Grateful to the people of Louisiana: Jindal.
AB Wire
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will live in Baton Rouge after he leaves the Governor’s Mansion on January 11, his last day in office over two consecutive terms lasting eight years.
Jindal, his wife Supriya and their three children will move into a house they have purchased for $817,500 in the University Club in Baton Rouge, reported the Advocate.
The Jindals bought a 6,115-square-foot home on Audubon Lake Drive in a deal that closed last month, according to documents filed with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s Office. The seller was Traditions LLC, a custom home builder headed up by Jackie Braud.
The Jindals’ new home is near the residence of Louisiana State University (LSU) President F. King Alexander. Jindal lived in Kenilworth for most of his childhood. The Jindals’ children attend University Lab School on LSU’s campus.
University Club is a 1,200-acre, master-planned community a few miles south of LSU. The development sits next to a 22-acre golf course and features amenities such as a playground, a pool and a tennis facility.
Jindal hasn’t revealed specifics about his plans for employment after his term ends, but has said he expects to enter the private sector, the Advocate report said.
Jindal, who was the nation’s youngest governor when he took office and the first Indian American governor, was considered one of the rising stars in the GOP. However, his presidential campaign ended on a disappointing note after he failed to get any traction after months on the campaign trail, and barely registered in polls.
“I’m very grateful to the people of Louisiana for giving me the privilege of serving as their governor,†said Jindal, who recently met with The Advocate at the Governor’s Mansion to reflect on his time in office. “When I think about what we’ve accomplished and what we’ve done, we were elected to make big changes, and that’s what we’ve done.â€
Among his accomplishments, he cites ethics reform, which he says has helped usher in economic development, the implementation of the K-12 school choice system and job growth.
“I wanted to make this a better state so people could stay here instead of leaving the state,†he said. “You look at the projects — the employers coming in and those who are expanding — we’ve seen tremendous progress.â€
The report noted Jindal has often described being Louisiana’s governor as his “dream job,†and he frequently marvels at how unlikely or unpredictable it is that he got it. His parents came to Baton Rouge from India while his mother was pregnant with him. His father sought employment by cold calling companies in the phone book.
“Every day during my first year in office, I would come home and say, ‘This is the best job I’ll ever have,’ †Jindal said of his time in the Governor’s Mansion. “I’ve felt that every day in eight years as governor. Every day, I’ve felt like this is the best job I’ll ever have.â€
Jindal’s flaws became even more apparent in 2015 as he capped eight years in office, the Advocate said. Much of his revamp of public school education has been hung up in the courts.
The Center for Public Integrity, which provided the checklist for his “gold standard†of ethics, has given his administration a failing grade — not for the laws he passed but for his failure to enforce them. Also, the poverty rate in Louisiana increased slightly under his watch.
1 Comment
On his list of accomplishments, did he happen to mention wrecking the economy of the entire State of Louisiana?