109 DAYS out October Ballot May Turn on Local Voices ______
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From the Desk of Jeremy Alford June 22, 2021 — Issue 276 [email protected] / www.LouisianaTracker.com _____________________________________________________________ PUBLISHING SCHEDULE As longtime readers already know, it’s time for our annual two-week summer publishing break. There will be no issues of The Tracker or LaPolitics Weekly published next week or the following week. I’ll be back in your inbox the week of July 12. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 109 DAYS OUT October ballot may turn on local voices _____________________________________________________________ Voter opinions on proposed constitutional amendments may turn this fall on local influencers, many of whom will have something at stake on the Oct. 9 ballot. That presents both opportunities and challenges for supporters of the legislative leadership’s aggressive tax-swap plan, which will officially be presented to voters in 109 days. The October ballot will probably host low turnout elections and engagement by high-information voters in parishes that have a litany of minor municipal races slated. Most parishes have a race for alderman, justice of the peace, marshal, chief of police, constable and/ or school board. It ain’t much to write home about. In fact, the hottest local races outside of Orleans involve the elections of mayors in Estherwood, Mangham, Palmetto and Plain Dealing; two district judges in northeast Louisiana; and the Pointe Coupee coroner. In Orleans, the politics will be explosive, with October contests shaping up for sheriff, clerk, assessor, coroner, mayor and the City Council. Presumably a special House election will also be called soon to replace Sen.-elect Gary Carter. Turnout should be much higher than the statewide average in New Orleans, which will have to be a focus for supporters of tax reform. The greater New Orleans region has swung low turnout, statewide referendum items before, and it may be positioned to do that again in the fall. Yet no matter where you live in Louisiana, voters will be drawn into the orbit of the October ballot by local voices talking about local races. Those same local influencers will surely have something to say about the Legislature’s tax swap proposal. The inability of supporters to control those local narratives could spell trouble. So far, however, there aren’t many voices crying foul over the tax- swap idea, which would lower income rates, eliminate the deductions for federal income taxes paid and dismantle the corporate franchise tax. Legislative leaders also have another proposal on the fall ballot that would create the framework for a centralized sales tax system. Gov. John Bel Edwards has already done his part and signed off on the tax swap plan. Now voters are next in line. The most significant challenge may be explaining the concept to voters in a way that’s impactful and holds their attention. Fortunately for supporters, they have more than 100 days to work with until a final decision is delivered. _____________________________________________________________ Have a friend who should be receiving The Tracker? Have a news tip? Visit www.LouisianaTracker.com or hit up [email protected]! _____________________________________________________________ Underwritten by Harris, DeVille & Associates HDA Client Shintech Upholds Local Hiring Commitment through Partnerships & Training _____________________________________________________________ A new opportunity for craft training in the Greater Baton Rouge area will provide close-to-home certification courses and instruction on the West side of the Mississippi River. HDA client Shintech Louisiana, LLC along with partners Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Inc., River Parishes Community College and Associated Builders and Contractors – Pelican Chapter, recently coordinated to develop, fund and staff needed training courses in basic construction craft processes on RPCC’s Westside Campus in Plaquemine. “Skilled construction craft workers are needed locally for both contract and direct hire maintenance roles at our facilities. Providing training opportunities closer to home makes perfect sense because a well-trained local talent pool not only helps Shintech hire local, it helps all of the businesses in our area hire local,” said Danny Cedotal, Vice President of Manufacturing for Shintech. Shintech identified a local training need and an opportunity to bring partners together to make new skilled training options available on the west side of the river. ABC and GBRIA helped create ways for local communities and local industry to join the effort. Shintech will donate $35,000 to RPCC for upgrades to electrical and instrumentation laboratory training facilities on the Westside campus in Plaquemine to enable the new course offerings. Louisiana’s Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) will provide matching funds to support training efforts and ABC Pelican will provide course instruction (“ABC Pelican Training”). In addition to Shintech, this effort was supported by local industrial partners including Shell Catalyst, Dow, Olin, Placid Refining, CF Industries, ExxonMobil, Westlake Chemical, AmSty, Praxair, INEOS and others located on the west side of the river. Prior to the addition of these new courses at RPCC’s Westside campus near Plaquemine Senior High School, interested students travelled to the ABC training facility on Highland Road in Baton Rouge. RPCC’s Westside campus - opened in 2013 through financial support from the state, Dow and local partners - will now offer an expanded line-up of craft training opportunities closer-to-home for the thousands of industrial workers in the River Parishes. New campus courses include National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) essentials for construction site work, specifically “NCCER Core” and “NCCER Millwright Level 1” and “NCCER Electrical Level 1” training. These core courses will provide standardized curriculum instruction in the basic process of all construction crafts, including modules in basic construction site safety, construction math, hand tools, power tools construction drawings, basic rigging, communication and employability skills and material handling. Additional courses will provide specific instruction and hands-on skills training for electrical and millwright work. For more information of the Westside courses or to register for the ABC Pelican Training, prospective students may contact the ABC Pelican Training Center at 225-752-0088 or visit https://www.abcpelican.org/westside- training.html. _____________________________________________________________ POLITICAL CHATTER _____________________________________________________________ • FUNDRAISER: House and Governmental Affairs Chair John Stefanski has a luncheon event at noon Thursday at Longview. (RSVP: [email protected]) • ENDORSED: New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter has endorsed the congressional bid of Shontel Brown in Ohio, noting "she is someone who will work with our Democratic majority to get things done for the American people." • SESSION WRAP: The folks over at Southern Strategy Group have compiled a session wrap-up that looks at spending, tax reform and general subject matter bills... (Read it) • CLEO'S CLOSEUP: Senate Ed Chair Cleo Fields joined education leaders at a press conference this morning to mark the signing of his bill requiring mandatory kindergarten. • PRESS CLUB: Libbie Sonnier, executive director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, was the guest speaker at the Press Club of Baton Rouge this week. (Watch it) • MEETINGS: The state Boxing and Wrestling Committee meets Wednesday at the Capitol at 10:30 am and the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee meets Friday at 9:30 am. _____________________________________________________________ Our History (Circa 1957): REMEMBERING HURRICANE AUDREY _____________________________________________________________ This weekend will mark the 64th anniversary of Hurricane Audrey, one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall in southwest Louisiana and the cause of at least 416 deaths. The hurricane slammed into Cameron Parish on June 27, 1957. Dan Lewis, an archives specialist with the State Archives, created a supercut of an on-location news report from then-Esso reporter Brooks Read. In terms of journalism in Louisiana in the mid-20th Century, Read was a media staple and a master communicator. (If you ever have the time, the Brooks Read Collection at the Archives offers a unique snapshot not only into broadcasting, but also the stories that defined Louisiana during the 1950s and beyond.) The footage compiled by Lewis offers arial views of Cameron and on- the-ground glimpses of residents cleaning up wreckage. Local elected officials are shown pleading for assistance and helping their neighbors move bodies into a makeshift morgue. "There are instances where houses containing whole families were just blown away," Read reported nearly 64 years ago. "And quite possibly those families have not yet been reported missing — an example of the terrible situation in which Cameron has found itself." WATCH THE VIDEO This history section was made possible by the office of Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and the Louisiana State Archives _____________________________________________________________ WHAT YOU MISSED IN LW _____________________________________________________________ Here’s a recap of the latest issue of LaPolitics Weekly (published last week): •