Rodney Nicholas runs for State Representative – District 57

Published 8:47 am Wednesday, August 23, 2023

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LAPLACE— To the residents of St John and St. Charles Parishes, Louisiana included in the House of Representatives, District 57:

First and foremost, I thank God for his grace in affording me the privilege and opportunity to be considered as a candidate for State Representative District 57. I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to follow the trail blazed by such an outstanding leader as our current State Representative Randall Gaines.

With that said, the River Parishes are at a pivotal point in our states’ and parishes’ economic history and stability. Now more than ever, we need leaders with the tenacity to fight for our children and our families. I have listened and I hear your concerns affecting our community. If elected, I will introduce and support legislation that will aggressively work towards partnering with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority, and the Pontchartrain Levee District to expedite the completion of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction Project. Also, I understand how important it is to effectively collaborate with other legislators and partner with the Commissioner of Insurance to find creative new ways to provide affordable homeowners insurance for those of us living in the river parishes who have suffered so long and lost so much. As your representative, I will be on the cutting-edge of aggressively prioritizing and appropriating critical infrastructure especially for the river parishes.

As a public servant and public policy major who has spearheaded policy reform on multiple levels of government to better our community, I’m ready to hit the ground running to find real solutions for House District 57 and the entire state of Louisiana.

As a college professor and a former elected School Board Member, I understand how important it is to invest in our children’s future. I want to invest in education and help ensure that those entrusted with our most valuable resources, our children, are paid adequately and are given cost of living increases. I also want to help provide our schools and colleges with the resources they so desperately need.

As an ordained minister, I understand the value of investing in people; therefore, I will sponsor and support comprehensive criminal justice reform and support local law enforcement. Additionally, I will support and defend legislation for comprehensive Medicaid coverage for the poor, uninsured, underinsured, and the state’s economically disadvantaged citizens.

As the former Chief Deputy Assessor and a former Chairman of St John Economic Development Committee, I support fiscal responsibility, a balanced budget, small businesses, industry, and workforce development. As such, we must take every opportunity to partner with the Port of South Louisiana to strategically develop economic initiatives for the river region that will facilitate exponential growth and development for our economy. Finally, I will propose and support legislation that will encourage diversifying the state’s economic opportunities and expanding economic development within our traditional industry partners to create new jobs and employment opportunities in the river parishes and throughout the state of Louisiana.

Therefore, I ask that you please join me in building a brighter future for the residents of District 57 and creating a more perfect path forward for the great state of Louisiana.