Worst session ever says Sen. Francis Thompson By James Ronald Skains "By far, this was the toughest legislative session that I've ever gone through in my 34 years in the Louisiana Legislature," State Senator Francis C. Thompson of Delhi told the Piney Woods Journal. "In particular it was painful to see the budget cuts in the Ag and Forestry Department as well in the LSU Ag Center.'' "For two years in a row, I've introduced legislation to give the 25% of the severance tax that the Forestry Department doesn't already get back, to be used reforestation programs," Senator Thompson pointed out. "However, the administration decided to keep the 25% of the severance tax in the general fund. Sometimes politicians forget that we have to continue to replant trees and manage our forest land and find ways to add value to our products." "I was also really concerned about the budget cuts for the Ag and Forestry Department," Senator Thompson elaborated. "Without money for research and development in Ag and Forestry, the future of these industries in Louisiana will dim. I didn't think it would be wise to make cuts in our fire protection services either in personnel or equipment. With Dr. Strain and his staff's help we were able to protect a lot of very essential Ag and Forestry budget items." "Another grave concern for me was the LSU Ag Center," Senator Thompson added. "Chancellor Richardson and Dr. Coriel worked very closely with us on the budget to help reduce the pains of the cuts. We had to make other painful cuts in education this session," he acknowledged. "Those cuts were particularly hurtful to me, as I have worked as a teacher on the local level, the university level and with the State Department of Education." "To give you an example of how important good teachers are, I'll share a little personal story from 1953 and 1954. I had a teacher from over in Winnfield during those two years who became one of my mentors. Bob Skains was a true example of what a teacher should be," Senator Thompson pointed out. "He was always pleasant in the classroom, but very much focused and a disciplinarian. He was a World War II veteran and was still a member of the Louisiana National Guard at that time." "I came from a large family so I didn't get a lot of individual attention, but Mr. Skains took the time to get to know me and recognize some of my talents at an early age when I was in the seventh and eighth grades. I went fishing and hunting with him on several occasions," Senator Thompson told the Journal. "I still think about him from time to time. I'm sure that all of us were greatly influenced by certain teachers in our school days." "My political philosophy over my thirty plus year career has been that we are elected to serve the public in the ways which they can't serve themselves," he stated. The Senate District which Thompson now represents includes all or parts of Richland, East Carroll, West Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Concordia, Madison and Tensas Parishes. "I can say that my district goes from the Mississippi River on the east side to the Arkansas line on the north, the Ouachita River on the west and the Red River on the south," Senator Thompson noted. "I think that Neil Riser and I have the largest senatorial districts. At least mine is cut in half by I-20 which makes travel for me a little easier." "There is a lot of economic development potential in District 34," Senator Thompson elaborated. "We've got the V-Car plant coming to Ouachita Parish as well as an expansion at Gardner-Denver facility in Monroe. Also, we have the big mega industrial site on the east side of the district to attract significant size industries. I hated to see the mill in Bastrop shut down, but we believe there will be other businesses that kind of take up the slack." "One of the best things we have going for us is well trained work force with good work ethics," Senator Thompson said. "We know that the work force is a deciding factor in companies locating in our area." "The paper mill in West Monroe is still going relatively strong considering the state of the paper industry in this country," Senator Thompson pointed out. "And thankfully our farmers and timber people are able to survive in the toughest of times that I've seen in my lifetime." "Although the budget deficit was the monster on the legislative agenda, we did pass a number of good bills this session that did get signed by the Governor that will make life a little better for the people here in Louisiana," he said. Another area in which rural Louisiana can take an economic lead for us is in the tourist business," Senator Thompson added. "We have some great state parks around the state plus plenty of good fishing and hunting areas." "I'm optimistic about the future of Agriculture and Forestry in Louisiana," Senator Thompson concluded. "With good leadership and good public relations we could take the lead in renewable energy production from biomass.'' A Democrat, Thompson served eight consecutive terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives before being elected to the State Senate. He is a native of Delhi in Richland Parish and served from 2000 through 2007 as Chairman of the House Agriculture committee during his tenure in the House. Earlier he served on the Richland Parish School Board for seven years. Senator Thompson graduated from Delhi High School in 1959, and received a Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees from Louisiana Tech and later an Ed.D. degree from ULM. In the 1996 race for the U.S. Congress, Thompson was pitted against former U.S. Representative Clyde Holloway, now a Public Service Commissioner, and Dr. John C. Cooksey of Monroe. In the run-off, Thompson received 97,363 votes but Dr. Cooksey was elected to Congress where he served three terms. Thompson became a member of the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame at Winnfield in 2005. He is married to the former Marilyn Bryant. The couple lives on Robin Hood Lane in Delhi. They have three children including sons Francis Todd Thompson and Brant L. Thompson. |