Kellee Hennessy Dickerson (born February 6, 1970) is an American politician serving as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 64th district. A member of the Republican Party, Dickerson represents parts of East Baton Rouge Parish and Livingston Parish and has been in office since January 8, 2024.
Kellee Hennessy Dickerson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 64th district | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Valarie Hodges |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 6, 1970 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | (BA) |
| Alma mater | Southeastern Louisiana University |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Career
editKellee Hennessy Dickerson, who previously served on the Livingston Parish School Board, first ran to represent District 64 in 2023 and advanced to the runoff after the October 14, 2023 Jungle primary.[1] In the November 18, 2023 runoff election with against Kellie Alford, Dickerson was declared the winner with 60.3%.[2][3][4]
Controversy
editIn July 2023, Dickerson was fined $1,500 by the state Board of Ethics for violations relating to the improper hiring of a Live Oak High School teacher for contract work at the school beyond the teacher's educational duties. Dickerson, who at the time oversaw Live Oak District funds, hired a vocational education teacher to lay a clay foundation on the campus for a storage building. The teacher was also hired to move building materials from the high school parking lot and to remove trees near the Live Oak High School campus to divert runoff rainwater from collecting on the parking lot of the new sports complex. In total, the teacher was paid more than $34,000 for the work. The Board of Ethics opinion against Dickerson cited two Louisiana statutes that forbid public employees from doing contract work for their employers.[5]
In 2024, she introduced House Bill 777, which would criminalize library workers and libraries for joining the American Library Association among other regulations. Whoever violates the bill "shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than two years, or both." Dickerson also helped fund the Louisiana Freedom Caucus.[6] The caucus formed a PAC that sent anti-LGBTQ+ texts to voters.[7]
| Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Kellee Hennessy Dickerson | Republican | 6,004 | 49.42 | 4,436 | 60.27 | |
| Kellie Alford | Republican | 3,609 | 29.70 | 2,924 | 39.73 | |
| Garry Talbert | Republican | 2,537 | 20.88 | |||
| Total | 12,150 | 100.00 | 7,360 | 100.00 | ||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State[8][9] | ||||||
References
edit- ^ DeRobertis, Jacqueline (2023-10-30). "Livingston school board member, business owner face off in House District 64 runoff". Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ McHugh, David (2023-11-18). "Kellee Hennessy Dickerson claims House District 64 seat". Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ WAFB Staff (2023-01-31). "Kellee Hennessy Dickerson projected winner of House, 64th District". Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State – Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Louisiana's ethics board cited a school board member. She says it's political retaliation". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ Jensen, Kelly (2024-04-03). "Louisiana HB 777 Would Criminalize Librarians and Libraries Who Join the American Library Association". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Julie (2024-01-24). "Louisiana elected officials helped fund PAC that sent anti-LGBTQ+ texts to voters • Louisiana Illuminator". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Legislative Race Results – October 14, 2023". Louisiana Secretary of State.
- ^ "Legislative Race Results – November 18, 2023". Louisiana Secretary of State.
External links
edit
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