GAMBIT WEEKLY ENDORSES NICK LORUSSO
Posted in Newsletters on Oct. 17, 2011
Redistricting threw two incumbents into this bi-parish district, which encompasses Lakeview and Mid-City in New Orleans as well as Bucktown and several lake-area neighborhoods in Metairie. The two candidates have similar last names — John LaBruzzo and Nick Lorusso — and both are Republicans. But the differences between them are striking. LaBruzzo is a demagogue whose bills rarely pass; Lorusso is low-key but effective. LaBruzzo voted for the controversial 2008 legislative pay raise; Lorusso voted against the pay raise and signed an affidavit refusing to take it. LaBruzzo was bounced from the powerful House Appropriations Committee for leaving committee meetings early — after signing in to get his per diem pay. Lorusso missed no legislative dates this year, despite also serving in the Judge Advocate General corps of the U.S. Army Reserve. LaBruzzo has run a divisive campaign pitting Metairie voters against their neighbors in Lakeview; Lorusso has the support of the Jefferson Chamber, the Jefferson Parish Republican Executive Committee and the Alliance for Good Government. The choice is obvious in District 94: Nick Lorusso.