Nicholls Director of Campus Recreation and instructor of University Studies Michael Matherne, D-Thibodaux, is running for Louisiana State Representative District 55. Matherne said his highest priority is making insurance affordable.
Matherne said the first thing he would fight for is to “mandate insurance companies that sell car and life insurance be mandated to sell homeowners insurance.”
One of the ways he said Matherne wants to solve the insurance problem is with a tax credit.
“I will file a bill that will take pre-Katrina and post-Katrina insurance prices and look at the difference between the two and give people a state income tax credit for the difference, which would make it more affordable for the tax payer,” Matherne said.
Other issues Matherne said he hopes to focus on in his campaign is education and ethics reform.
“For years Nicholls was never funded at 100 percent,” Matherne said. “During this past legislative session that changed, and I want to see that continues to happen.”
He also said more must be done to help students who are not going to college. “We need to offer stronger vocational and technical training programs,” Matherne said. “Not all young people are able to graduate from high school and go on to college, but they can still make a decent living.”
On ethics reform Matherne said he would file a bill for full financial disclosure for state legislators’ personal income.
Matherne received his master’s degree in education from Nicholls in 2000. He is currently serving his first term on the Lafourche Parish Council, representing District 3. In 2003, Matherne served as chairperson of the Board of Appointments and Permits Committee. He also served as chairperson of the Lafourche Parish Council in 2005. Matherne has been a member of the Thibodaux Rotary Club for six years and currently serves as President-elect.
Also running for state representative is: Jerome Richard-N, Joseph Caillouet-D and Al Carter-R.
District 55 encompasses northern Lafourche and portions of central Lafourche. Qualifying will begin on Sept. 4 and run through the sixth.
