Top 10 state stories of 2023

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

As a new year dawns, here are some stories on which to look back from 2023 that particularly impacted our community of readers – and more importantly will continue to influence our local politics and society for months and years to come. Truly, news that matters to us.

1. Jeff Landry’s first primary win, and the MAGA takeover of Louisiana, has only begun to be felt with the upcoming special sessions on January 15, 2024. Arguably, Republicans came to dominate state politics as far back as Mike Foster’s first term as governor, yet that GOP was a party of many factions from suburban moderates to rural populists. The fact that the out-going attorney general reduced the former head of LABI and the sitting treasurer to single digits in the primary, whilst rendering the Democratic candidate irrelevant, shows that the populist Right has won the majority, perhaps for the next few decades. Landry reveled in his early endorsements by the Trump family, and most expect him to be echoing the GOP presidential standard-bearer’s line. However, the new governor has announced that he will not reverse Edwards’ Medicaid expansions, so perhaps, some cross-ideological deals might be made.

2. Growing Numbers of Black Men Voted GOP. Just over 15 percent of African Americans cast a ballot for Republican statewide candidates this past Autumn, an historic high for Louisiana, yet the impact may stretch beyond the Pelican State. While Black women have remained Democratic loyalists, by several national polling estimates, nearly 25 percent of Black men plan have expressed a willingness to vote for federal GOP candidates, Donald Trump included. That potentially puts several swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan into play. Perhaps the reason lies in part in immigration restrictions and border security positions, which poll well with African-American males, or perhaps other cultural and religious disaffections with the Democrats are the cause. Regardless, the Black community was never as politically monolithic as outsiders claimed, something finally being felt at the ballot box. Nevertheless, even that small fall in Democratic the vote – even Blacks staying home at election time – could swing a close Presidential election.

3. Two African-American Congress-ional Districts will be drawn by the Louisiana Legislature by the middle of February, with the final court appeal denied just two weeks ago, yet will their composition keep the promise that the 33 percent of African-American voters in the state can elect candidates who reflect the Black electorate? The decision by Gov.-elect Jeff Landry to target the seat held by Baton Rouge 6th District GOP Congressman Garret Graves to convert it into a minority-minority district for personal political reasons, rather than the 5th District held by Julia Letlow (with its already higher Black voter representation) creates a potential controversy. Some of 2nd District Rep. Troy Carter’s Baton Rouge Black-majority precincts will likely be drawn into the new minority seat, dropping his seat’s Black voter registration below 50 percent, yet still leaving the 6th without an African-American majority. Current federal law allows minority seats to have a plurality of one race, rather than a majority, but drop it too low, and a Black candidate may not have a chance in either.

4. St. Bernard Container Port begins construction early next year, and the surrounding community in Violet remains violently opposed. The Port of New Orleans states that the $1.8 billion project stands as essential for Louisiana to remain competitive in international trade, a position echoed by most of the political class including Congressman Troy Carter. Large container ships literally cannot fit under the Mississippi River bridge to reach port facilities upriver, and even if they could, that trip adds an extra day to these ship’s transit. However, the new St. Bernard port facilities would be constructed in a predominantly poor African-American riverside community and would subsume exiting historic burial grounds. Traffic and pollution concerns abound. Some middle grounds have been proposed. Outgoing St. Bernard Parish President Guy Maginnis’ instance that the state build an interstate level road so as not clog local roads with semi-trucks is one; however, the funding for that and other mitigation project remains mostly unsecured.

5. State Police Return to the French Quarter, and the agency’s plan to take over patrols of the interstate routes through the city has been hailed in some many circles as an answer to the NOPD’s recruitment challenges, allowing redeployment of officers to high crime neighborhoods. Support for the proposal is bipartisan, yet some civil libertarians worry that since the State Police do not operate under the Federal consent decree, unfair arrest problems might manifest. The major news, however, centers around District Attorney Jason Williams’ decision to allow the Attorney General’s office to prosecute any criminal arrests made by the State Police. That allows the new AG Liz Murrill, a protégé of Jeff Landry’s, to have unprecedented primary jurisdiction over criminal cases in the Crescent City.

