Schools, economy top issues in election

Education and the economy are two of the biggest issues facing candidates in the Oct. 24 state primary election, according to parish Democratic and Republican party leaders.
Anna Cunningham of Morgan City, who serves on the Democratic State Central Committee, said she is particularly interested in the governor’s race.
Cunningham is supporting John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, in his run for governor. Edwards is a state representative and has an A-plus rating with the Louisiana Association of Educators, of which Cunningham is a member. Edwards wants to end the “astronomical” tuition increases that college students have been dealing with, she said.
U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, are among the other candidates running for governor.
Christian Gil of Berwick, who serves as the head of the Republican Party Executive Committee for St. Mary Parish, said the state has been fortunate that there’s not much activity going on in the statewide races.
Last week, opponents of Vitter “were trying to stir up some old news” but, other than that, the state races have been “real quiet.”
Lots of people are talking about the economy and state budget leading up to the election, Gil said.
The implementation of Common Core is also a “huge issue” in state education, Gil said. Many legislators are trying to get rid of Common Core, and parents are upset about what the program is doing, Gil said.
On the parish level, people are most concerned with the parish’s construction permitting process. “It’s extremely expensive, and it’s not efficient,” Gil said.
The parish’s housing shortage is another problem the parish faces as finding available housing in St. Mary Parish is extremely difficult, Gil said.
In District 51, three candidates are running for state representative including incumbent Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville; Beryl Amedee, R-Gray; and Howard Castay, D-Morgan City.
Cunningham thinks Castay “would do a great job” and called him “a very caring person.” Still, Harrison does have an A-plus voting record for the Louisiana Association of Educators, she said.
For races on the parish level, which include parish president, sheriff and parish council seats, Cunningham will have a difficult time deciding which candidates to vote for because she respects all of them and believes any of them “could do a great job.”
Sheriff Mark Hebert, D-Franklin, will face Doug Perry, R-Patterson, and Blaise Smith, D-Franklin, in the race for St. Mary Parish sheriff, while Gary Duhon, D-Morgan City, and David Hanagriff, D-Centerville, are running for parish president.
In BESE District 3, Cunningham is supporting Lottie Beebe, R-Breaux Bridge, in her re-election bid. Beebe also serves as St. Martin Parish superintendent of schools.
“She has done a phenomenal job, and I hope that she can get back in there,” Cunningham said of Beebe.
Beebe did as much as she could do to fight against Jindal and State Superintendent of Education John White, Cunningham said.
“Sandy” LeBlanc Holloway, R-Thibodaux, is also running for BESE District 3.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com