Meet the Freshman Class

Second of a two-part series
by Sheila McCant, Public Information Officer
Previously, the blog introduced three of the six newcomers elected to the House without opposition. This post introduces you to the other three members of the freshman class who were elected without opposition.

***Harvey Bernard LeBas (Bernard) will represent District 38. The district's current representative, Eric Lafleur, is running for the state Senate. A Democrat, Mr. LeBas is a pharmacist and has held no other public office. An active member of his community, he currently serves as president of the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Evangeline Bank & Trust Company. He serves as chairman of the Ville Platte Fire and Police Civil Service Board and the Public Housing Authority, as well as president of the Sacred Heart School Board. In 1995, he served on the Medicaid Advisory Panel, DHH Advisory Board and DHH Interdisciplinary Board.

He is also a member of the Sacred Heart Booster Club and the Louisiana Pharmacist Association, serving as chairperson of the group's Political Action Committee. He is the founder of the Cajun Area Pharmacist Association.

Awards include the 1999-2000 Pharmacist of the Year award, ULM Pharmacy Alumni Award and the Bishop's Service Award for the Diocese of Lafayette.

Mr. LeBas is a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University (ULM) and Sacred Heart High School. He and his wife, Charlotte, have five children and nine grandchildren. His hobbies include traveling, hunting, fishing and cooking.

***Republican John Patrick Connick from Jefferson Parish replaces N. J. Damico in District 84. A graduate of Loyola University Law School, Loyola University and Archbishop Shaw High School, he is a practicing attorney.

Patrick is a member of the Jefferson Parish Bar Association, the Immaculate Conception Men's Club, the Archbishop Shaw Alumni Association and the Hope Haven Madonna Manor board. He founded the Louisiana Crawfish Boil Championships in 2002.

He and wife Rhonda have three adult children. His hobbies are cooking, painting and travel.

***Girod Jackson III, a Democrat, will represent District 87. Mr. Jackson became the representative-elect after incumbent Terrell Harris and opponent Kent Smith withdrew from the race.

Mr. Jackson is a small business owner who served in the Army and Louisiana National Guard. He is a graduate of John Ehret High School and is married to Kenya Narcisse Jackson.