Changes

=== Campaign ===

=== Campaign ===

Early in 2007, Strain entered the race fo ragriculture commissioner in opposition to the 28-year Democratic [[incumbent]], Robert Fulton "Bob" Odom, Jr.,<ref>[http://preview.ussearch.com/preview/newsearch;jsessionid=4B2B234EA80FFAC889BB9242A6DB1B57?searchFName=robert&searchMName=&searchLName=odom&searchCity=zachary&searchState=LA&searchApproxAge=72&adID=10002101&searchtab=people&x=45&y=15 People Search & Background Check<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> who in recent years had been engulfed in multiple personal corruption allegations.

Early in 2007, Strain entered the race for agriculture commissioner in opposition to the 28-year Democratic [[incumbent]], Robert Fulton "Bob" Odom, Jr.,<ref>[http://preview.ussearch.com/preview/newsearch;jsessionid=4B2B234EA80FFAC889BB9242A6DB1B57?searchFName=robert&searchMName=&searchLName=odom&searchCity=zachary&searchState=LA&searchApproxAge=72&adID=10002101&searchtab=people&x=45&y=15 People Search & Background Check<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> who in recent years had been engulfed in multiple personal corruption allegations.

Numerous newspapers endorsed Strain's candidacy.  They include ''The New Orleans Times-Picayune,'' ''The Shreveport Time,''  the ''[[Monroe News-Star]]'' in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] (the seat of Ouachita Parish in northeast Louisiana) and ''The Alexandria Town Talk,'' published three days a week in  in [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]] (the seat of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana).<ref>[http://www.mikestrain.org/newssummary.aspx Mike Strain for Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> In declaring its support for Strain, ''The Times-Picayune'' said that the department is "badly in need of change. The department in recent years has run amok, particularly as it embarked on an ill-conceived and wasteful building campaign. Taxpayers are now carrying a $56 million debt risk for a syrup mill that's not meeting production projections. Yet the department sought to build a separate $135 million mill last year until public pressure helped kill the project . . . "

Numerous newspapers endorsed Strain's candidacy.  They include ''The New Orleans Times-Picayune,'' ''The Shreveport Time,''  the ''[[Monroe News-Star]]'' in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] (the seat of Ouachita Parish in northeast Louisiana) and ''The Alexandria Town Talk,'' published three days a week in  in [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]] (the seat of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana).<ref>[http://www.mikestrain.org/newssummary.aspx Mike Strain for Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> In declaring its support for Strain, ''The Times-Picayune'' said that the department is "badly in need of change. The department in recent years has run amok, particularly as it embarked on an ill-conceived and wasteful building campaign. Taxpayers are now carrying a $56 million debt risk for a syrup mill that's not meeting production projections. Yet the department sought to build a separate $135 million mill last year until public pressure helped kill the project . . . "