Governor-Elect Tackles Louisiana's Image
Posted on: Sunday, 21 October 2007, 18:00 CDT
By MELINDA DESLATTE
KENNER, La. - In a state known for its brash politicians, Bobby Jindal's methodical, wonkish style is strikingly different - and his first plan of attack as Louisiana's governor-elect strikes at the heart of the state's reputation for cronyism and corruption.
The Republican congressman, a day after his historic win in a field of a dozen candidates for governor, pressed ahead with his campaign pledge to clean up the state's image. He said one of his first acts will be to call a special legislative session to reform ethics laws.
"If I go down as one of the more boring but effective governors, I'll take that as a great compliment," Jindal said at a news conference Sunday. "Our people don't want to be amused by our politics anymore. We don't want to be entertained."
Jindal won outright in the state's open primary election, finishing atop the slate of candidates with 54 percent of the vote and avoiding the need for a November runoff election. The newly elected governor, who will take office in January, becomes Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction and the nation's first Indian-American chief executive.
He's taking the victory as a sign of support for the chief item on which he ran, a fight against corruption - though he's never talked about who or which agencies he says are corrupt.
His two predecessors, Democrat Kathleen Blanco and Republican Mike Foster, governed with no allegations of cronyism, but the state has a well-earned reputation for shady politics.
Four-term Democratic Gov. Edwin Edwards is serving prison time in a bribery and extortion case involving the awarding of riverboat casino licenses. In the past decade, Louisiana has had an insurance commissioner and elections commissioner serve time in jail, and a litany of corruption cases are pending in New Orleans.
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
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