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Former School Board member Russ Wise, the first to qualify for the vacant District 57 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, has been invited to attend an Issues Briefing sponsored by RESET Louisiana’s Future, made up of the Public Affairs Research Council (PAR), the Council for  Better Louisiana (CABL) and the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce. The agenda includes state finances and fiscal policy, educational policies, state infrastructure and issues of public safety.

“All of those are essential topics for debate and discussions,” Wise said. “I spent almost 20 years on the St. John School Board and was president of the Louisiana School Boards Association, so I’m familiar with many of the issues facing education today. I’ve also wanted to consider changes in Louisiana’s terrible tax structure, starting with income tax brackets and the Industrial Tax Exemption which robs millions of dollars from local schools, police, fire departments and libraries. I’ve endorsed passenger train service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge with a stop in Laplace.

“It will be wonderful to interact with PAR and CABL and business leaders, to hear their suggestions for ways to improve all of those areas. I’m looking forward to learning a lot.”