Editor’s Note: Early voting for the Oct. 24 Louisiana gubernatorial election is going on now at parish registrar of voters offices through this Saturday, Oct. 17.
Four major candidates are vying to replace Gov. Bobby Jindal: Republicans Scott Angelle, Jay Dardenne and David Vitter, and Democrat John Bel Edwards.
Louisiana Sportsman magazine asked each candidate to answer some basic questions about how their administration would approach outdoor issues, ranging from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to coastal erosion.
We will run each candidate’s responses online this week — today we feature John Bel Edwards.
No matter who you ultimately select, please make sure to go out and vote.
John Bel Edwards, Democrat
Current position: Louisiana Representative
Q: Are you an outdoorsman? If so, what’s your favorite species to hunt/fish? What’s the largest fish you’ve caught or deer you’ve killed?
A: Yes. I’m an avid outdoorsman. The largest fish I’ve caught was a 200-pound hammerhead shark. The largest animal I have killed was a 1,700-pound moose on the Yukon River in Alaska in 2001.
I love to hunt squirrel, rabbit deer and duck. Duck hunting is my favorite.
My best memories of hunting are with my father and six brothers when we would annually float the Tangipahoa River from Amite to Manchac. We would camp along the way, eating what we caught and killed. And we always ate well and spent many hours talking around the campfire.
Q: What are your thoughts on choosing a secretary for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries? Should the secretary be a biologist? Should he/she be from Louisiana? What qualifications will you look for?
A: Louisiana will be best served by a secretary that has a combination of skills and experience. We need a secretary of (LDWF) who is an avid outdoors person — a hunter and a fisher(man).
They should work to advance conservation and sound management of fisheries and wildlife. But we also need someone who can navigate the political minefield that exists in Louisiana, while following the science that should drive his or her decision-making.
Most importantly I will select a secretary who works collaboratively with the (Louisiana) Wildlife and Fisheries Commission to promulgate sound rules and preserve our status as the Sportsman’s Paradise.
Q: What do you see as the primary role of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries?
A: The primary role for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is to utilize science to preserve our state’s unique hunting and fishing culture and protect our status as the Sportsman’s Paradise.
It must be granted the autonomy to take on that task.
Q: The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is largely self sufficient, receiving little, if any, state General Fund money. Do you think that is the best formula? Do you support General Funds being sent to the agency?
A: I do not support utilizing state general fund dollars to fund Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. But I do support allowing the department to operate in a way that makes it the best agency it can be under the circumstances.
For example, for several years the (LDWF) was not allowed to have a (wildlife enforcement agent) cadet class, even though it had the money needed to fund the class and had open positions that needed to be filled.
Those kinds of backwards decision must stop.
Q: As you may know, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration raided many constitutionally dedicated funds, including the LDWF’s Rigs to Reef Program, in his attempts to balance the budget. Do you support such moves? Would you push to return the $27 million taken from the Rigs to Reef Program?
A: The artificial reef fund is now constitutionally protected. But we must elect leadership that will keep its oath to uphold the constitution and end the irresponsible budgeting practice of sweeping dedicated funds and diverting their monies to other projects.
As governor I will not sweep funds and will work, when possible, to reinvest in funds that have been swept.
Q: Coastal erosion is one of the most-pressing environmental issues facing this state. How would you prioritize work to stabilize the fragile marshes along the coast, and what would be your first step in this area if you are elected governor?
A: Louisiana cannot afford to have recreational and commercial fisheries devastated by the diversion of huge volumes of Mississippi River water containing fertilizer and other nutrients that deplete oxygen. The dead zones we see off the mouth of the river might also occur in the prime fishing, shrimping and oyster estuaries. But we must take the steps necessary to know for sure the consequences.
I am committed to ensuring that any damage to fisheries and the resulting economic damage (recreationally and commercially) are fully accounted for in the cost analysis and feasibility studies.
The coastal restoration master plan envisions modifications and amendments, and we must ensure that the best available science is incorporated. We must also protect our culture and heritage and preserve our places in the nation as The Sportsman’s Paradise.
Click here to read editor Andy Crawford’s editorial about the gubernatorial election.
