Naming names: EASTPAC, a political action committee of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, announced today it’s backing Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Buddy Amoroso in his bid to fill the House District 66 seat that Rep. Hunter Greene, R-Baton Rouge, is vacating. Greene unseated Annette Lassalle as Family Court Judge in the Nov. 4 elections. Amoroso, a Republican, won his seat on the Metro Council after drawing no opposition in the November 2012 primary. A special election for House District 66 has been set for Feb. 21, with a runoff if needed on March 28. Qualifying begins Jan. 7.
On the up and up: Stagnant wages have become a hot topic in politics lately and for good reason. The Wall Street Journal reports that if you compare annual average pay from 2004 and 2013, one-third of all U.S. counties or parishes have seen their average pay decline when the figures are adjusted for inflation. The biggest winners for wage increases are the counties and parishes running down the center of the country, and many of those have economies based on energy and agriculture. The winners includes East Baton Rouge Parish, where the data show average wages increased 14.4% from 2004 to 2013, to $46,942. See wage data for every county and parish.
New kid on the block: Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who will take over as Senate majority leader in the next Congress, welcomed Sen.-elect Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to the chamber on Wednesday, weeks after promising Cassidy a seat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As USA Today reports, McConnell is counting on Cassidy’s help on energy issues, including the GOP’s push to pass legislation approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Cassidy, a three-term House member, defeated Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in a runoff on Saturday, thus giving Republicans their 54th seat in the Senate beginning next year. He will be sworn in on Jan. 6. Read the full story.
