Ronnie Johns (Louisiana politician)

Ronald Steven Johns, known as Ronnie Johns (born July 1949),^[1] is a State Farm Insurance agency owner in Sulphur, Louisiana,^[2] who is a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 27 in Calcasieu Parish. He ran without opposition in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011, to choose a successor to the term-limited Democratic Senator Willie Landry Mount. A former mayor of Lake Charles and an unsuccessful candidate in 2004 for the United States House of Representatives, Mount failed in her 2011 bid to be elected as the assessor of Calcasieu Parish.

Background

Johns was reared in Bunkie in Avoyelles Parish, where his father, Johnny Johns (1910-1999) was the municipal fire chief; his mother, Anna D. Johns (1921-1997), was a secretary. In 1967, he graduated from Bunkie High School, where he credits the principal for having inspired hard work in the students and teaching the elements of later success in life. Johns then procured his Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana University.^[3]

After college, he practiced pharmacy until the early 1980s, when he observed that numerous local drug stores were closing down or being purchased by chain stores. He hence opened his own insurance agency in Sulphur in 1982.

Johns is a former member of the Sulphur City Council and, prior to his legislative years, had worked in numerous political campaigns for others. He is a lector and Eucharistic minister at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Sulphur. He is a member of the board of Christus St. Patrick's Hospital. Johns is a supporter of the Calcasieu Community Clinic, which provides free health care for those who unable to afford health insurance. He is active in the Salvation Army of Lake Charles and numerous organizations that serve senior citizens.

Mrs. Johns, the former Michelle Ann Servat (born October 1952), is a retired teacher. Their daughter, Claire J. Broussard, was in 2011 a nursing student at McNeese State University in Lake Charles. Claire and her husband, Alex Broussard, had one son in 2011, the Johnses' only grandchild.^[4]

Legislative service

From 1996 to 2008, Johns was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 33, also in Calcasieu Parish. In the 1995 primary for his first term in the legislature, Johns defeated a fellow Democrat, Terry Taylor, 7,870 (62.3 percent) to 4,765 (37.7 percent).^[5] The outgoing representative, Democrat Tim Stine, did not seek reelection in 1995.^[6]

In the House, the former pharmacist authored legislation to establish a statewide prescription monitoring program to prevent "illegal doctor- and pharmacy-shopping." After the first year of the program, the number of deaths from such prescription drug abuse had been reduced by 50 percent. Representative Johns also wrote laws to establish more secure adoptions and enforcement of court-mandated child-support payments. Because of these efforts, Johns received the "Russell B. Long Service Award," named for the former U.S. senator from Louisiana, Russell B. Long, who served from 1948 to 1987.^[4] In 1999, Johns was named "Legislator of the Year" by the interest group, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. He was similarly honored in 2004 and 2007 by the Louisiana Automobile and Louisiana Orthopedic associations. Term-limited in the 2007 primary, he was succeeded in the House by Democrat Mike Danahay.

Johns said that his Senate service will focus on state budgetary woes: "Our government must live within its means and it should do so, like any family would, by tightening its belt and downsizing." Johns said that he will seek more efficient health care, improved public schools, reducing government waste, and demanding a greater of government service.^[4]

Johns and two other Republicans -- Page Cortez, seeking Senate District 23 seat in Lafayette Parish, and Stuart Bishop, also of Lafayette, running in House District 43—were the only unopposed candidates in 2011 for open legislative seats. All three took office on January 9, 2012.^[7]

Johns was reelected to the state Senate in the primary election held on October 24, 2015. He defeated the Democrat Ginger Vidrine, 14,648 (65 percent) to 7,901 (35 percent).^[8]

References