Six major gubernatorial candidates will vie for the student, staff and faculty votes Saturday.
All six of these Governor’s Mansion hopefuls said they will work to improve the state’s economy. Almost all agree a focus on education is a must.
However, we think it is important for the campus community to remember that fancy commercials and well-prepared campaigns should not be the deciding factor for casting a vote. In an election where most candidates have few distinguishable top issues, comparing the candidates’ track records to their claims should be a priority.
The state’s next leader should be the person who can give the best supporting evidence of how he or she will make Louisiana great.
The Reveille set out to compile some of the information needed to make this sort of a decision. In preparing for our coverage, writers questioned their classmates, friends, teachers and other random people on campus to find out what they thought was most important in this race.
What we discovered is that the people at this University are the people who the governor must work for most in the next four year.
The amount of money the next governor plans to spend on higher education affects most of us directly, from Chancellor Mark Emmert to freshmen to faculty members.
Those graduating will depend on the jobs the new governor will open up and the economy he or she plans to boost. No smooth talker will keep the University’s best in this state.
And once the job market in the state is stable, a candidate’s assessment of taxes is important to anyone who will have to pay them.
Finally, both students and those professionals coming to teach on campus must trust that Louisiana will provide their children with a quality education.
We recognize that most of the media coverage so far has focused mainly on the top six gubernatorial candidates. So it is our hope that this special coverage leads to an informed choice about the entire election.
The Reveille is trying to bring voters information about what the campus and political experts said are key issues that are affecting Louisiana’s future. We encourage people to read the newspaper from cover to back.