Metro Councilwoman Gary won’t run for re-election

Baton Rouge’s District 11, which encompasses neighborhoods including Old Goodwood, Tara, Bocage/Jefferson Place, Westminster and Jefferson Terrace, will have a new representative after this fall’s elections. Incumbent Alison Gary tells Daily Report this morning that she will not run for re-election. “I am six and a half months pregnant, and I’ve decided that I do not want to be campaigning with a newborn,” says Gary, who got married last year. “I will definitely miss serving on the council, but at this point in my life I want to focus on my family.” Gary says she “had been on the fence” about running for re-election for the past year or so, adding she has not ruled out the possibility of running for another elected position in the future. Meanwhile, 34-year-old Republican Ryan Heck on Tuesday announced his candidacy for the District 11 seat. “We have serious crime and traffic problems here in Baton Rouge,” Heck says in a news release. “It will take hard work and a real commitment to real solutions to make things better. I offer real experience and bold, conservative solutions to the challenges we face.” Heck, who is married and with two children, holds a construction management degree from the LSU College of Engineering, as well as a Masters of Business Administration from LSU. He is a senior procurement specialist at Albemarle Corp. No one else has thus far announced a run at the District 11 seat. —Steve Sanoski