By CO₂ Chronicles
It just came to light that Louisiana’s House Speaker Phillip Devillier has been busy organizing what he calls the “Legislative Update Townhall” — a nine-stop road show that, on paper, looks like an opportunity for citizens to hear directly from their elected officials.
In reality? The lights came up, the curtains parted, and the audience was mostly industry, chamber of commerce members, and deep-pocketed donors. Citizens were left outside in the dark, without an invitation.
Rep. Gabe Firment of District 22 was quick to defend the effort, pointing out that some legislators had quietly posted the events on their websites. But let’s be real: who combs through a legislator’s event page every morning with coffee in hand? For most citizens, these “townhalls” were never meant to be known, much less attended.
The proof? When I learned there would be a stop in Lake Charles on Tuesday, September 23rd, I checked both the Seed Center’s website and the Chamber SWLA’s page. Nothing. No announcement, no details. After reaching out directly to Michelle McInnis, Senior Vice President of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, I got my answer:
“Renee’, thank you for your email. This event is for Chamber SWLA Members and Investors. It is not a public meeting. Thank you.”
There it is in black and white: not a public meeting.
As someone who’s spent the past 18 months in the trenches of Baton Rouge fighting carbon capture and eminent domain battles, I genuinely wanted to hear what else our legislators had been working on. I was disappointed — and I wasn’t alone. A friend in Vernon Parish told me they would have loved the chance to attend. Instead, what we got was an industry-exclusive breakfast, not a town hall.
The irony? Photos from earlier stops in Hammond and Pineville show rows of empty seats. Empty seats at a town hall where the public wasn’t invited.
That’s when the satire wrote itself. A colleague said, “It’s like they were on a fundraising road show, not really for the people.” The image stuck: legislators on stage, dollar bills flying, corporate sponsors cheering from the front row. Thus was born the cartoon you see above — The Legislator Road Show.
But satire aside, the reality cuts deeper: who do these officials really represent? When legislators reserve their time for chambers, industries, and investors — but not the citizens who elect them — the message is clear: money speaks louder than people.
So here’s my sincere call to Speaker Devillier:
If you can put together nine road shows for industry, you can put together at least five for the people. Schedule them in parish halls, libraries, or school gyms. Announce them publicly, not in fine print. Give citizens the respect they deserve. Let us hear you, see you, and hold you accountable.
Because at the end of the day, Louisiana families don’t want a velvet rope between us and our representatives. We want transparency. We want honesty. And above all, we want to know we matter.
CO₂ Chronicles will keep asking the question until we get an answer: Who do you serve — the people or the investors?
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