Early voting is now underway for the Nov. 8 election, and Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister says in his new column that he’s backing Charles Boustany in the crowded U.S. Senate race, Garret Graves for re-election to Congress and independent Darryl Gissel for Baton Rouge mayor.
As for the bitter race for the White House between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, McCollister is not making an endorsement.
“This presidential race may have been entertaining and a boon for cable TV and presidential debate viewership, but it was simply disgusting and ended in the gutter,” he writes. “Let me sum up this historic campaign season and declare the real ‘deplorables’ were Clinton and Trump … You vote your own conscience here. We can all seem to justify our own decisions in the end.”
Of the two dozen candidates seeking to take Sen. David Vitter’s seat, McCollister says they “range from longtime, yellow dog, populist Democrats to a longtime, ultra-conservative, white supremacist,” adding Louisiana “can ill afford to send either of these extremes to Washington to represent our state.”
McCollister says Republican U.S. Rep. Boustany has the experience and intelligence to best team up with Sen. Bill Cassidy to help our state and nation.
“Boustany’s experience includes the House Ways and Means Committee and serving as chairman of the Tax Policy Subcommittee. He advocates for a simpler tax code and reduced regulation on business,” McCollister writes. “Boustany is also a heart surgeon and understands the negative impact of Obamacare on patients, small business and the medical profession. He has voted to repeal the law and offered market-based solutions.”
McCollister says Graves has quickly become an effective congressman in his first term and deserves to be re-elected to the post.
“Graves’ goals for his next term include improving traffic in the Capital Region, using technology to make government more transparent and responsive, and reforming entitlement programs and the criminal justice system with a merit-based investment structure,” McCollister says.
As for the Baton Rouge mayoral race, McCollister notes it couldn’t come at a more important time for our city-parish.
“Who we elect matters as we seek to unite our community, rebuild after this summer and set a course for the next 20 years,” he writes.
The city-parish 2016 budget was $880 million and there is a total of around 4,500 employees on the payroll, he notes, adding that none of the 12 candidates have any real experience as a CEO.
“Most are running on their political experience or work as a legislator, not as an executive,” McCollister writes. “Only one of the top six has never been a politician. He is running as an independent with the ‘no party’ label. He is truly the only real ‘outsider’ among the major candidates.”
McCollister says he has talked with many of the candidates and knows most of the top six.
“I have supported and endorsed several of them for other seats in the past and respect their public service,” he writes. “But as I observed two mayoral forums last week, I thought about what I heard and what I know about the candidates, as well as what I believe are important qualities for the next leader of our community. Basically, I was deciding whom I would put my trust in to get the job done. I decided: Darryl Gissel.”
Gissel is someone who is different from the rest of the field, McCollister says.
“His bio states he holds a master’s degree in public administration from LSU and has a bachelor’s degree in political science. He worked for former Gov. Dave Treen and ran the Republican Party for a few years, so he understands the political process. But he has had his own real estate business and has had to deal with the city-parish and its agencies,” he writes. “He is one who has served this city and parish as a volunteer and leader in giving back—not on the public payroll. You may know little of Gissel, and he is a dark horse or long shot, but before you vote you should go to his website, darrylgissel.com, and read about his ideas and his experience, and view the videos from friends who know him well, and see if you reach the conclusion I did.”
Read the full column, in which McCollister also makes his endorsements for Metro Council and discusses why he’s voting against a new property tax for the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging and a property tax renewal benefiting BREC—but is voting for a pair of tax renewals for the St. George Fire Department. Also, read McCollister’s Oct. 11 column, in which he makes his recommendations on how to vote for the six state constitutional amendments on the ballot.
