Baldone wins 53rd District House seat

State Representative Damon Baldone was returned to his 53rd District seat in Saturday’s election, beating Wallace Ellender 57 percent to 43 percent.

Baldone, 42, ran on the keystone issues of coastal preservation and better roadways.

For his new term, he will focus on creating rock barriers to protect barrier islands, and deepening the Houma Navigation Canal. To help build the economy, he wants to secure money for the Terrebonne Parish Port.

Baldone said he is concerned about the $14 billion in roadway improvements waiting for funding, a problem that has arisen partly because the state gasoline tax has not been indexed.

Baldone is also keen on bringing technology into the classroom, advocating putting a laptop on every child’s desk.

Ellender is a sugarcane farmer and the national legislative chairman for the American Sugarcane League.