Rep. Montoucet, Jack (D)
District# 42, Crowley

• District # 42: House District 1
• Party: Democrat
• Caucus Membership:Acadiana Delegation, Vice Chair
  Democratic Caucus
  Louisiana Rural Caucus
  
• Occupation: Alligator farmer; owner Jacques' Croc's & Farm Pride Processors; Retired Lafayette Fire Dept. - Chief
• Education: High School
  
• Spouse: Sandra
• Year Elected: 2007
• Last Year Eligible(Term Limit): 2020
• 2007 Election
  The October 2007 primary was the first election in House District 42 since 1995, when Rep. Gil Pinac first took the seat. Term-limited Pinac ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Senate. Although he never had held elected office, Montoucet defeated Republican Isabella delaHoussaye, Crowley mayor and a fixture in the city’s politics for nearly three decades. delaHoussaye had sought the seat once before, in 1995, when she was defeated by Pinac.
  

• Louisiana Map
• District Map
• Metro Map
• Economic: District 42 includes most of Acadia Parish south of Interstate 10 and a small portion of western Lafayette Parish. Its landscape – both economically and geographically – is dominated by agriculture. Crawfish ponds become rice patties during the growing season; soybeans also are an important agricultural asset. Crowley, the district’s major city, is home to several small manufacturers, while Body Masters in Rayne makes gym equipment that is shipped around the world. The Lafayette Parish portion of the district is primarily made up of the town of Duson, a bedroom community for the nearby city of Lafayette.
• Social: District 42 is overwhelmingly white, yet unlike other districts in the Acadiana region, it does not consist of people who claim an Acadian heritage. It is a mélange of cultures and reflects French, English, German, Irish, Italian and Lebanese influences. About 20 percent of the district’s registered voters are black and these residents live primarily in Crowley and Rayne, the district’s largest cities.
  Like many areas of southwest Louisiana, the district received an influx of evacuees following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. A month later, Hurricane Rita flooded some areas in the southern portion of the district.
• Political: Although majority white and conservative, the district’s voters are mostly Democrats. Most are Catholics, however, and their religion tends to shape their political beliefs. Pro-life candidates do well here, as do those who support the rights of gun-owners and gaming proposals.

• Although serving in the state House of Representatives is Jack Montoucet’s first foray into elected office, he’s no stranger to public service. Beginning in 1968, he served for 19 years as a member of the Lafayette Fire Department. From 1982 until his retirement in 1987, he was fire chief. After his retirement from the Lafayette Fire Department, Montoucet launched Farm Pride Processors, which sells alligator meat to more than 500 restaurants across the United States.
• He is a member of the Rayne and Crowley chambers of commerce and is past president of the Louisiana Alligator Association. His strong business credentials won him the endorsement the Acadiana Central Labor Council.
• Staying local is Montoucet’s specialty. He recently increased certain allowances for the clerks of court in Acadia and Iberia parishes and helped bolster the operational structure of the Acadia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau. Presently, he’s working with the city of Rayne and the Department of Transportation and Development to study the feasibility of constructing an additional interstate interchange along Interstate 10 at Louisiana Highway 98 in Acadia Parish.
• Montoucet campaigned on a platform of widespread ethics reform that “has to apply to all elected officials, not just a handful.” He also promised support for teacher pay raises and improvements to the state’s charity hospital system.