One on One: State Senator Jack Donahue 
by Karen B. Gibbs
As he begins his first term as state senator from District 11, Jack Donahue shares his insight into the legislature, as well as plans for the northshore community he represents.
Who impresses you most among your peers in the legislature?
Senate President Joel Chaisson offers leadership and guidance on difficult issues. Ben Nevers speaks from the heart and is a man who can be trusted. Our new representatives—John Schroder, Greg Cromer, Scott Simon and Kevin Pearson—are all good men who continue to impress me with their leadership ability, hard work and willingness to take the proper stance on difficult ethics issues. If you get the chance to thank these people, please do. They all deserve it.
Do you feel a sense of responsibility to the Joint Public Policy Committee of the East and West St. Tammany Chambers/Northshore Business Council?
The Joint Public Policy Committee of these groups is outstanding, and yes, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to help them in their efforts to make this region an even better place to live, work and play. They identify issues affecting our region and our state, ask for legislative support and then hold us, as legislators, responsible for achieving results.
How do you plan to help our area’s small businesses?
The 2nd Special Session is aimed right at the issues of attracting new businesses to the state and helping existing business be competitive. We need to create an atmosphere in Louisiana that is healthy and conducive to all businesses. We must solve our age-old problems of education, workforce development, healthcare and infrastructure. These items, along with ethics, are parts of the agenda in the Blueprint Louisiana plan my wife, Maura, helped develop.
What do you propose to improve our education system?
I would like to begin by expanding the LA4 program to include the rest of our at-risk students. Before Katrina, we took over 3,000 at-risk four-year-olds from around the state and, through LA4, moved them from the bottom 10th percentile in the United States to better than the 50th percentile in one year.
We also need to do a better job of preparing our kids to enter the work force. College is not for everyone, and high school curricula need to be adjusted so that everyone will ultimately be a working member of society. We also need to work with our community- and technical college-system to develop curricula that are industry sensitive. If we train workforces that meet the needs of businesses, we will be more attractive to those looking to locate here.
What are your thoughts on Gov. Jindal’s reform measures? Do you believe they will make a difference?
The ethics package that recently passed will move Louisiana from the bottom to the top of ethics reform in the country. These reforms will show that Louisiana is open for business and that everyone coming to this state can expect to receive fair and equitable treatment.
