Tamiko Francis-Garrison is running for the Ascension Parish justice of the peace, first justice court office.

The office of the justice of the peace serves to help residents know where to go and settle disputes, Francis-Garrison said.

I have been a resource in our community and proven to be fair and just, always doing my due diligence before making any decisions, said Francis-Garrison. She works in the capacity of manager of the special investigations unit, Louisiana Region, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a subsidiary of the Centene Corporation.

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Francis-Garrison has been involved in the justice system for over 20 years and if elected, she pledges to "treat every person who appears before her with fairness and respect."

She is a 51-year-old native of Donaldsonville and a product of both the Ascension Parish Public School System and Ascension Catholic Parochial Schools. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 1990 from Southern University in Baton Rouge. Francis-Garrison is a certified fraud examiner, an accredited health care fraud investigator and has a national certified investigator and inspector training basic certification.

Francis-Garrison spent 15 years as a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service in Phoenix, Arizona, New Orleans and Chicago, Illinois, before making the life-changing decision to return to Donaldsonville in 2004. Since her return to Louisiana and over the past 16 years, she has owned and operated Francis Investigations, a private investigations firm, served as a director of compliance at Southern University, senior auditor with the state, and the Executive Director of AMIkids Donaldsonville.

In 2012 she became the Executive Director of AMIkids Baton Rouge serving students until she began her disability due to an end stage renal failure diagnosis. Within one year of the initial diagnosis and six months on dialysis, she received a living donor kidney transplant from her brother, BJ Francis Jr. In 2015, she returned to work as a Medicaid investigator with Louisiana Healthcare Connections.

Her community impact extends to serving as the volunteer co-chairperson of the City of Donaldsonvilles Juneteenth Music Festival and the founder and volunteer coordinator of the Donaldsonville Mayor's Youth Advisory Council. She is a charter member of the Ascension Alumnae Chapter and a current member of Baton Rouge Delta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. She is the chairwoman of the Capital Area United Way African American Leadership Council, serves on the board of directors for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and was appointed to serve on the Advisory Board of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. She is the past president of the Tri-Parish Chapter of Southern University Alumni Federation and served as the president of the board of directors for the River Road African American Museum. She also served on the City of Donaldsonvilles Planning and Zoning Commission. She was the first female African-American Ascension Parish Councilwoman. Francis-Garrison is a Democrat.

She has been married to her husband, Ira, for over 13 years and they have one daughter, Tamiko. They are members of St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church. Her parents were the late Bernard and Janet Francis of Donaldsonville.

She said she has dedicated her life to helping others and lives by the Mahatma Gandhi quote, The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

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Running for office: Justice of the peace, 1st justice court - The Advocate