Rep. Gisclair, Jerry

House Member

Rep. Gisclair, Jerry (D)
District# 54, Larose

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : Denna Guidry
Email Jerry Gisclair
Phone: (985)798-7707
Fax: (985)798-7757
Address: P.O. Drawer 1448
Larose, LA 70373-1448
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336

Profile

- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Acadiana Delegation, Democratic Caucus,
  Jefferson Parish Legislative Delegation, Louisiana Rural Caucus
- Occupation: Owner - Coastal Broadcasting Network; Owner - Bayou Portuguese Citrus Farm
- Education: Larose-Cut Off High School, graduate
- Spouse: Linda
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
  Making his third run for the House seat, former Rep. Mitchell "Mitch" Theriot, who switched to the Republican Party prior to the 2007 primary, was unable to gain ground once more, losing out to Gisclair by a mere 121 votes.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: Jefferson 4.0%, Lafourche 96.0%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Bayou Boeuf, Choctaw, Cut Off,
Des Allemands, Galliano, Gheens, Golden Meadow, Grand Isle, Kraemer,
Larose, Lockport, Mathews, Raceland
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
Economic: District 54 consists of lower Lafourche Parish and Grand Isle. Shipbuilding, the offshore oil and gas industry and commercial fishing drive the district’s economy. The district is home to Bollinger Shipyards and Edison Chouest Offshore, both major shipbuilders that provide thousands of jobs. The district also is home to Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which takes in millions of barrels of imported oil annually off the coast of Grand Isle. The oil is stored in Clovelly and then pumped to refineries across the country. Port Fourchon, the state’s only port located on the Gulf of Mexico, has grown to become the region’s premier economic engine. The port is the main staging point and service port for most of the Gulf of Mexico’s deep-water oil and gas interests. Oil and gas service firms, sugarcane and commercial fishing complete the area’s economic profile.

Social: The district is predominately Cajun and Catholic, with residents ranging from the wealthy to the working-class. Many festivals, fishing rodeos and recreational activities keep residents busy year round.

Political: The district has a mixture of conservative and liberal voters, with Republican and Democrats enjoying varying degrees of success. GOP registration remains relatively low; however, the influence of organized labor also is low. In fact, national and international maritime unions launched a massive organizing effort in recent years, which was staved off by business interests. Democrats Kathleen Blanco and Mary Landrieu have run strong in the district, but it also had a longtime GOP state representative in the form of Loulan Pitre before he left the House in 2007.

Biography

- Jerry "Truck" Gisclair, a Democrat, replaces Rep. Loulan Pitre, a Harvard-educated Republican who chose not to seek re-election in 2007. Gisclair is the owner of the Coastal Broadcasting Network and is a well-known radio talk show host in the district. He also owns a citrus orchard in Lafourche Parish and is a partner in a family construction business.
- Expect a fresh an open approach to policymaking from Gisclair – he campaigned heavily on his lack of political experience and promised a common voice in the House.
- His top issue will be coastal restoration, with a special eye to barrier island protections. Aside from that, his agenda will be almost-entirely local. He wants to move conservation projects from study to construction, replace pontoon bridges in the district, expand improvements to La. 1 from Port Fourchon to Grand Isle and increase local road safety, especially in the La. 3235 area.