were at the church in a related function but he also says that anyone who knows something should report it to law enforcement or talk to a church elder.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

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