Rep. Mills, Fred H. Jr. (D)
District# 46, Parks

• District # 46: House District 1
• Party: Democrat
• Caucus Membership: Acadiana Delegation
  Democratic Caucus
  Louisiana Rural Caucus
• Occupation: Pharmacist, owner of Mills Cashway Pharmacy; President/CEO - Farmers-Merchants Bank
  
• Education: B.S. - Pharmacy, University of Louisiana at Monroe
• Spouse: Deborah
• Year Elected: 2007
• Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
• 2007 Election
  Mills easily defeated Marie Etienne, a retired supervisor with the Louisiana Department of Labor, in the October 2007 primary. Etienne had sought the seat once before; in 2003, she lost decisively to the then-incumbent Sydnie Mae Durand.
  

• Louisiana Map
• District Map
• Metro Map
• Economic: District 46 is made up of all of St. Martin Parish, with the exception of two precincts in the northeastern portion of the parish near Arnaudville. According to statistics from the Louisiana Department of Labor, the parish registered nearly $54 million in wages in the third quarter of 2006. Agriculture – primarily sugar cane growing and processing – remains nearly 20 percent of the district’s economic base and accounts for nearly 1,400 jobs. The economy has diversified in recent years and includes a thriving tourism industry, manufacturing and oil and gas services. In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the district received another financial boost in the form of federal GO Zone funding.
• Social: Impressive economic numbers show that St. Martin parish is on the move. However, a portion of district’s residents remain poor and uneducated. Wealth tends to be concentrated but is beginning to trickle down to poorer residents living in the parish’s abundant rural areas.
• Political: The district is predominately white and conservative, yet most of its registered voters are registered Democratic. The people of Acadian descent, who make up the district’s voters, are loyal to the party, yet will support conservative Republicans who often espouse views that jibe with their Catholicism, particularly on the right to life.

• If politics is a form of theater, then Fred Mills is uniquely qualified. Among his nine-page curriculum vitae outlining his professional life – pharmacist, business owner, community activist, St. Martin Parish councilman – is a section labeled “Quasi-Celebrity Status.” He has written, performed in and produced a play and performed in others as member of the Evangeline Players theatre troupe.
• If Mills is serious about his art, he appears equally as serious about public service. He is an active member in Louisiana’s pharmaceutical community, a two-term member of the St. Martin Parish Council and has served the boards of directors for parish hospitals and banks.
  He has strong economic development credentials and served as president of the St. Martin Economic Development Authority, and he received an endorsement from LABI.
• Although he’s a player on insurance and health care issues, Mills has also become a leading voice for crawfish farmers and has pushed menu-labeling legislation in previous sessions.
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  Expect Mills to combine his interests in economic development and health care with a desire to revamp public education. He supports more control for local school boards, teacher pay raises and tax credits for parents who choose to send their children to private schools.
  In an interview prior to his election, Mills said he would support a hybrid system in which private providers partner with the state to help run its ailing charity hospital system.
• He also said he supports limited financial disclosure for elected officials and a “lean” state budget.