Rep. Howard, Frank A.

House Member

Rep. Howard, Frank A. (R)
District# 24, Many

Contact Information

District Office
Legislative Assistant : Janet Sepulvado
Email Frank A.Howard
Phone: (318)256-4135
Fax: (318)256-4137
Address: 1601 Texas Highway
Many, LA 71449
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: Retired, Sheriff, Vernon Parish
- Education: High School Graduate; LSU Continuing Education Program; National Sheriff's Institute, graduate
- Spouse: Bety
- Year Elected: 2007
- Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
- 2007 Election
  Four candidates qualified in the race to succeed Joe Salter: Dean Crittenden, a Baptist minister and garage owner; Howard, the former Vernon Parish sheriff; “Randy” Sandel, the owner of a manufactured housing retailer; and Mary Ann Wiggins, a longtime educator. Howard led the field in the primary and defeated Wiggins in the November runoff.

District Profile

Registered Voters by Parish: DeSoto 0.9%, Red River 22.9%, Sabine 51.9%, Vernon 24.3%
Municipalities/Communities Represented: Anacoco, Converse, Coushatta, DeRidder, Edgefield, Fisher, Florien, Hall Summit, Hornbeck, Many, Martin, Noble, Pleseant Hill, Zwolle
- Louisiana Map
- District Map
- Metro Map
Economic: Sabine Parish dominates District 24, which also includes portions of Red River, Vernon and De Soto parishes. Largely rural, the district is covered by an abundance of trees, making the timber industry a natural economic engine.
Agriculture is important throughout the region. Sabine Parish is home to many chicken farms, while Red River Parish, with its rich alluvial soil, supports soybean and cotton cultivation. There is some oil production in Red River, De Soto and Sabine parishes, as well as lignite mining. Lignite, or “brown coal,” is the lowest grade of coal and is used almost exclusively in steam-electric power generation.
Tourism is also important here, given the district’s proximity to Toledo Bend, which officials promote as a getaway for outdoors enthusiasts.

Social: The district is predominately white and residents maintain a modest economic existence. The region’s few population centers are home to some middle-class business communities.

Political: The district contains a mixture of populism and conservatism. Economically, the district trends toward the populist model, while on social issues, constituents maintain the conservative austerity of their protestant roots.

Biography

- Former Vernon Parish Sheriff Frank Howard succeeds five-term representative and House Speaker Joe Salter as District 24’s state representative. Following a legislator like Salter is no easy task. Over his 20-year career in the House, the Florien Democrat built a solid reputation as a champion of education, an affable consensus-builder and a stalwart on issues important to his rural constituents.
- Howard has taken a very parochial approach to policymaking and is interested in creating political opportunities for his district. He’s responsible for creating the Red River Parish Assessment District and for securing monies for the Sabine Parish Tourism Improvement Fund. On the horizon, Howard wants the Department of Transportation and Development to include Hornbeck-Plainview Road in Sabine and Vernon parishes in the state highway system.
- During his election campaign, Howard promised to devote his energies to education, ethics and health care reform. Given his long career in law enforcement, expect Howard to also champion public safety issues as well.