Knezek to run for La. 3rd Congressional District

Published 2:00 pm Friday, March 11, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">A candidate for Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District seat said his main priority would be to maintain navigable waterways and build a coalition to protect Southwest Louisiana’s coastline.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Right now, we have the attention of the nation for the first time in history to protect our coast,” businessman Erick Knezek told the</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">American Press</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">editorial board Thursday.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Knezek, a Republican, is a Navy veteran who has served on the Lafayette Parish School Board since 2014. He owns Truston Technologies, a Lafayette-based company that specializes in marine construction for the Navy.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">One of the root causes of Southwest Louisiana’s coastal problems, Knezek said, is the nation’s construction of the levee system. While the system has protected large cities like Baton Rouge and New Orleans, it has “starved the rest of the state from necessary nourishment and sediment deposits.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“We need a congressman who can explain that eloquently to the other congressmen so they understand we need their help,” he said. “It’s a 50-state solution to protect our coast, not just a one-state solution.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Knezek spoke of how much the local economy depends on the Port of Lake Charles. He said he understands the importance of dredging waterways to their federally authorized dimensions.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Outside of being a navigation and safety issue, it’s a commerce issue,” he said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Knezek said the spread of employees between the Alexandria Veterans Affairs facility and the two VA clinics between Lafayette and Lake Charles should be addressed. He said the Alexandria facility has just over 1,200 employees, while 80 employees staff the other two clinics.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Knezek said he opposes the Affordable Care Act and wants the federal government to step out of “every aspect of business.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“There’s a job preservation mentality for a lot of government employees,” he said. “It’s not that government employees are bad, it’s that the bureaucracy is continuing to grow our government. At some point you have to say enough is enough.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">He addressed the July shooting at the Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette that left three people dead, including the gunman. The problem, he said, is “our lack of attention and failures into the mental health process.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">If elected, Knezek said he won’t eventually run for governor or the U.S. Senate.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“If you look at our delegation over the last few years, we have lost a significant amount of seniority,” he said. “We need someone willing to serve long enough.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Charles Boustany who holds the 3rd District seat, is running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by David Vitter. Vitter is not running for re-election.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The other Republican candidates for the district seat include Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, former state Rep. Brett Geymann, former U.S. Ambassador Grover Rees, and businessmen Greg Ellison and Gus Rantz.</span>