What follows is a press release put out yesterday by the Jeff Landry transition team, and we’ll have a little commentary below…

Today, Governor-elect Jeff Landry held his first transition press conference. He announced the theme of the transition: “One Team. One Dream. One Louisiana.” The Governor-elect also announced the transition will take place on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s campus. The transition chairs will be Ralph Abraham, Lane Grigsby, Shane Guidry, Timothy Hardy, Steve Orlando, Eddie Rispone, and Sharon Landry. Kyle Ruckert will direct the transition team.

“Our group of chairs are not only great leaders, but they are extremely dedicated to this State. They have worked in the oil and gas field, the construction industry, in education, healthcare, and environmental affairs. Each chair possesses strong attributes of leadership, and that is why I have tasked them with helping prep our administration for success. We look forward to working out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette throughout this transition period as a united Louisiana,” said Governor-elect Jeff Landry.

Quotes from chairs:

“Louisiana’s economy is weak, our students are slipping further behind, and our loved ones are moving to other states for better opportunities. I look forward to being a voice for North Louisiana throughout this transition process, and lending my knowledge as a physician, former U.S. Congressman, and farmer to Jeff Landry’s team. It’s time we put Louisiana on a path to success,” said Ralph Abraham.

“As a Louisianian who has successfully navigated the business climate here in Louisiana, I am eager to lend my business expertise to Governor-elect Jeff Landry’s transition team. I look forward to working with the chairs to move Louisiana forward,” said Lane Grigsby

“As a businessman in the New Orleans metro area, I see firsthand how crime has affected our local economy. I am eager to get to work on Jeff Landry’s transition team and put into place the proper people, policies, and infrastructure to help rebuild our State,” said Shane Guidry.

“I am honored to be named a chair for Governor-elect Jeff Landry’s transition team. I have an extensive background and knowledge in environmental law and policy, and I look forward to working with the Governor-elect’s team to put a successful plan in place for the Landry Administration,” said Timothy Hardy.

“I am honored to be a chair for Governor-elect Jeff Landry’s transition team. Louisiana’s economy is suffering, and as a businessman and resident of Lafayette, I look forward to working with the Governor-elect to implement the right foundation that allows our local economy to thrive,” said Steve Orlando.

“Our education system in Louisiana is failing our children and their future opportunities for a productive future. As a chair for Governor-elect Landry’s transition team, I am committed to help the Landry Administration give Louisiana’s children the opportunity for the quality education they deserve and need to be a productive member of our workforce and properly support themselves and their family,” said Eddie Rispone.

“I look forward to working with the transition team to protect our children, our families, and put Louisiana on the right path forward,” said Sharon Landry.

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Background:

Ralph Abraham:

Ralph Abraham is a native of Alto, Louisiana. He is rural family physician, farmer, veterinarian, and served as the U.S. representative for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district from 2015 to 2021. Ralph Abraham has been a voice for improving healthcare outcomes in rural areas in Louisiana.

Lane Grigsby:

Lane Grigsby, a resident of Baton Rouge, is Chairman of the Board of Cajun Contractors.

Cajun has grown to become one of the largest construction companies in Louisiana. Since 1990, Cajun Constructors has been listed among ENR’s Top 400 Contractors. Grigsby has been active in the Associated Builders and Contractors having served in every elected position and twice received ABC’s Man of the Year Award. He has also served in leadership roles in a variety of organizations including the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, LABI, the Baton Rouge Metro Airport Commission, and the Medical Center Board of Directors.

Shane Guidry:

Shane Guidry is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for HIM Corp. Mr. Guidry is the third generation in his family to lead Harvey Gulf. He has been with Harvey Gulf for over 30 years and has been the Chief Executive Officer for the company since 1997. Since taking over as CEO, Mr. Guidry has transformed Harvey Gulf from an inland and offshore towing vessel operator to the preferred provider of OSV, MPSV and FSV services in the deepwater and ultra-deepwater offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico. This has included, among other innovations, leading the company to become the first owner and operator of LNG-powered OSV’s in the United States, as well as the first operator of a LNG bunkering facility in the U.S.

Timothy Hardy:

Timothy Hardy, a native of Shreveport, is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of the Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson law firm where his area of concentration is environmental law. He holds an AV Preeminent Rating as a lawyer by Martindale Hubbell. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he has taught Environmental Law for more than 25 years. He previously served as the top advisor for environmental affairs to former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, as Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and as a Division Director for the Louisiana Department of Justice. He has served on five Louisiana gubernatorial transition teams for both newly elected Democratic and Republican governors.

Steve Orlando:

Steve Orlando, a resident of Lafayette, is a businessman and philanthropist. He is currently an owner of Wellbore Fishing and Rental Tools in Broussard. He also has investments in the LNG industry along with offshore marine services. Steve Orlando and his wife Lisa are passionate about helping local and national charities such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s hospital, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Moncus Park.

Eddie Rispone:

Eddie Rispone, a resident of Baton Rouge, is an American businessman and industrialist. He served as chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Louisiana Federation for Children, and the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council. Rispone has been an advocate for education reform in Louisiana.

Kyle Ruckert:

A resident of Baton Rouge, Kyle grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Jesuit High School. He earned his B.A from Tulane University.  He has over 15 years of senior management experience as Chief of Staff in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill. He was a senior consultant and strategist on our governor’s campaign.

One of the first things to note is that the custom for gubernatorial transition teams in Louisiana is to set them up on LSU’s campus, with the 12th floor of Kirby Smith Hall having been a destination of choice in the past. Of course, Kirby Smith Hall has been razed, so that’s out. But Landry decided he wouldn’t place the transition team at LSU at all, and instead has it at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

That has a bunch of feathers ruffled at LSU. Here’s the thing – this is just the beginning of the feather-ruffling at the Ole War Skule, because Team Landry sees LSU as a woke indoctrination factory in need of a total housecleaning, and until that job is completed LSU is going to have less influence at the Capitol than it’s had in some time.

Landry’s quote said it all: “I’ve said from day one that this administration would ensure that every part of the state has a voice, not just those who occupy the Capitol. This administration is going to represent the people of Louisiana, not just the political class.”

The impetus for a housecleaning probably applies to higher education as a whole, given the leftward slant we’ve seen at practically all of the state’s campuses (not to mention nationally). You’re going to hear a lot about how Jeff Landry doesn’t care about higher education, but you can take that with a grain of salt; despite all the money and rhetoric coming out of John Bel Edwards over the past eight years LSU and Louisiana’s other campuses have actually declined in prestige. It’s obvious a new approach is needed.

Something else is that given the narrative about Landry as the “trial lawyer candidate” in this year’s gubernatorial race, the trial bar isn’t overly well represented on the transition team. Of the seven chairs, only one is a practicing lawyer – a very low number compared to previous transitions – and most of them are businessmen on the other side of that political divide. Lane Grigsby and Eddie Rispone have been two of the most prominent conservative donors Louisiana has had in this century and both have fought against trial lawyers nonstop. Rispone even declared war on the plaintiff bar four years ago when he ran for governor, something which might have ended up costing him the race.

And of course, Kyle Ruckert as the director of the transition is a fascinating hire; Ruckert was David Vitter’s political guru and has more recently been the director of the Louisiana Committee for a Conservative Majority (LCCM), which Landry and John Kennedy co-chair and which was initially founded by Vitter.

The long and short of the transition team announcement is that it’s a signal Louisiana is going to be governed by conservatives for at least the next four years.

And no vestige of the Huey Long socialist empire previous Republican governors largely left untouched is now safe.