House Member
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Rep. Barras, Taylor F. (D)
District# 48, New Iberia
Contact Information
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District Office
Legislative Assistant : Ginger Babineaux
Email Barras, Taylor F.
Phone: (337)373-4051
Fax: (337)373-4053
Address: 800 S. Lewis Street
Suite 206, 2nd Floor
New Iberia, LA 70560
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336
Profile
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- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Acadiana Delegation
Democratic Caucus
Louisiana Rural Caucus
- Occupation: Market President, Iberia Bank - New Iberia
- Education: New Iberia Senior High School, 1975; Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, B.S. Accounting, 1979
- Spouse: Cheryl
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2016
- 2007 Election
Barras led the primary ahead of three fellow Democrats: attorney Shane Romero, Rep. Romero’s son; City Councilman David Broussard, and Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis. Barras ultimately defeated Romero in the runoff with 62 percent of the vote.
District Profile
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Registered Voters by Parish: Iberia 100.0%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Loreauville, New Iberia
Economic: New Iberia is the dominant city of the district. It is a business, trade, retail and banking center. The majority of the population is employed by the oilfield services sector, both in management and skilled labor. Iberia Parish has worked to attract new business to the Port of Iberia and to develop Acadiana Regional Airport to diversify its economy. Sugarcane farming dominates the rural areas, but there is also a significant amount of aquaculture centered on crawfish ponds and commercial crawfishing. Tourism is also a growing industry, driven by the attraction of the Cajun culture and environmental tourism.
The area was impacted by Hurricane Rita in 2005, particularly the sugar cane and oil industries, but has since rebuilt and nearly fully recovered.
Social: The city of New Iberia is home to a wide range of residents including wealthy heirs to agriculture fortunes and affluent upperclass businessmen who made their fortunes in the oilfield. However, the majority of the population consists of middle-class business people or well-paid blue-collar workers. There are some families, especially in the rural areas, suffering from the effects of poverty.
Political: African-Americans make up 30% of the district. Overall, the district’s residents are conservative with a small, but active, Republican constituency and a dominant business community.
Biography
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- This is the first foray into public life for Democrat Taylor Barras, who is a Market President for Iberia Bank. The New Iberia native and LSU graduate ran his campaign on ethics reform, particularly increased funding for enforcement of ethics rules. Barras succeeds popular term-limited Rep. Errol “Romo” Romero.
- With a background in accounting and a career as a banker, look for Barras to pay close attention to budget discussions as a freshman legislator.
- As a member of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, he’ll play major role in the upcoming redistricting process. Barras is also involved in community initiatives and created the New Iberia Redevelopment Authority in 2009.
- Additionally, Barras’ stated priorities are heathcare, insurance and education. Barras wants to see a tax deduction for heathcare expenses and for doctors that treat uninsured patients and supports public heathcare dollars “following the patient.” Transportation is also important to Barras and his constituency. He supports redirecting revenue from sales taxes on auto parts to the state budget for infrastructure improvements.
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