Governor-elect Jeff Landry of Louisiana announced key members of his transition team, introducing a group that includes two past gubernatorial candidates, business leaders and his wife.
Landry, currently serving as the state’s attorney general, surprised the state on Oct. 14 when he won the gubernatorial race despite being a part of a crowded field of 14 candidates. Landry said he’s aiming to hit the ground running when he takes office in January.
Attorney General Jeff Landry announced on Tuesday that he will get advice from 14 committees composed of local influential business figures, GOP donors, a Democratic district attorney and the incoming Republican insurance commissioner, to name a few. Landry said each leader was picked because they have "real-life experience" in their fields.
These “transition councils” will advise the soon-to-be Governor on issues including insurance, education and coastal restoration. There will be an entire council to focus on New Orleans, almost certainly to focus on the crime Landry has criticized his entire tenure as state attorney general.
The details of these meetings, including their accessibility to the public as well as their regularity has not yet been announced. The panels will meet until the Jan. 8 inauguration, Landry said in a statement.
Here are the councils Landry announced on Tuesday as well as the chairs:
Joel Broussard, an outdoorsman and oil and gas executive will be chair of the Agriculture, Fisheries & Land Management council.
Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District President Tony Alford and Baton Rouge-based environmental lawyer Tim Hardy will head the Coast & Environment panel.
GOP donor and Cajun Contractors board chairman Lane Grigsby, who is a co-chair of the overall transition team, will Be in charge of the Constitutional Reform panel.
18th Judicial District District Attorney Tony Clayton, a Democrat, and former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office lawyer Laura Rodrigue will lead Crime and Public Safety.
Economic Development and Fiscal Policy will be led by Bollinger Shipyards CEO Ben Bordelon and Lafayette Economic Development Authority CEO Mandi Mitchell.
Energy, Chemical and Maritime Industry will be handled by Gray Stream, CEO of CKX Industries, a Lake Charles-area company that earns oil and gas, timber and mineral-related royalties on land it leases or owns.
Healthcare and Hospitals are led by Keith Myers and Allyson Pharr; Myers is co-founder of LHC Group, an in-home health services company. Pharr is an attorney for Acadian Ambulance Services, the state's foremost ambulance company.
David Madden, co-owner of Madden Contracting Company, a highway construction firm in northwest Louisiana will be chair of the Infrastructure panel.
Incoming Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple and Laris Insurance Agency owner Ross Laris will head the Insurance committee.
Business owner Eddie Rispone, a co-chair of the overall transition team, and Rebecca Boniol, vice president of the Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation will lead the K-12 Education panel.
Louisiana Police Jury Association Executive Director Guy Cormier and St. Martinville Mayor Jason Willis will be chairs of Local and Municipal Affairs.
The Military Issues council will have Doug Judice. A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and veteran, Judice now manages a consulting firm specializing in exporting manufactured goods to Latin American markets.
GOP megadonor Boysie Bollinger, New Orleans resident and former CEO of Bollinger Shipyards will be chair of the New Orleans council.
Lee Mallett, a decade-long member of the LSU Board of Supervisors will head the Workforce Development and Higher Education council.
Landry previously announced several members of his transition team, including Kyle Ruckert, a political consultant who will be leading the team. Ruckert is the president of Bold Strategies LLC, a political consulting firm out of Baton Rouge, and formerly served as the chief of staff to then-U.S. Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana.
Landry said the transition team’s headquarters will be at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He said the Lafayette location would make his team more accessible to the state.
Landry said he has been in contact with Gov. Edwards, who he said has been “extremely gracious.”
“I want to thank him for that,” Landry said. “I know that prior administrations, as they transition out and new ones transition in, there can be a lot of tension … so I do appreciate that. I think the governor has done a great job of reaching out.”
He has also reiterated his desire to have a special session to address crime in Louisiana “within the first month, within the first week if we can” after taking office.