[StBernard] Louisiana House 103rd District race draws four candidates

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana House 103rd District race draws four candidates

Published: Thursday, October 13, 2011, 6:45 PM

 By Dennis Persica, The Times-Picayune 

Four St. Bernard Parish men are vying for the District 103 seat in the state
House of Representatives in the October election. The candidates are two
Republicans, Michael Bayham of Chalmette and Ray Garofalo of Meraux, and two
Democrats, Chad Lauga of Arabi and Cullen Tonry of Chalmette.

The district includes all of St. Bernard Parish, which makes up about 83
percent of the district's population, and parts of eastern New Orleans and
Plaquemines Parish. State Rep. Reed Henderson, D-Violet, did not seek
re-election to the seat and instead is running for St. Bernard Parish
assessor.

All four candidates pointed out that under the recent redrawing of House
district lines, St. Bernard now will be represented by only one House member
instead of two.

Bayham, who served one term on the St. Bernard Parish Council from 2001
until 2004, pointed to his extensive contacts with members of Congress and
the Legislature and other public officials.

"These are contacts you don't just walk into," he said. Bayham said that one
of the first things he did when he took office as a councilman in 2001 was
to bring Congress a petition calling for the closure of the Mississippi
River Gulf Outlet.

"I didn't need Katrina to happen to know that was a disaster looming over
us," he said.

Bayham said he wants to be sure "St. Bernard has a strong voice in the
Legislature, so that we're not getting bypassed."

Lauga said he's spent the last four years as a representative of the local
electrical workers union "working on behalf of working families," and said
he's familiar with the Legislature already.

"There's a learning curve when you get up there," he said. "I know the
process; I have friends on both sides of the aisle."

Lauga said his opponents "couldn't even tell you what color the House rule
book is."

Tonry said he's "always been involved in St. Bernard Parish" and pointed to
his "ability to get people to compromise."

"I'm a good mediator," Tonry said. "I think that's a good quality."

Garofalo said he is the "most-qualified candidate in the race." He pointed
to his success as business owner for the past 30 years as an example of the
experience he would bring to the Legislature.

Tonry said he wants to focus on education if elected because it has an
effect on economic development in the area.

"Anything I can do to help the education system, I'll do," Tonry said. He
added that he's not in favor of charter schools or tuition vouchers for
private schools.

Bayham said he wants to eliminate the state income tax. Lawmakers will have
to "look at the way we do business" to trim the size of state government to
compensate for the lost income tax, he said.

Garofalo also wants to streamline state government and "do a as much as
possible to make sure Louisiana is as business-friendly as possible."

Garofalo proposes lowering the state corporate tax and eliminating the
state's personal income tax as well.

Lauga said he wants to raise the homestead exemption on residential property
taxes to $100,000 as well as

eliminate the state income tax. But he said he also wants to look at what he
called "corporate welfare," more than $7 billion in tax breaks to
businesses.

"We need to figure out which tax breaks work and which ones don't," Lauga
said.

Garofalo said that since the district includes parts of New Orleans and
Plaquemines it basically covers "all of southeast Louisiana, which primarily
is concerned about the commercial seafood industry." The seafood industry,
he said, is "basically the lifeblood of St. Bernard," but all parts of the
district share the same concern.

Tonry said Plaquemines, like St. Bernard, is concerned about coastal erosion
along the Gulf of Mexico. Every piece of land lost is "chipping away from
the country" as a whole, he said.

He pointed out residents in the Lake Catherine area of New Orleans, which is
in the district, are having a "hard time paying flood insurance."

"I'm not a fan of these insurance companies," he said. "There are a lot of
laws leaning in their favor."

Lauga said that all over the district, the big issue is "exactly the same,
flood protection." He said the Louisiana coastal restoration master plan is
the most important legislation the House will consider in its next term.

The election is Oct. 22. A runoff, if necessary, will be held Nov. 19

Dennis Persica can be reached at dpersica at timespicayune.com or 504.826.3363.