“It’s time to have and honest and disciplined approach to governance, and that’s what we intend to do,” Governor-elect John Bel Edwards said, as he met with the press in New Orleans Sunday afternoon, ready to start talking transition.
“Co-chairs of the transition team will be Miss Laura Leach of Lake Charles, Mayor Jamie Mayo of Monroe, Sheriff Newell Normand of Jefferson Parish, Senator Sharon Weston-Broome of Baton Rouge, Mr. Taylor Townsend of Natchitoches, and Mr. Richard Lipsey of Baton Rouge.”
Edwards was quizzed about cabinet positions – in particular, Commissioner of Administration. Behind-the-scenes talk has been rife with supposition that Edwards will tap Jay Dardenne for the position.Edwards said there’s one person he could guarantee it would not be:
“My Commissioner of Administration will not be Mr. Fenstermaker,” Edwards said, eliciting chuckles from reporters who had covered David Vitter’s press conference last week, when he named Bill Fenstermaker of Lafayette as his choice for the position.
“When I have one, I will let you know.”
Several Democratic lawmakers were in attendance, and the governor–elect was peppered with questions about legislative leadership. He said he wasn’t being coy by not answering; rather, this is new to him, too. After all, he said, until yesterday, he’d been focused on being a candidate, not being governor-elect.
“I didn’t spend one minute measuring drapes,” Edwards said. “I was not trying to figure out all of these other things that you-all want me to address today. And I understand your questions. They’re reasonable questions.”
He did name another member of his team, though.
“I will announce to you that my Chief-of-Staff in the administration, and the person who will lead the transition effort is Sen. Ben Nevers from Bogalusa.”
Edwards also addressed questions on Medicaid expansion, and how he’ll be lining up the topics for the special session call he’ll issue, once he takes office January 11th.
I asked him specifically about executive orders: which – if any – of Governor Jindal’s does he intend to rescind?
“I’m not sure an executive order issued by Governor Jindal survives past the day he leaves office, so it may not be necessary,” Edwards replied. “I will find that out because there’s certainly some executive orders that he’s issued that I take exception to.”
Edwards noted that there are 47 days until inauguration day, including weekends, but excluding holidays. He said he’ll working each of those days to get ready for the job the people of Louisiana are trusting him to do.