Jay Blossman
Encyclopedia
Jack Arthur Blossman, Jr., known as Jay Blossman (born October 3, 1964), is a Mandeville
, Louisiana
, attorney
who is a former Republican
member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
. Blossman was named PSC chairman by his colleagues early in 2007.
The First District seat encompasses all or parts of Ascension, Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist
, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes in south Louisiana. Blossman was first elected to the PSC in 1996, when at thirty-two, he was the youngest person to have been elected to the commission. He was reelected in 2002. His term expired on December 31, 2008, and he did not seek reelection.
, the seat of St. Tammany Parish. He graduated from the St. Paul's School
in Covington. In 1987, he received a bachelor's degree
from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. Thereafter, in 1991, Blossman obtained his Juris Doctor
degree from the Southern University
School of Law
in Baton Rouge. He has since practiced law and resides in Mandeville with his wife, Lynette Blossman, and their children.
Blossman is a member of Victims and Citizens Against Crime, the Lake Pontchartrain
Basin Foundation, and the Big Brothers Big Sisters
program. He is a past chairman of the Boy Scouts of America
. Blossman is a member of the board of directors of the Covington-based Parish National Bank. He is also a member of the American Heart Association
and the Louisiana Bone Marrow
Registry.
Before he ran for the Public Service Commission, Blossman, then running as a Democrat
, was defeated in the 1995 nonpartisan blanket primary for the District 77 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives
. The position was held by Republican businesswoman Diane Winston
, who held it from 1996 until term-limited in 2008.
Commissioner John F. Schwegmann
(born 1946), then a Democrat from Metairie in Jefferson Parish. Schwegmann was the son of former state legislator and PSC member John G. Schwegmann
(1911–1995) and is the husband of former Lieutenant Governor Melinda Schwegmann
, another Democrat turned Republican. Blossman polled 133,455 votes (55 percent) to Schwegmann's 108,957 (45 percent).
Blossman defeated Schwegmann again in 2002, 104,963 votes (68 percent) to 49,643 ballots (32 percent). It was in the October 2002 primary that Schwegmann was first listed as an "independent" or officially "no party" on the Louisiana ballot.
In 2003, Blossman announced that he would seek to become the Republican gubernatorial consensus candidate to succeed term-limited GOP
Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster
. Blossman calls himself a "Reagan conservative." He opposed the since repealed Stelly Plan
, which increased property tax
es on most middle-class families and was named for its author, former state Representative Vic Stelly
of Lake Charles
.
However, other Republicans wanted to run as well, including former Governor David C. Treen
(born 1928), of Blossman's own St. Tammany Parish. Treen, after testing the waters, never filed his papers to make the race. Two other Republicans continued in the race: (1) state Representative Huntington B. "Hunt" Downer, Jr.
, (born 1946) of Houma
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
, and (2) Bobby L. Jindal
(born 1971), an Indian-American health-care specialist then of Baton Rouge and the favorite of Governor Foster, President George W. Bush
and much of the Republican leadership. The Republican hopefuls risked dividing their party's base to such an extent that two Democrats, and no Republican candidate, might have been thrust into the general election
under Louisiana's unique jungle primary
law.
Blossman found himself in hot water with outgoing Governor Foster, who lashed out against the public service commissioner on radio. Blossman had run a television commercial which blamed state leaders for not funding a DNA
program that could have led to the earlier arrest of a suspected South Louisiana serial killer. Foster said that he considered that his criticism could aid Blossman's campaign by giving it more exposure, but the governor spoke out and accused Blossman of running an offensive advertisement in bad taste.
Blossman spent more than $1 million in his race, much of that amount consisting of his own loans to his campaign. By late summer, Blossman had $613,000 on hand. He spent $552,000 in the second quarter of 2003, including the repayment of $285,000 in loans to himself. He raised $168,000 from others in the third quarter, $512,000 since January 1, 2003.
When Blossman failed to make the expected traction in the polls, he announced that former Republican Congressman Clyde C. Holloway
(born 1943) of Forest Hill
in Rapides Parish would join him on an unofficial "ticket" as the lieutenant governor's candidate. Candidates had stopped forming such combinations after the 1971 Democratic primaries. Holloway was widely identified as a social conservative
by his voting record. He had represented the heavily Democratic and since defunct Eighth Congressional District from 1987-1993. Holloway was eleven years Blossman's senior and had left Congress four years before Blossman joined the PSC. In the run for lieutenant governor, Holloway stressed the need to halt the loss of manufacturing jobs from Louisiana and to boost the low-wage base in many parishes.
Blossman continued to sink in the opinion polls, was denied a seat in a candidate debate forum, withdrew from the gubernatorial race, and endorsed Downer, who contested Jindal for a potential but not assured GOP slot in the general election. Earlier, Blossman had called Downer "a liberal Democrat", but he then said that only Downer, among the Republican candidates, could actually win the general election. Blossman said that Jindal, who is seven years younger than Blossman, was too young and inexperienced to prevail in the governor's race.
Jindal went on to lead the pack of candidates and was placed into a second round of balloting with the top Democrat, outgoing Lieutenant Governor (and former member of the PSC as well) Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
. Blanco in turn defeated Jindal, 52-48 percent.
