Governor John Bell Edwards has just about one month left in office. He reflected on his eight-year tenure with Newell Normand. With much to look back on, he spoke about what he considered to be his standout moment.
“With my win by twelve percentage points, I could say there was a mandate to expand Medicaid in Louisiana as that was top on my platform. It’s the easiest big decision I’ve made as Governor and the single decision I am most proud of.”
To top that, the governor touted being able to overcome a two-billion-dollar deficit leaving office with a balanced budget and coffers full.
“To date we have a balanced budget, 300 million dollar surplus and 3.2 billion dollars in the bank.”
John Bel Edwards's governorship had its challenges from a record number of storms to a pandemic He reflected on the ups, downs, and overall journey.
“I was governing and doing things that were critical but if you spend the day managing the COVID pandemic [for example] then that’s a day you weren’t trying to advance a policy that you thought was important.”
He understands that tough times called for tough decisions and that all may not have agreed with him, but he hopes that there is an overall appreciative summary of his service to the state.
“Hopefully they will concede that I was motivated by what I believed was best for Louisiana and that I worked hard everyday to achieve those things and I did so in a bipartisan way.”
