GOP leader who helped elect Gov. Landry lands plum administration job

The outgoing chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party, who played an instrumental role in the election of Gov. Jeff Landry, has landed a position in the governor’s administration, one that pays a six-figure salary.

Louis Gurvich has been named executive director of the Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority (LOTA), an agency that supervises and regulates the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). LOOP is a privately-owned floating deepwater terminal that provides offloading and temporary crude oil storage for giant oil tankers. 

When reached by phone Monday, Gurvich confirmed his position as LOTA’s executive director and said he received his appointment a “couple months ago.” The governor’s office has yet to include Gurvich’s appointment among the many it has announced since Landry took office in January. 

Gurvich, who has no previous experience in the oil and gas, offshore or transportation sectors, was key in solidifying the Louisiana GOP’s support for Landry early in his campaign. The chairman drew backlash from within his own party when he and other party leaders held backroom negotiations and engineered an endorsement of Landry nearly a year before the election. The move circumvented the party’s usual process of hearing from each of the Republican candidates and voting collectively on the party’s endorsement.

Embattled Louisiana Republican Party chairman keeps his job

The state GOP also steered millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Landry through political action committees.   

Gurvich will be paid an annual salary of roughly $140,000, according to state records. His predecessor under Gov. John Bel Edwards, Joseph Hollins, made roughly $137,000 per year, according to state records. 

Hollins also had no experience in the fossil fuel or offshore industry before he was put in charge of the Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority, though he did have a background in state government administration. Hollins now works for Shell. 

Gurvich has a law degree and owns his family’s security business, New Orleans Private Patrol. He also previously served on the Orleans Parish Board of Election Supervisors. 

“You coordinate a whole lot of things,” Gurvich said of his new job. “Of course, I’m still getting into it.”

There are few details about the Louisiana Offshore Terminal Authority on any of the state’s websites. Politicians and government insiders familiar with the agency say LOTA’s executive director position is a highly sought-after, mostly low-stress post. Aside from the executive director, it has only one other employee and farms out most of its work to contractors who primarily conduct LOOP’s air quality monitoring and measure yearly land loss caused by its pipelines and other oil industry activity. 

Gurvich said he never sought out the position or asked for any kind of favor for helping Landry get elected. 

“I just offered my services to the administration,” he said.