A Congresswoman Who Brings District 3 Together
If I am elected Congresswoman for Louisiana’s Third Congressional District, I will make one commitment very clear: I will listen to the people of this district, and I will bring our local leaders to the table to find solutions.
District 3 is made up of communities with different challenges, but our residents share many of the same concerns: the cost of living, infrastructure, flooding and drainage, healthcare, insurance, education, jobs, public safety, coastal restoration and the future of our communities.
Too often, people feel that government officials are talking about their problems without actually sitting down together to solve them.
I want to change that.
As Congresswoman, I will call together the parish presidents, mayors, and other appropriate local government leaders throughout District 3 for regular meetings focused on the problems affecting their communities. Louisiana has different forms of local government, and not every parish or municipality has the same structure, so I will make sure the appropriate local officials are represented.
These meetings will not simply be opportunities to talk. I will ask each community to identify its most pressing problems, explain what has already been done, and come prepared with possible solutions.
I want to know: What is working? What is failing? What does your community need from the federal government? What can be accomplished locally? And where are the roadblocks preventing progress?
Most importantly, the people deserve to see the process.
Whenever legally and practically appropriate, I intend for these meetings to be broadcast live and made available to the public, so residents can hear directly from their elected leaders and understand what is being discussed, what solutions are being proposed, and what commitments are being made.
Transparency should not be an afterthought. It should be part of how we govern.
Giving Back $20,000 of My Congressional Salary
I also want to put my commitment to the people of District 3 into action.
If elected, I intend to donate $20,000 of my congressional salary each year and return that money to the people of District 3 through a transparent community-directed initiative.
Members of Congress are paid a salary established under federal law; the current statutory rate for House members is $174,000 annually.
Rather than deciding by myself how that $20,000 should be used, I want the citizens to have a voice in determining where it can do the most good.
Should it support a community project? Help address an urgent local need? Assist a nonprofit organization? Support a community improvement effort?
The people should have a say.
I will work to establish a transparent process through which residents can submit ideas and help determine how these funds should be directed, consistent with federal law and congressional ethics requirements.
This is not about making promises that one person in Washington can solve every problem. A member of Congress does not control local government, and many issues are primarily handled at the parish, municipal, or state level. But a Congresswoman can bring people together, advocate for federal resources, conduct oversight, work with local officials, and make sure South Louisiana is not forgotten in Washington.
I want to build a different kind of relationship between the people and their government—one based on listening, transparency, accountability and results.**
If I am elected, I will not sit in Washington and assume I know what District 3 needs.
I will come home.
I will listen.
I will bring our leaders together.
I will ask for solutions.
And I will make sure the people can see the work being done on their behalf.
Because this office would not belong to me.
I would belong to the people of Louisiana’s Third Congressional District.
To visit my website, please go to www.prisforcongress.com
 to donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/priscilla-gonzalez-3