Holloway remained in the lieutenant governor's race after Blossman dropped his candidacy. He finished a weak second to Democrat Mitchell Landrieu
of the New Orleans Landrieu family. Landrieu in fact won the second office directly in the primary. Also in the lieutenant governor's race was a former holder of the office, Melinda Schwegmann
, wife of Blossman's former PSC opponent, John F. Schwegmann.
Blossman did not seek reelection in 2008. Former Commissioner John F. Schwegmann, using the "No Party" label, led a field of four candidates in the jungle primary held on October 4. Schwegmann led in the primary with 61,711 (41.8 percent) to the 34,206 ballots (23.1 percent) for Republican Eric F. Skrmetta
(born October 1, 1958) of Metairie. The other candidates were Republican Kenneth L. Odinet, Sr., with 33,470 (22.6 percent), and "No Party" Bruce C. Kincade, with 18,440 (12.5 percent). In the November 4 general election, Skrmetta easily defeated Schwegmann, 222,268 (60 percent) to 149,220 (40 percent).
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
, 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...
, attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who is a former 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 Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
. Blossman was named PSC chairman by his colleagues early in 2007.
The First District seat encompasses all or parts of Ascension, Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist parish
St. John the Baptist parish may refer to one of a number of religious organisations:In the district of Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland:* The Church of Ireland Parish of Clontarf* The senior Parish of Clontarf...
, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes in south Louisiana. Blossman was first elected to the PSC in 1996, when at thirty-two, he was the youngest person to have been elected to the commission. He was reelected in 2002. His term expired on December 31, 2008, and he did not seek reelection.
Early years, education, affiliations
Blossman was born to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Blossman, Sr., in CovingtonCovington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
, the seat of St. Tammany Parish. He graduated from the St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Covington, Louisiana)
Saint Paul's School is a private all-boys Lasallian high school, located in Covington, Louisiana just to the north of New Orleans, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, the school is run by the Christian Brothers and is one of the 1,000 Lasallian schools in more...
in Covington. In 1987, he received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
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. Thereafter, in 1991, Blossman obtained his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
School of Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Baton Rouge. He has since practiced law and resides in Mandeville with his wife, Lynette Blossman, and their children.
Blossman is a member of Victims and Citizens Against Crime, the Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
Basin Foundation, and the Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
program. He is a past chairman of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. Blossman is a member of the board of directors of the Covington-based Parish National Bank. He is also a member of the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
and the Louisiana Bone Marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
Registry.
Before he ran for the Public Service Commission, Blossman, then running as a Democrat
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...
, was defeated in the 1995 nonpartisan blanket primary for the District 77 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. The position was held by Republican businesswoman Diane Winston
Diane Winston
Diane Grisham Winston is a businesswoman from Covington, Louisiana, who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 until term-limited in 2008. Her District 77 includes parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes in suburban New Orleans. In 2012, the district...
, who held it from 1996 until term-limited in 2008.
Defeating John F. Schwegmann twice
Blossman, as Republican, unseated incumbentIncumbent
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...
Commissioner John F. Schwegmann
John F. Schwegmann
John F. Schwegmann is a Metairie businessman, who was elected as a Democrat to the Louisiana Public Service Commission in 1981 to succeed his father, John G. Schwegmann. In 2002, Schwegmann declared himself an independent. He served for 15 years on the PSC, the public body which regulates rates of...
(born 1946), then a Democrat from Metairie in Jefferson Parish. Schwegmann was the son of former state legislator and PSC member John G. Schwegmann
John G. Schwegmann
John Gerald Schwegmann, Jr., was a pioneer in the development of the modern supermarket. He owned eighteen stores in the Greater New Orleans area, based from Metairie, a large unincorporated city in Jefferson Parish...
(1911–1995) and is the husband of former Lieutenant Governor Melinda Schwegmann
Melinda Schwegmann
Melinda B. Schwegmann was the lieutenant governor of Louisiana from 1992–1996 – the first woman to hold the position. She made an unsuccessful run for governor of Louisiana in 1995...
, another Democrat turned Republican. Blossman polled 133,455 votes (55 percent) to Schwegmann's 108,957 (45 percent).
Blossman defeated Schwegmann again in 2002, 104,963 votes (68 percent) to 49,643 ballots (32 percent). It was in the October 2002 primary that Schwegmann was first listed as an "independent" or officially "no party" on the Louisiana ballot.
The ill-fated gubernatorial attempt, 2003
Main article: Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2003Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2003
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 2003 resulted in the election of Kathleen Babineaux Blanco as governor of Louisiana.- Background :Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. presidential elections—follow a variation of the open primary system called the jungle primary...
In 2003, Blossman announced that he would seek to become the Republican gubernatorial consensus candidate to succeed term-limited GOP
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...
Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
. Blossman calls himself a "Reagan conservative." He opposed the since repealed Stelly Plan
Stelly Plan
The Stelly Plan is a since repealed 2002 tax measure in the U.S. state of Louisiana designed to shift certain state sales taxes on food for home consumption and utilities to increases in state income taxes. Narrowly approved by voters, the proposal soon ran into criticism as middle-class taxpayers...
