Rep. Smith, Jr., Gary L. (D)
District# 56, Norco

• District # 56: House District 1
• Party: Democrat
• Caucus Membership: Acadiana Delegation
  Democratic Caucus
  Louisiana Rural Caucus
• Occupation:Attorney/Businessman
• Education:B.S., Business Administration, LSU; J.D., Loyola Law School; LL.M, Admiralty, Tulane Law School
• Spouse:Katherine
• Year Elected:1999
• Last Year Eligible(Term Limit):2012
• 2007 Election
  In his bid for a third term, Smith faced competition from Mr. Ram Ramachandran. Although Ramachandran was endorsed by The Times Picayune, Smith retained endorsements by Louisiana teachers’ organizations, labor and LABI. Smith was one of many legislators that endorsed Blueprint Louisiana’s reform agenda. Due to term limits, this will be Smith’s last term in the House.
  

• Louisiana Map
• District Map
• Metro Map
• Economic: District 56 is home to most of St. Charles and a significant portion of St. John the Baptist parishes. The area represents the earliest example of the industrialization of what were once rural parishes upriver from New Orleans. MOTIVA, in partnership with other companies, operates a huge gasoline refinery in Norco, which employs thousands of people in the area. Other petrochemical operations are the DOW- St. Charles operations in Taft and the Monsanto plant in Luling. The district received some minor property damage and minor flooding from the 2005 hurricane season, mostly resulting in roof and home damage, loss of utilities, and loss of business, but appears to have recovered significantly from the storm.
• Social: The industrialization of the district has created a group of highly paid blue-collar workers. The increasingly suburban character of the region, however, has somewhat diminished these traditional influences by introducing numerous outsiders to these communities.
• Political: With the presence of strong petrochemical and construction-oriented unions, the district used to have a strong liberal flavor, but that has changed. As in many other areas, Republican registration is gradually on the rise, and this is no longer the Democratic bastion it once was. As a result, state and national elections are up for grabs, with Democratic and Republican candidates both polling well.

• Gary Smith is an attorney from Norco who divides his time between a private practice and his family’s dredging business. He came to the House with significant political connections, having worked in Washington, D.C. for both U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin and U.S. Sen. John Breaux. In addition, he has a working relationship with U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and U.S. Rep Charlie Melancon. When Smith runs for office, he normally does so with the endorsement of labor, business and local teachers’ organizations.
• Smith is known for hammering out balanced approaches to business issues and tort reform. The conservative Democrat, however, is much more interested in projects directly relating to his low-lying district such as drainage, hurricane protection, and improved quality of life for the citizens of Louisiana.
• As a member of the budget-drafting Appropriations Committee, he’ll play a central role in how the state approaches its forecasted shortfalls. Criminal justice is another front of attack for Smith. In 2009, he passed bills requiring justices of the peace to complete an arrest warrants course and provides for restoration of good time after an offender has been free from disciplinary violations for 24 months.
• Smith plans to devote much of his attention to projects involving economic development. He sees building an educated and skilled workforce and reducing taxes as central to improving Louisiana’s economy. Smith supports accountability in the educational system as well as the option of parental choice in failing districts. He focuses on improving insurance availability, education and job opportunities, and increasing storm protection in order to encourage young people to remain in the state and businesses to locate here. Smith has been an advocate for teacher and police pay raises and funding Tops. In his own district, Smith intends to focus on drainage and hurricane protection as well as improving roads and infrastructure.