State Senator, 5th Senatorial District

League of Women Voters^®
of New Orleans

State Senator, 5th Senatorial District

Cheryl A. Gray. Jalila Jefferson-Bullock.

Cheryl A. Gray

NAME: Cheryl A. Gray
CAMPAIGN WEB ADDRESS: http://www.electcherylgray.com
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PUBLICATION:
Address: 4219 S. Claiborne Ave. New Orleans, LA 70125
Phone: 504-324-9035
FAX: 504-324-9113
E-mail: david@electcherylgray.com
PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
PROFESSION: Attorney
PRESENT EMPLOYER/POSITION: Louisiana State House of Representatives
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION: Tulane University School of Law
APPLICABLE TRAINING:
Juris Doctorate from Tulane University School of Law
Four years experience in Louisiana State House of Representatives
CIVIC EXPERIENCE:
Chair, Hurricane Katrina Memorial Commission
Member, Louisiana Healthcare Redesign Collaborative
Member, Tulane Institute of Infant & Childhood Mental Health
Member, Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation
Board Member, Total Community Action, Inc.
Volunteer, American Cancer Society
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS:
Elected to Louisiana House of Representatives District 98 (2003)
Member, House Appropriations Committee (First freshman ever elected)
Member, House Health and Welfare Committee
Member, House Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget
Member, House Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committee
Parliamentarian, Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus
Member, House Taskforce on Effects of Term Limits
Member, Taskforce on Domestic Violence and its Effects in the Workforce
Member, Louisiana Advisory Commission of Intergovernmental Relations
1. What are your top three priorities for the office and why?

Affordable Housing: Rent and insurance costs are too high for many of our friends and neighbors to return home and for many of us who are back to continue to afford. We need to make New Orleans not only a great place to visit but also a great place to live. Right now, living in New Orleans is too expensive. In the House of Representatives, I have fought for a livable New Orleans, and I will continue to do so in the Senate.

Health Care: As the only District 5 candidate to serve on the Louisiana Health Care Redesign Collaborative, I have been an active in the progress toward creating an affordable, accessible, high-quality, patient-centered health care system for the future of New Orleans and Louisiana. I am going to continue to work toward making the plan a reality.

Education: As a graduate of the New Orleans Public School System, I am committed to fighting for a quality education for every student in our state. We need smaller class sizes, quality teachers and the top educational resources for our students. Engagement by parents, neighborhood leaders, and elected officials are vital in a child's academic success. After-school activities and community events play an important role in curbing the crime situation. As a state legislator, I will continue to promote the funding of governmental and community programs to keep our children on the right path.

2. What specific legislation would you formulate or support to implement your priorities?

Affordable Housing: I will advocate for insurance reform so we can all afford to protect our homes and lifestyles. I will develop incentives for affordable and stable rent prices. And I will fight for fair and equitable property assessment.

Health Care: I will advocated for children and support funding for school-based health clinics. I will demand an adequate hospital emergency system. I will fight for better mental health services. I will push for more state funding for a biomedical district in New Orleans. And I will work to bolster the health care workforce.

Education: Continuing my work in the State House, I will fund after-school programs and activities; raise educators' pay in order to recruit better qualified teachers and staff for our public schools; support the continued growth of our Head Start preschool program; and support our libraries, cultural centers, and colleges and universities.

3. What problems do you see with existing ethics reform legislation and what additional reform would you support?

The Blueprint Louisiana platform for ethics reform does not go far enough. We need to expand ethics reform not only at the state level but also at the municipal level to make sure both state and city officials are upholding the highest standards of integrity. As a State Senator I will push for ethics reform at all levels of government to ensure that the people's money is spent efficiently and effectively because government should be about self-sacrifice, not self-service.

4. How would you rank infrastructure needs and how will you fund the needed improvements for the top three?

Storm Protection: I will make sure storm protection, both stronger levees and revitalized coastal wetlands, remain a priority. I will do everything I can to keep it at the top of the state and federal agendas.

Municipal Water and Sewer Systems: When passing a bond issue for infrastructure needs in New Orleans, I had Mayor Nagin commit to dedicating $100 million of the $300 million to the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. There is still a need for money and attention to this issue.

School Facilities: We need better school buildings. School facilities play an integral role in a child's learning experience. I created, and am now participating in, a task force to study a formula that combines state and local funds to rehabilitate the public schools. Louisiana is one of only 10 states, which does not provide funds for school facilities. This is unacceptable.

