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District 39 race rumbling
Written by Walter Pierce   
Thursday, October 13, 2011

Menard_ad_2The Democratic State Central Committee has entered the fray in the increasingly contentious House District 39 race, taking aim at the lone Republican in the contest, St. Landry Parish President Don Menard.

A flyer mailed to voters in the district characterizes Menard as a career politician who tried but failed to raise his $65,000 annual salary by $20,000 and who wastes taxpayer money on lavish meals at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and other fine eateries. The mailer prompted Menard to purchase a half page ad in The Daily Advertiser Wednesday answering the charges, pointing out that 22 of his 30 years in public office were served first as an alderman and later as mayor Cankton, both of which are unpaid positions. Menard also asserts that the expensive meals were with federal officials and the “results of the $400 meal they mention resulted in a $1.4 million federal grant for design and environmental studies for the I-49/Hwy 90 interchange. The investment was worth it.

Menard is vying for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Bobby Badon. His opponents on the Oct. 22 ballot are Democrat Stephen Ortego of Carencro and Jamie Arnaud, no party, also from Carencro.

Menard_ad
                       A detail from Don Menard's ad in The Daily Advertiser answering DSCC charges against him

Walter Pierce
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written by Stephen Handwerk , October 13, 2011 - 01:12 pm
Wow. Well first off, kudos for Mr. Menard actually admitting to all this and paying a small fortune to do so.

I think voters in this district where the median income is right around $25,000 per year will have a HUGE problem with him asking for this $20,000 per year pay raise taking him to $85,000 per year especially when...
1. He knew what the salary was (or wasn't) when he ran for all of these jobs for the past 30 plus years
2. He argues that he is "DUE" for the raise because of the 22 years he wasn't paid... so now he wants to make up for those?

Secondly - am I the ONLY one who has a problem with the other point here? So the only way to get FEDERAL grants (BTW - OUR OWN TAX DOLLARS) is to dine out with FEDERAL EMPLOYEES (Again, ones we are paying for) at Ruth's Chris for $400... Money in which this parish largely deserved and fit inside the grant in the first place?

This smacks of the cronyism and crap that voters are tired of... especially the voters he is trying to court inside his new adoptive party.

If I were Jamie Arnaud or Stephen Ortego... I would send the guy a THANK YOU card.
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written by Sensible , October 13, 2011 - 02:00 pm
Mr. Menard's headline works for Comments too.
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written by Sam Adams , October 13, 2011 - 03:16 pm
Stephen, I agree with your comments. With all the political backwardness from Baton Rouge and Washington, culminating in our current state fiscally, then why would we want another career politician spending taxpayers money so flippantly. We already have enought of those. I have heard him say several times during this campaign from Menard that "he is applying for a job," and that "he is the most qualified for the job." Well Mr. Menard I have some news you should have heard 30 years ago, this position is not a job, it is a position of service. There is a reason it is called public service, a concept I don't Mr. Menard ever grasped in his years in office. You had your chance Menard, you failed as a public servant, it is time for new ideas and new blood in Baton Rouge.
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written by Sensible , October 13, 2011 - 05:38 pm
Electing the least qualified is an interesting concept. How do we choose?
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written by PocketfullofAces , October 13, 2011 - 07:17 pm
I don't think that Don Menard is a bad man, or even that he would make a bad State Representative. Its just that I think Stephen Ortego is an extraordinary man, and that is why I support him. I'm a hard core conservative Republican, and even if I may ultimately disagree with Stephen on certain issues, I support his candidacy.

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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , October 13, 2011 - 09:17 pm
Stephen. Actually the sitdowns at Ruth Chris's are decently priced , its the liquor that is pricey, like the $ 11.++ scrambled with frousettie doo on the eggz at the crvacked egg, like a friend said to me " I sat in the next booth from Jackie O at Martha's Vineyard, Uh.... Okay.
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written by Phil N deBlanc , October 13, 2011 - 09:50 pm
Don was crying when the temporary jail tax wasn't renewed. Loves that money.
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written by rambeaux rawlings , October 14, 2011 - 07:40 am
So. if Menard would have spent $800 on the Feds' meal we would have received a $2.8 million grant? And if it works one way it'll work another, when Rep. Menard sits down to his own free meal at a lobbyist's expense. We've had enough of this. This race is one of the few easy choices.
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written by Sam Adams , October 14, 2011 - 08:27 am
Sensible, Not holding office does not make you the least qualified. I do think that experience helps, however a record of poor service and mismanagement of parish finances shows us voters that we do not want the "Menard Experience." It should never be about the most experienced but the best overall choice, and that just happens to be Mr. Ortego. He is the most educated, and so far the only candidate in the race who has provided clear specific solutions to numerous problems as opposed to the talking points the other candidates continue to give.
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written by Phil N deBlanc , October 14, 2011 - 09:31 pm
Why doesn't the Ind declare Don the weasel in the architecture. He's a little sh_t-_ss. Why does the Independent support liars, cheats, and thieves?
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written by Jake , October 15, 2011 - 09:34 am
Yo Don! I'll tell you I'll vote for you... As long as you pay for my meal at Ruts Chris. St. Landry Parish deserves better than you, Don.
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