CONTACT: Sidney Arroyo, Campaign Manager, sidprof@aol.com
Local political reporter Christopher Tidmore announced his candidacy for District 82 of the Louisiana House of Representatives before the Republican Women of New Orleans, saying he's running to stem the braindrain from the greater metropolitan area and bring new opportunities to the families of Jefferson and Orleans Parishes included in this house district being vacated by Rep. Steve Scalise.

"My campaign has one major theme: providing opportunities so our kids don't have to leave just to find a decent job," said Mr. Tidmore.

Chris Tidmore offers a decade of political journalism on air and in print to the voters of District 82, wherein he has advocated for a series of reforms, including giving homes purchased under the Road Home program by the state to any teachers, doctors, nurses, police, fire, and first responders who will commit to live and work in Louisiana for seven years--and a low interest loan to fix them up. He wants to phase out the income tax for those over the age of 57 to make Louisiana a retirement haven.

Besides supporting business tax cuts and the repeal of the Stelly tax hikes, Tidmore is one of the originators of the Broadway South tax cuts that are currently before the legislature. It seeks to extend the successful film tax credits to live legitimate theater, music performance, cabaret, opera, and ballet.

Tidmore explained, "1970, Branson, Missouri had only one theater, and was little more than a wide spot in the road. With a series of incentives, today it has over 75,000 visitors annually coming to watch live performances. We want a way to keep our most talented here. Provide tax credits that will encourage Broadway Road shows to begin their national tours here. Canal Street will gleam with theater as it did 100 years ago, and family tourism will flock to the Crescent City, injecting millions into the local economy."

To pay for these tax cuts, Tidmore will be a tough budget monitor. "We have gone from an $8 billion dollar state budget twelve years ago to almost $30 billion today. This has to stop. We need to adopt a program similar to Colorado's that limited spending increases to the rate of inflation and the increase in population. Then, we'll have enough money to lower taxes, pay for the fight against coastal erosion, and shore up our under funded state retirement systems."

Tidmore has resigned his position as Senior Reporter for 99.5 FM to run. He is the former host of radio programs on 690 AM and for Louisiana Network. He has been a columnist for The Louisiana Weekly Newspaper since 1997.

His website is www.votetidmore.com.