Geymann running for 3rd Congressional District

Published 6:17 am Saturday, March 12, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Brett Geymann, a local businessman and candidate for Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District seat, said he wants to reform the nation’s budget process and move federal government away from making decisions on education.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“I don’t believe we should raise the debt limit or spend money we don’t have,” Geymann told the</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">American Press</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">editorial board Friday. “I think it should be a very transparent process, and none of that’s going on right now.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Geymann served 12 years as a state representative for District 35, which includes Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes. He served on the House Appropriations Committee and was one of the “fiscal hawks,” a group of lawmakers who fought against budget maneuvers supported by former Gov. Bobby Jindal. Geymann was also a vocal opponent of the Common Core State Standards.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">After being term-limited in the Legislature, Geymann said he initially had no plans to pursue another political office. But he</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">said the nation’s ongoing prob</span><span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">lems changed his mind.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“When you look around, I think it’s obvious to everybody that the country is headed in the wrong direction,” he said. “I want to be able to say I did everything I could to stop it, and I think I would have had regret if I sat on the sideline.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Geymann said the federal government should have “no role” in determining education curriculum and that he would support repealing Common Core nationwide.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“I believe that there’s nothing better in education than allowing the parents to be closest to the process,” he said. “We don’t always agree with the local school board, but it’s the closest thing to us and we have an opportunity to have more influence on them.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">If elected, Geymann said he would push for term-limiting elected officials on the federal level. He said he would also support a “lifetime ban” on former senators and congressmen becoming lobbyists after leaving office.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“A lot of them have been there for decades; it’s a seniority-based system over there,” Geymann said. “People get there committed to vote and serve the special interest groups because those are the ones that get them re-elected. They lose focus on what’s going on back home.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Geymann said he would continue working to rid inefficiencies from the Department of Veterans Affairs and provide high-quality care to Southwest Louisiana veterans. He said he would support replacing the Affordable Care Act with a “market-driven” program that could be controlled on the state level.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“I think we could administer something that is much more effective, more efficient and costs less,” Geymann said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He said his experience as a state lawmaker separates him from the other candidates in the race. He said he is a “proven conservative” who isn’t afraid to stand up to the GOP on certain issues.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“My record is proven,” he said. “I haven’t always followed the (Republican) party. I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear; I’ll tell you what I think is right.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The other Republican candidates for the 3rd District seat include Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lafayette Parish School Board member Erick Knezek, former U.S. Ambassador Grover Rees, and businessmen Greg Ellison and Gus Rantz.</span>