Jerry "Truck" Gisclair

Jerry J. Gisclair, known as Truck Gisclair (born February 7, 1948), is the manager of a construction company in Larose, Louisiana, who is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 54, primarily his native Lafourche Parish and with one precinct in Jefferson Parish outside New Orleans. He has held his seat since 2008.^[1]

Background

Gisclair was born in Raceland in Lafourche Parish and served in the United States Air Force, in which he was a staff sergeant and graduate of the Electronics Counter-Measures Technical School. He is a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Since 2004, he has been general manager of Donlin Construction, a homebuilding firm in Larose. Since 1998, he has owned and managed the Bayou Portuguese Citrus Farm. Since 2001, he has owned and managed Coastal Broadcasting of Lafourche. From 1979 to 2003, he owned Electronics Unlimited, Inc.^[1]

Gisclair owns a sports radio, KLRZ in Larose, and had his own program "The Rajun' Cajun," the same name as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette athletic teams. He often debated on the program with Loulan J. Pitre, Sr. (1921-2010), a businessman and actor who went out of his way to stir up controversy. Pitre was the father of four sons, including filmmaker Glen Pitre and attorney Loulan Pitre, Jr., Gisclair's predecessor in the House.^[2]

Since 1987, Gisclair has been a member of the South Lafourche High School Athletic Boosters Club. He is affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce. He is a Roman Catholic. He and his wife, Linda C. Gisclair, have three daughters, Gretchen, Andrea, and Kristy.^[1]

Political life

In 2007, Gisclair was first elected to the House in a runoff with a Republican candidate Mitchell R. "Mitch" Theriot (born July 1963) of Raceland, who served as Democrat in the state House from 1992 to 2000. This time as a Republican, Theriot led in the primary, 4,797 votes (36.9 percent) to Gisclair's 4,396 (33.8 percent). The balance was held by a second Democrat, John Melancon, Jr., with 3,821 votes (29.4 percent).^[3]

The position opened when then the two-term Republican (and later No Party registrant in Orleans Parish) Loulan Pitre, Jr., did not seek reelection. In 1999 and 2003, Mitch Theriot ran for the seat as a Democrat but narrowly lost each time to Pitre. In the 2003 race, Pitre polled 7,618 votes (52 percent); Theriot, 7,035 votes (48 percent). Theriot switched parties for the 2007 race against Gisclair.^[4] In the second round of balloting Gisclair prevailed by 121 votes, 4,128 (50.7 percent) to Theriot's 4,007 (49.3 percent).^[5]

In 2011, Gisclair won his second term in the House by defeating a No Party candidate, Micah Hebert, 5,465 votes (58.6 percent) to 3,859 (41.4 percent).^[6]

Representative Gisclair is a member of the Louisiana Rural Caucus, the Acadiana and Jefferson Parish delegations, and the Democratic Caucus. He sits on these committees: (1) Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development, (2) Military and Veterans Affairs, (3) Natural Resources and Environment, and (4) Transportation, Highways, and Public Works.^[1]

Gisclair ranks between 39 and 67 percent in legislative ratings from the conservative Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. Since 2008, he has been rated 100 percent by Louisiana Right to Life.^[7] In 2014, Gisclair co-sponsored the requirement that abortion providers have hospital admitting privileges near their clinics. That same year, he voted to extend the time for implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. He also voted to forbid the practice of transporting dogs in open truck beds on interstate highways.^[8]

In 2013, Gisclair voted to increase judicial pay and for lifetime concealed carry gun permits. In 2012, he did not vote on the issues of cell phones while driving or state tax incentives to recruit a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana but opposed the reducing the number of hours that polling locations remain open. In 2011, he co-sponsored the requirement for drug testing of welfare recipients.^[8]

Early in 2016, Gisclair joined a 76-28 House majority to support legislation by Representative Katrina Jackson, a Democrat from West Monroe, that increases beginning April 1, 2016, the state sales tax by one cent over eighteen months, later increased to twenty-seven months to extend through June 30, 2018. Joining Gisclair in support of the bill were area lawmakers Tanner Magee and Jerome Zeringue, both Republicans from Houma. Voting against the bill were Independent Dee Richard of Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish and Republican Beryl Amedee of Gray in Terrebonne Parish.^[9]

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