Anders, John F. "Andy"

House Member

Rep. Anders, John F. "Andy" (D)
District# 21, Vidalia

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : Laura James
Email
Phone: (318)336-5865
Fax: (318)336-9268
Address: 200 Advocate Row
Suite D
Vidalia, LA 71373
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336

Profile

- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Democratic Caucus
  Louisiana Rural Caucus
- Occupation: Farmer, John Deere Sales
- Education: B.S. Agri Business, LouisianaTech, 1979
- Spouse: Nancy
- Year Elected: 2006
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2016
- 2007 Election
  Anders easily turned back three challengers, all Democrats, in the October 2007 primary to reclaim the District 21 seat. Anders received sixty-one percent of the vote, besting the nearest challenger by forty-four points.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: Concordia 49.5%, East Carroll 14.3%, Madison 20.3%, Tensas 15.9%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Clayton, Delta, Ferriday, Lake
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
Economic: District 21 is comprised of Concordia, Tensas and portions of Madison and East Carroll parishes. This district is in the Mississippi Delta region of northeast Louisiana and encompasses one of the nation’s poorest and economically underdeveloped regions. The region continues to rely on a foundation of agricultural production, especially cotton and soybean crops, yet, in the last decade, has begun to seek economic development opportunities. Vidalia, the district’s most-populous city, has capitalized on its location across the river from tourism-rich Natchez, Miss., and has begun a waterfront development project that includes hotels, a medical center, an RV park and a 750-seat amphitheater. A Fruit of the Loom plant, Almatis (formerly Alcoa, a producer of alumina-based products), and Bungee grain elevator are located south of Vidalia. Fertile hunting grounds, plantations homes and, surprisingly, a top-notch symphony, the St. Joseph’s Orchestra, also draw tourism dollars to the region.

Social: The separation between rich and poor in District 21 is at times almost painful. District 21 encompasses one of the nation’s poorest areas, where poverty and unemployment are rampant. The situation seemingly worsened following the 2005 hurricanes, when evacuees were housed in local churches, FEMA trailer parks were established in Concordia Parish, and the public school population increased.

Political: The majority of the district’s registered voters are Democrats and black. The district’s white voters tend to be quite conservative. These two forces give the district an exceedingly polarized appearance at election time. Voter apathy, a byproduct of poverty, often results in low voter turnout among black voters, however.

Biography

- Rep. John F. “Andy” Anders was elected to his first full term in the state House of Representatives in the October 2007 primary election. He first was elected to the House in 2006 to fill the unexpired term of Rep. Bryant Hammett Jr., who Gov. Kathleen Blanco appointed Secretary of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries.
  
  As agriculture chairman, Anders has ushered in several sweeping laws in recent years, from creating new regulation for drought relief wells to revising the duties and powers of forestry officers. He has also shown interest in shoring up the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority.
- During two legislative sessions, Anders successfully won passage of three wide-ranging bills. One tightened state oversight of manufactured home parks and dealerships. The second established an information center for seniors to learn about low-priced prescription medication, while the third authorized the Vidalia Riverfront Development District to levy a hotel/motel occupancy tax, with proceeds benefiting a riverfront convention center.
- Given his area’s strong reliance on agriculture and farm-related industries and Anders’ own background in farming – he holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science and business from Louisiana Tech and is a salesman at Ferriday Farm Equipment – expect strong advocacy of rural issues this term. Showing he has interest in a broad range of issues, Anders endorsed the Blueprint Louisiana reform agenda. The Rural Caucus recognized him with one of its Freshman Legislator Awards in 2007.