Rep. Burford, Richard T.

House Member

Rep. Burford, Richard T. (D)
District# 7, Stonewall

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : Brandy Pearce
Email Burford, Richard T.
Phone: (318)925-9588
Fax: (318)925-9590
Address: 671 Hwy. 171
Suite E
Stonewall, LA 71078
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336

Profile

- District #: House District 1
- Party: Republican
- Caucus Membership: Louisiana Republican Legislative Delegation
  Louisiana Rural Caucus
- Occupation: Farmer - dairy and beef
- Education: Stonewall High School;
  Northwestern State University;
  Real Estate School
- Spouse: Sandy
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
  Facing four opponents in the primary election, Richard “Richie” Burford garnered the highest percentage—thirty-three percent. Democrat Kenny Ray Cox, a decorated retired Army veteran, received twenty-one percent of the vote in the primary and made the runoff with Burford. The runoff proved to be no challenge for Burford as he won by a landslide over Cox. This district had not seen an election for state representative in over ten years, as home economist and term-limited Beverly Bruce, a democrat, was elected unopposed in the past two elections.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: Caddo 41.4%, DeSoto 58.6%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Grand Cane, Keachi, Logansport,
Longstreet, Mansfield, Shreveport, South Mansfield, Stanley, Stonewall
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
Economic: All of DeSoto parish with the exception of its southernmost corner makes up the majority of District 7. About forty percent of the district lies in Caddo parish. Large industrial plants employ many of the residents, such as the Lucent Consumer Products plant and General Motors Truck plant. The International Paper Company container-board manufacturing plant in Mansfield also provides jobs for residents. Other small industrial plants in DeSoto parish extend the economic force of the manufacturing employers in this district.
A significant amount of lignite coal lies beneath DeSoto parish. The Dolet Hills mining venture extracts the lignite coal, and Southwestern Electric Power Company and Central Louisiana Electric Company operate a lignite-fired power generating plant.
Cattle farms are scattered throughout southern Caddo and DeSoto parishes with beef cattle raised more than dairy cattle. Blueberries have become a popular and successful crop for this district’s farmers, and the Louisiana Blueberry Festival is held in Mansfield on the fourth weekend in June.
Another event that draws visitors to this district is the River City Fest in downtown Logansport. At the Duel on the Border, which is held in Logansport on the Toledo Bend Reservoir, drag boats race down the river at speeds up to 200 mph.

Social: Many residents are working-class with the majority being white. However, there is a large population of African-American residents. Comprised of predominantly rural and small town residents with low incomes, this district suffers from its share of poverty.

Political: This district is a toss up for Democrats and Republicans, as both have been victorious in recent elections. A unique mix of voters is present in this district, ranging from populist to conservative.

Biography

- Republican Richard Burford resides in Stonewall and is a dairy and beef cattle farmer. No stranger to politics, Burford served on the DeSoto Parish Police Jury for the past eleven years.
- Health care has become an important issue for Burford. In 2009, he passed bills requiring criminal history checks on ambulance personnel and revising the Physical Therapy Practice Act of Louisiana.
- Burford will work on many issues facing his district, as he believes that they are too important to be singled out. His main concerns are providing affordable and accessible health care for both young and old, adding rural road funding through a revamping of the severance tax structure, improving education and job training and reforming ethics. In order to foster economic development, Burford believes that what he considers the mistakes of the Stelly Plan need to be corrected and that incentives need to be given to small businesses as were given to large corporations.