Art Lentini
Encyclopedia
Arthur J. "Art" Lentini, (born March 23, 1953), is an attorney in Metairie
, Louisiana
, United States
, who served from 1996 to 2008 as a Republican
member of the Louisiana State Senate
from District 10 in Jefferson Parish
in the New Orleans
suburb
s. For eight years he was the Senate parliamentarian
. He was term-limited in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007, and hence ineligible to seek a fourth term in the Senate.
in Metairie. He received his Bachelor of Arts
and law degrees from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
. He attended the United States Army
infantry officer's school
and was a member of the Army Reserve
from 1974 to 1980. From 1978 to 1986, he was an assistant district attorney for Jefferson Parish. He served from 1988 to 1992 as the House District 79 member of the Republican State Central Committee. Lentini is Roman Catholic. His wife is the former Stephany Jones (born 1957). The couple resides in Kenner
.
In his initial election for an open seat in 1995 created by the retirement of Democratic
Senator Francis E. "Hank" Lauricella
, a former professional football
player. Lentini defeated fellow Republican Betty Bonura, 17,327 votes (53.6 percent) to 14,992 (46.4 percent). Bonura essentially did not live in the district. Lentini was unopposed in the 1999 primary. In 2003, he handily defeated fellow Republican Stephen Rue, 21,018 (71.3 percent) to 8,474 (28.7 percent). In the campaign, it was revealed that Rue was delinquent on the payment of $230,000 in federal payroll and income tax
es.
Lentini was the chairman of the Judiciary "A" Committee and served on the Finance and Insurance committees and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
As his term wound down, Lentini again pushed successfully for the abolition of cockfighting in Louisiana. The issue was not new to the lawmakers. In 1990, state Representative Garey Forster
, a New Orleans Republican, had introduced two bills, one to ban the practice outright and another to reclassify fowl as "animals" so that they could secure the protection of animal-cruelty laws. Upon his arrival in the Senate, Lentini sought to make gambling
at cockfights a crime before he could finish Forster's work and obtain the legislative votes to outlaw the practice. Lentini called the practice "very bad for our image, and it's cruel to the animals." Louisiana was the last of the fifty states to ban cockfighting.
A pro-life advocate, Lentini was in 2004 a visible Senate critic of both reproductive cloning
and cloning for research purposes. He sponsored a bill that would ban both types of cloning; however, the legislature decided to forbade reproductive cloning but approve research based on the possibility of finding cures for Parkinson's disease
, juvenile diabetes, and other diseases.
In 2007, Lentini qualified to run for a second time as sheriff
of Jefferson Parish on the death of the long-term Democratic incumbent
Harry Lee. In 1987, Lee had defeated Lentini in the general election
. However, Lentini withdrew from consideration, and the Republican Newell D. Normand won the race with 91 percent of the ballots. Normand had the support of the Lee family, which is staunchly Democratic. In the 1987 sheriff’s race, Lee polled 60,887 (53.9 percent) to Lentini's 52,142 (46.1 percent).
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who served from 1996 to 2008 as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All Senators serve four year terms and are assigned multiple committees to work on. The Republicans control the State Senate following a Special Election Victory in District 26 by Jonathan W. Perry...
from District 10 in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
in the New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. For eight years he was the Senate parliamentarian
Parliamentarian of the United States Senate
The Parliamentarian of the United States Senate is the official advisor to the United States Senate on the interpretation of Standing Rules of the United States Senate and parliamentary procedure....
. He was term-limited in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007, and hence ineligible to seek a fourth term in the Senate.
History
Lentini graduated in 1971 from East Jefferson High SchoolEast Jefferson High School
East Jefferson High School is a public high school located in Metairie in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States.East Jefferson High School was built in 1955 in a residential neighborhood. The school serves grades 9-12. It is a part of the Jefferson Parish Public Schools system....
in Metairie. He received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and law degrees from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. He attended the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
infantry officer's school
United States Army Infantry School
The United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade...
and was a member of the Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
from 1974 to 1980. From 1978 to 1986, he was an assistant district attorney for Jefferson Parish. He served from 1988 to 1992 as the House District 79 member of the Republican State Central Committee. Lentini is Roman Catholic. His wife is the former Stephany Jones (born 1957). The couple resides in Kenner
Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....
.
Career
On his Senate retirement, the New Orleans Times-Picayune declared that Lentini "wore the white hat...His most visible display of integrity came not in lecturing lawmakers via the news media on their shortcomings, but in his eight years as Senate parliamentarian. In the frenzy of lawmaking, he had to decide who was and was not following the rules of debate, without regard to whether their politics agreed with his. So straight was he that he demurred on parliamentary questions when the subject at hand was one of his own bills, instead deferring to the Senate president."In his initial election for an open seat in 1995 created by the retirement of Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Francis E. "Hank" Lauricella
Hank Lauricella
Francis E. Lauricella, known as Hank Lauricella was a Hall of Fame American football player for the Tennessee Volunteers football team. He served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans suburbs from 1972 to 1996...
, a former professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. Lentini defeated fellow Republican Betty Bonura, 17,327 votes (53.6 percent) to 14,992 (46.4 percent). Bonura essentially did not live in the district. Lentini was unopposed in the 1999 primary. In 2003, he handily defeated fellow Republican Stephen Rue, 21,018 (71.3 percent) to 8,474 (28.7 percent). In the campaign, it was revealed that Rue was delinquent on the payment of $230,000 in federal payroll and income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es.
Lentini was the chairman of the Judiciary "A" Committee and served on the Finance and Insurance committees and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget.
As his term wound down, Lentini again pushed successfully for the abolition of cockfighting in Louisiana. The issue was not new to the lawmakers. In 1990, state Representative Garey Forster
Garey Forster
Garey Forster is an American radio host who served in District 98 as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1982–1997, when he resigned to become the state secretary of labor under Governor Murphy J...
, a New Orleans Republican, had introduced two bills, one to ban the practice outright and another to reclassify fowl as "animals" so that they could secure the protection of animal-cruelty laws. Upon his arrival in the Senate, Lentini sought to make gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
at cockfights a crime before he could finish Forster's work and obtain the legislative votes to outlaw the practice. Lentini called the practice "very bad for our image, and it's cruel to the animals." Louisiana was the last of the fifty states to ban cockfighting.
A pro-life advocate, Lentini was in 2004 a visible Senate critic of both reproductive cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
and cloning for research purposes. He sponsored a bill that would ban both types of cloning; however, the legislature decided to forbade reproductive cloning but approve research based on the possibility of finding cures for Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, juvenile diabetes, and other diseases.
In 2007, Lentini qualified to run for a second time as sheriff
Sheriffs in the United States
In the United States, a sheriff is a county official and is typically the top law enforcement officer of a county. Historically, the sheriff was also commander of the militia in that county. Distinctive to law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of...
of Jefferson Parish on the death of the long-term Democratic incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Harry Lee. In 1987, Lee had defeated Lentini in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. However, Lentini withdrew from consideration, and the Republican Newell D. Normand won the race with 91 percent of the ballots. Normand had the support of the Lee family, which is staunchly Democratic. In the 1987 sheriff’s race, Lee polled 60,887 (53.9 percent) to Lentini's 52,142 (46.1 percent).