COVINGTON, LA – Covington City Councilman Mark Wright has formally announced his candidacy for the Louisiana House of Representatives in District 77, seeking to replace outgoing Rep. John Schroder, who resigned to run for Treasurer.
"Our district needs someone who can immediately jump into this role and fight for a better Louisiana,” said Wright. “My main focus will be on our desperate transportation needs, budget reform and economic development. We have incredible natural resources but regularly waste them through bad policy and poor government. It's clear the people want our state to live within its means. We can only do that through deep reform and I'm ready to do it. As someone born and raised in Louisiana, I can't watch this happen anymore. We deserve better."
Wright, 46, has served on the Covington City Council, District C, since unseating an incumbent in the 2011 election He and his wife, Kim, have five children, and are members of St. Peter's Catholic Church, where he serves as lector and is in the Knights of Columbus. Wright is vice president for the American Waterway Operators, where his primary responsibility is managing collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard on the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. He is a member of the Lower Mississippi River Waterway Safety Advisory Committee and the Louisiana Supply Chain Council. Wright attended Louisiana State University and holds a B.A. from Xavier University; an MBA from the University of Dallas; and is expected to graduate in May 2018 with a doctor of business administration from the University of South Alabama.
Wright said he values community involvement. He is a member of the Covington Rotary Club, where he serves as treasurer, and the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce, where he was on the advisory board in 2016. Prior to running for City Council in 2011, Wright was Chairman of the St. Tammany Republican Parish Executive Committee.
"I'm an independent conservative who loves Louisiana, its people, and its culture," said Wright. "I'm serious about public service, public policy and delivering what the people of our district deserve."