6. Major Income Tax Reform was mostly absent as a plank of Jeff Landry’s campaign for governor, yet his appointment of Rep. Richard Nelson, a one-time GOP gubernatorial opponent, as the new head of the Dept. of Revenue signals major income tax reduction may be coming. Nelson ran on a platform of eliminating the income tax, and the Mandeville Rep. has proposed several ideas to make Louisiana more competitive with no-income tax Texas and Florida. Deficit hawks worry about tax cuts bringing back the huge deficits of eight years ago, remembering similar desires that repealed the Stelly Plan. The current state budget enjoys a large surplus, though, and economic conservatives in the legislature view an opportunity – especially now that Nelson will serve as Landry’s point person on taxation.

7. Drainage Fees for the Sewerage & Water Board may prove the means to pay for the massive backlog in pump and pipe reconstruction, without increasing the costs of the average homeowner or renter, and the SWB management seems excited about the idea. Currently, most of the SWB budget comes from property taxes, and a half-hearted effort was made to “roll-forward” those milliages as Orleans property assessments increased by 23 percent. That proved to be a proverbial stalking horse for what insiders say could become the real proposal, a ubiquitous drainage fee that would replace the current property tax. Unlike milliages which are only paid by private property owners, drainage fees are paid by non-profits, universities, and federal & state government agencies. No one is exempt, allowing the amount that the average homeowner renders to the government to either remain the same or even go down just as the overall revenues for sewerage repairs increase across the city. Tulane University and the Catholic Church reps oppose the measure, but small businesspersons and homeowners support it, according to surveys. The “little guys” pay less and get more – potentially.

8. The Digital Divide May End First in the Pelican State. Last week, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that the federal government has approved the second part of Louisiana’s plan to spend more than $1.35 billion to provide high-speed internet throughout the state,. Louisiana is the first state to clear that bar for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, which is part of the Biden Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. The program seeks to bolster internet connection for businesses and individuals, as well as provide contract opportunities for the companies carrying out the upgrades to Louisiana’s broadband infrastructure. Literally, public internet may soon be available in rural and urban “digital deserts,” free of charge. The first phase of Louisiana’s proposal was approved in September and included a summary of the state’s existing broadband funding and audit of the types and availability of internet access across the state, listing specific underserved areas.

9. Demographics are changing across the metro area. African Americans have risen to make up 33 percent of the Jefferson Parish population and have fallen to 58 percent of Orleans Parish. At current rates of change, Blacks may lose their majority in the city, only to rise to a strong plurality in the suburbs. Similar African-American out-migration is affecting the long term racial futures of St. Bernard and Plaquemines after all, and as demographics change, so do political trends. Stronger minority voter registration in Jefferson stands as one of the reasons that John Bel Edwards won the parish in both of his bids for governor. On the other hand, gentrification in the city has not only changed neighborhoods, but those whom they elect. Already, Caucasian Democrats dominate Uptown, where African Americans once represented, and soon citywide elections may see white candidates increasingly strong. Meanwhile Democrats eye the Jefferson Parish Presidency in four years when Cynthia Lee Sheng faces term limits, thanks to higher minority voter registration.

10. RTA Cuts in Routes may reduce public transit in the city drastically. Essentially, major daily bus routes will have fewer buses per hour than they do on weekends currently, and trips by Algiers ferry will end at 7:30 p.m. – if the city and stakeholders cannot find millions of dollars to plug the gaps. Currently, RTA’s fleet of buses, purchased after Katrina, near the end of their useful life, and constant repair needs keep too many out of service. Drivers have retired or quit, and staffing remains a problem without an influx of cash. However, new ideas have been proposed to close the holes in service. Jefferson Parish has experimented with using ride-share services like Uber on its Metairie Road route, which has saved money and still increased transit availability. Proposals that monthly RTA pass holders in Orleans and Kenner receive preferential pricing or even free shared Uber/Lyft trips on some routes might allow for bus redeployments to high trafficked streets without the smaller, less patronized routes losing affordable transport services.

This article originally published in the January 1, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.