-
District Office
Legislative Assistant : John Paul Stoshak
Email Rickey Hardy
Phone: (337)262-2598
Fax: (337)262-2597
Address: P.O. Box 93751
Lafayette, LA 70509
Map
Capitol House Switch Band: (225) 342-6945
Capitol House Fax: (225)342-8336
-
- District #: House District 1
- Party: Democrat
- Caucus Membership: Acadiana Delegation,
Democratic Caucus
Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus - Occupation: Self employed - house washing and lawn care business
- Education: Comeaux High School;
Southwest Paralegal College - Spouse: Marie
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
Rickey Hardy finished 87 votes behind Lafayette City-Parish Councilman Chris Williams in the primary election, with included three other candidates. Endorsed by Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel, Hardy knocked off Williams with 56 percent of the votes in the runoff. Hardy’s predecessor, term-limited Wilfred Pierre, supported Williams.
-
Registered Voters by Parish: Lafayette 100.0%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Carencro, Lafayette, Scott
Economic: District 44 includes north and central portions of the city of Lafayette as well as a portion of Lafayette parish located just outside the city limits. Though Lafayette’s north side has seen slower progress than its south side, this area of town has its share of economic development activity. For example, this district is home to the Festivale International de Louisiane, which is held every May. This festival has a major economic impact on the district, as it brings ten of thousands of visitors in to see entertainers from Francophone areas around the world.
Downtown Lafayette has been revitalized with arts and other entertainment, such as popular restaurants and night clubs. Also in this district are Lafayette’s energy companies, financial institutions and professional firms. It remains commercial in nature, as the professionals that work here reside outside the district. The state’s second largest university, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is located in this district. ULL still has a major political, social and cultural impact on Lafayette, as it did when it led the state in integrating faculty, staff and students.
Social: Predominantly an African American district, residents hold white- and blue-collar jobs in the oil industry and at ULL. A little over a third of the residents are middle-to-working class white residents of Cajun descent.
Political: With over 60 percent of registered voters African American, this district is overwhelmingly Democratic. White voters tend to vote for Democrats as well. African American candidates win big here, as evidenced in the 1999 and 1995 gubernatorial elections.
-
- Self-employed Rickey Hardy served on the Lafayette Parish School Board from 1994 to 2007. He is also a Rosa Parks Courage Award recipient.
- Focusing on education, Hardy plans to file legislation to prohibit high school students from dropping out until they are 18 years old. Hardy believes that students should be allowed to participate in vocational and technical training as part of their high school curriculum.
- While education is quickly becoming a trademark policy issue for Hardy, he’s also passionate about crime. In the 2010 session, he has bills that would increase penalties for the illegal carrying and reckless discharge of a firearm during a parade and increase drug free zones from 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet surrounding any school property, drug treatment facility, religious building, public housing authority or child day care facility.
- He supports the idea of community-based health care with more neighborhood clinics to handle routine care. In order to reduce the state’s incarceration rate, Hardy believes that the criminal justice system needs to be reformed. Hardy supports the proposal by his Lafayette colleagues—Senator Mike Michot and Representative Joel Robideaux—to let local governments control their share of the state sales tax on motor vehicles. A Blueprint Louisiana supporter, Hardy believes that legislators should disclose their income sources.
 jpg/La44.JPG){kind=link}