5. What legislation would you support to educate a workforce for advancing the economic development of Louisiana?

Education is the foundation for making sure that students are going to become productive members of society. Through my record in the House, I have proven that I am an advocate for increasing pay for educators to help recruit better faculty and staff so that we can improve the quality of our public education. I have also supported after school programs to keep students off of the streets and engaged in a positive environment. These programs help our younger generations mature and motivate them to enter the workforce responsibly.

Jalila Jefferson-Bullock

NAME: Jalila Jefferson-Bullock
CAMPAIGN WEB ADDRESS: http://www.jalilajeffersonbullock.com
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PUBLICATION:
Address: 700 Camp Street
Phone: 504-528-9500
FAX: 504-527-6099
E-mail: jalilajeffersonbullock@yahoo.com
PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
PROFESSION: Attorney
PRESENT EMPLOYER/POSITION Jefferson & Jefferson, PLLC (law firm)
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION (include graduation date): Harvard Law School, 2001
APPLICABLE TRAINING: Harvard College (BA in English and American Literature, 1997), University of Chicago (MA in Humanities, 1998), Harvard Law School (JD, 2001)
CIVIC EXPERIENCE: State Representative, 2004-present; Board of Directors: CASA, Lindy's Place, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, REAL, City of Love; Member: Central City Partnership, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Louisiana Bar Association
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS: State Representative 2004-present; Member, Progressive Democrats
1. What are your top three priorities for the office and why?

A. Crime Prevention: Crime is rampant and pervasive, and the criminal justice system is broken. We must work to improve the quality of life for people who have recommitted themselves to New Orleans post-Katrina.
B. Lowering Insurance Rates: Insurance rates are so high that people cannot afford to pay premiums. At the same time, insurance companies made $60 billion last year.
C. Road Home/Affordable Housing: The Road Home Program must be fully funded, and more opportunities for affordable housing must be provided. People simply cannot afford to rebuild their homes themselves. At the same time, people seeking housing cannot afford exorbitant rental rates.

2. What specific legislation would you formulate or support to implement your priorities?

A. Crime Prevention: As State Senator, I will fight to provide greater resources to fight crime. It is imperative that we secure greater funding to increase police manpower, recruit more officers, rebuild Years ago, New Orleans received a special appropriation for its district attorney annually, which district attorneys around the state did not oppose. The state stopped providing it because we did not have enough money. Currently, we are experiencing a budget surplus and should restore that special appropriation.

B. Insurance: The only way to lower rates is to restore competition. Because it is now a major insurer, the Fair Plan should be forced to compete with private insurers, and the state should broadly subsidize it. This can be also be accomplished by using the surplus.

C. Road Home/Affordable Housing: The Road Home must be fully funded. We must continue a strong appeal to Congress to fill the shortfall. The state should subsidize a program to create affordable housing using the 19,000 properties that the Road Home Corporation owns.

3. What problems do you see with existing ethics reform legislation and what additional reform would you support?

We need more transparency in state government. I support complete income disclosure for legislators. I also believe that legislators should be prohibited from accepting state contracts. Additionally, regulations for lobbyists should be strengthened and lobbyists should be prohibited from doing business with legislators.

4. How would you rank infrastructure needs and how will you fund the needed improvements for the top three? For example: roads, bridges, levees, ecosystem reconstruction, municipal water and sewer systems and public transportation.

In post-Katrina New Orleans, the top three infrastructure needs are levees, ecosystem reconstruction and municipal water and sewer systems. We must continue to fight for Category 5 levees. The funding can only come from the federal government, therefore it is imperative that we remain relentless in our appeal to Congress. The barrier islands, our natural protection, must be restored. As we continue to appeal to Congress to restore the Louisiana's wetlands, the state must direct some of its surplus to addressing this issue. We will experience yet another huge budget surplus next year, and we must be steadfast in our resolve that a large amount of it should be dedicated to coastal restoration. Last legislative session, I assisted in crafting the budget to create a $300 million revolving fund to address infrastructure needs, including water and sewer systems. More funding is needed. I suggest dedicating some of the surplus to this cause as well.

5. What legislation would you support to educate a workforce for advancing the economic development of Louisiana?

Louisiana must move from a service-based economy to a knowledge based economy. A knowledge-based economy works by providing capital to entrepreneurs and providing training to people. I am a strong advocate of restoring viable vocational-technical training in high schools that gives students who are not on a college track real life options. Vocational technical training should be tied to employment opportunities and/or technical colleges.

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