Darrell Ourso

Darrell Paul Ourso (born April 1964)^[1] is a financial advisor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who is a Republican departing short-term member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 66 in the southeastern portion of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. He won a special election by a margin of seventy-two votes on March 28, 2015 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of now Juvenile Court Judge Hunter Greene.

Ourso was the District 9 member of the Baton Rouge Metro Council from 1999 to 2008, when he did not seek a third term in office. He resides in the Evergreen neighborhood and is a member of the executive board of the Istrouma Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He also a member of the board of commissioners for the St. George Fire Protection District.^[2]

In a runoff contest, Ourso defeated the more conservative Republican candidate, Anthony J. "Buddy" Amoroso, IV (born December 1956). The two divided over taxation and the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Ourso said that he will be flexible in approaches to balance the state budget, a position the anti-tax Amoroso dismissed out of hand. Ourso said that Common Core should be the prerogative of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; Amoroso favors repealing Common Core in the legislature and the use of state standards and examinations. Ourso did not answer the questionnaire submitted by the conservative Louisiana Family Forum, whereas Amoroso expressed his agreement with that organization. Amoroso is a property manager who lives in the Lake Sherwood Acres neighborhood and currently serves on the Baton Rouge Metro Council. He is a founder of the anti-tax advocacy group, Tax Busters, and formerly served on the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Commission.^[2]

With all precincts reporting, Ourso received 1,958 votes; Amoroso, 1,886 ballots. Only 12.5 percent of registered voters came to the polls, according to Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler.^[3]

Ourso described his message as "positive from the beginning and remained positive. The voters responded to that." The new representative is seeking a seat on the Appropriations or Transportation committees.^[2] House District 66 reaches from Interstate 12 to Bayou Manchac, including subdivisions that would fall within the proposed City of St. George as well as Woodland Ridge, Old Jefferson, Santa Maria, Tiger Bend, and the Country Club of Louisiana. The district is 49 percent registered Republican.^[2]

Ourso graduated from Louisiana State University.

Ourso lost a runoff election on November 21, 2015, to retain his seat for a full term. He led in the October 24 primary with 4,660 votes (37.7 percent) but was thereafter unseated by the second-place challenger, fellow Republican Rick Edmonds, a pastor at the large Bethany Church in Baton Rouge^[4] and vice president of the Louisiana Family Forum. Edmonds trailed with 2,869 votes (23.2 percent) in the primary. Two other Republicans, Rick Bond and Rusty Secrist, and a Democrat, Antoine Pierce, split the remaining ballots.^[5]

In the second round of balloting, however Edmonds polled 7,109 votes (52.1 percent) to Ourso's 6,540 (47.9 percent).^[6]

References