Wayne's Plan
Like every successful business venture Wayne Carter has been involved in, the race for Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry began with a plan. The foundation of this plan is a conservative belief in integrity, fiscal responsibility, and the strength of free enterprise to grow the Louisiana agriculture economy. As the political empire of Bob Odom for 28 years, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry has developed a culture of good old boy politics and cronyism. Under Wayne Carter, the Department will be held to a higher standard of integrity. His plan has three simple principles that will guide the Department of Agriculture and Forestry: Ethics, Efficiency, and Economic Development.
Ethics
- Income disclosure: Wayne Carter will not only provide full financial disclosure as requested by civic and business groups across Louisiana, he will also require that all high-level, non-civil servants, in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry provide full financial disclosure.
- Open-bid Contracting: Wayne Carter will implement the strictest open-bid rules of any agency in Louisiana and ensure that competition, not cronyism, dictates the winner of public contracts.
- Inspector General: Wayne Carter will create an Inspector General, at the Assistant Commissioner level, with the independent authority to audit the Department, investigate fraud, and ensure accountability for taxpayer dollars.
Efficiency
- Public Construction: Wayne Carter doesn't want to be a general contractor, and doesn't believe Department scientists and lawyers should be in the construction business.
- Best-Practices: After 28 years of doing things "good enough for government work", Wayne Carter will bring a business model to the administration of the Department and the development of its budget, increasing accountability and providing indicators of mission effectiveness.
- Investment Priorities: By returning fiscal responsibility to the Department, Wayne Carter will have greater resources to invest in the future of the Louisiana agriculture economy.
Economic Development
- Diversification: Specialty-crops and organic farms can help lead Louisiana's agriculture economy through a new generation of global competition and provide stability in shifting markets. By increasing the incentives and research for specialty-crops, and by promoting Louisiana-grown organic crops, Wayne Carter will work for a healthier and more prosperous Louisiana.
- Stratification: Wayne Carter will increase the potential of the Louisiana agriculture economy though creation of new layers of processing, manufacturing, and distribution of Louisiana agriculture products. Through this plan, Louisiana will be able to benefit from the added-value of Louisiana products from the field to the store-shelves.
- Workforce Development and Research: The future success of Louisiana's agriculture economy depends on evolving scientific research and preparing future farmers, ranchers, and loggers to adapt to new practices and methods. Wayne Carter will work with Louisiana’s education system, at every level, to improve Louisiana’s workforce development and research.
