Gov. Landry picks delegates for constitutional convention

Gov. Jeff Landry has chosen the people he wants to have a say on the rewriting of Louisiana’s Constitution, a process that could unfold as soon as next month.

The governor released names of the 27 delegates he will nominate to take part in the constitutional convention. They include Louisiana Supreme Court justices, state appellate judges, current and former elected officials, business leaders and the chairs of state Democratic and Republican parties. 

“They have the experience, knowledge, and best interests of Louisiana at heart,” Landry said in a Facebook post.

Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Stacey Melerine are also on Landry’s list, along with Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, who’s also a former Louisiana House member.

Boysie Bollinger and Lane Grigsby, two major donors to Landry’s campaign and other Republican candidates and causes, are also among the governor’s choices. Both were leaders in Landry’s transition team that had prominent voices in establishing the new administration’s policy priorities.

Landry has also tapped Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie, to take part in the convention, as well as former Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, who’s currently part of the governor’s office as his director of intergovernmental relations.

Landry also wants three former state lawmakers involved in the rewrite: House Speaker Jim Tucker and Loulan Pitre, both Republicans, and Democrat Neil Abramson.

Tucker, a real estate developer from New Orleans, led the House during the Jindal administration. Pitre currently practices law in New Orleans and represented the bayou region in the Legislature. Abramson is an attorney whose district covered Uptown New Orleans.

Lopinto and Broome also once held seats in the Louisiana House, as did Randall Gaines, who was elected chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party in a state central committee election Saturday. His GOP counterpart, Derek Babcock, is also a delegate

The Louisiana Legislature is considering a proposal that sets up the loose framework of the constitutional convention with a total of 171 delegates. In addition to the governor’s choices, all 105 state representatives and 39 state senators would take part. The convention would convene May 20 and must conclude by July 15.

There are still plenty of details to be hashed out, such as whether the Senate and House members will have equal footing in the process. Lawmakers are also in the midst of their regular lawmaking session, which must end by June 3, that includes a state budget-crafting process that typically comes down to the wire. 

Landry has also provided limited information on the changes he wants to the constitution, which was ratified by voters in 1974 and has been amended 532 times since then. The governor has expressed a desire to move portions of the state charter into regular statutory law. Doing so would give lawmakers and his administration greater latitude to make changes rather than require a statewide vote on amendments.