, which increased property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
es on most middle-class families and was named for its author, former state Representative Vic Stelly
Vic Stelly
Victor Theodore Stelly, known as Vic Stelly , is a retired businessman from Lake Charles, Louisiana, a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents for Higher Education, and from 1988-2004 a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 35 in Calcasieu Parish in the...
of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
.
However, other Republicans wanted to run as well, including former Governor David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
(born 1928), of Blossman's own St. Tammany Parish. Treen, after testing the waters, never filed his papers to make the race. Two other Republicans continued in the race: (1) state Representative Huntington B. "Hunt" Downer, Jr.
Hunt Downer
Major General Huntington Blair Downer, Jr., known as Hunt Downer , is a Republican politician in the U.S. state of Louisiana who is the assistant adjutant general of the state National Guard and the first ever director of the new Louisiana Veterans Affairs Department.A former Speaker of the...
, (born 1946) of Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
, and (2) Bobby L. Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
(born 1971), an Indian-American health-care specialist then of Baton Rouge and the favorite of Governor Foster, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and much of the Republican leadership. The Republican hopefuls risked dividing their party's base to such an extent that two Democrats, and no Republican candidate, might have been thrust into 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...
under Louisiana's unique jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
law.
Blossman found himself in hot water with outgoing Governor Foster, who lashed out against the public service commissioner on radio. Blossman had run a television commercial which blamed state leaders for not funding a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
program that could have led to the earlier arrest of a suspected South Louisiana serial killer. Foster said that he considered that his criticism could aid Blossman's campaign by giving it more exposure, but the governor spoke out and accused Blossman of running an offensive advertisement in bad taste.
Blossman spent more than $1 million in his race, much of that amount consisting of his own loans to his campaign. By late summer, Blossman had $613,000 on hand. He spent $552,000 in the second quarter of 2003, including the repayment of $285,000 in loans to himself. He raised $168,000 from others in the third quarter, $512,000 since January 1, 2003.
When Blossman failed to make the expected traction in the polls, he announced that former Republican Congressman Clyde C. Holloway
Clyde C. Holloway
Clyde Cecil Holloway is an American small business owner from Forest Hill in the southern part of Rapides Parish who is one of five members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He also served as a conservative Republican member of the U.S...
(born 1943) of Forest Hill
Forest Hill, Louisiana
Forest Hill is a village in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 456 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Forest Hill is located at ....
in Rapides Parish would join him on an unofficial "ticket" as the lieutenant governor's candidate. Candidates had stopped forming such combinations after the 1971 Democratic primaries. Holloway was widely identified as a social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
by his voting record. He had represented the heavily Democratic and since defunct Eighth Congressional District from 1987-1993. Holloway was eleven years Blossman's senior and had left Congress four years before Blossman joined the PSC. In the run for lieutenant governor, Holloway stressed the need to halt the loss of manufacturing jobs from Louisiana and to boost the low-wage base in many parishes.
Blossman continued to sink in the opinion polls, was denied a seat in a candidate debate forum, withdrew from the gubernatorial race, and endorsed Downer, who contested Jindal for a potential but not assured GOP slot in the general election. Earlier, Blossman had called Downer "a liberal Democrat", but he then said that only Downer, among the Republican candidates, could actually win the general election. Blossman said that Jindal, who is seven years younger than Blossman, was too young and inexperienced to prevail in the governor's race.
Jindal went on to lead the pack of candidates and was placed into a second round of balloting with the top Democrat, outgoing Lieutenant Governor (and former member of the PSC as well) Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. Blanco in turn defeated Jindal, 52-48 percent.
Holloway remained in the lieutenant governor's race after Blossman dropped his candidacy. He finished a weak second to Democrat Mitchell Landrieu
Mitch Landrieu
Mitchell Joseph "Mitch" Landrieu is the Mayor of New Orleans, former Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, and a member of the Landrieu family. Landrieu is a member of the Democratic Party and a Roman Catholic. He is the son of former New Orleans mayor and Secretary of the United States Department of...
of the New Orleans Landrieu family. Landrieu in fact won the second office directly in the primary. Also in the lieutenant governor's race was a former holder of the office, Melinda Schwegmann
Melinda Schwegmann
Melinda B. Schwegmann was the lieutenant governor of Louisiana from 1992–1996 – the first woman to hold the position. She made an unsuccessful run for governor of Louisiana in 1995...
, wife of Blossman's former PSC opponent, John F. Schwegmann.
Blossman did not seek reelection in 2008. Former Commissioner John F. Schwegmann, using the "No Party" label, led a field of four candidates in the jungle primary held on October 4. Schwegmann led in the primary with 61,711 (41.8 percent) to the 34,206 ballots (23.1 percent) for Republican Eric F. Skrmetta
Eric Skrmetta
Eric Frederick Skrmetta is an attorney from Metairie, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission from District 1, which includes suburban New Orleans, the eastern Florida Parishes, and the River Parishes...
(born October 1, 1958) of Metairie. The other candidates were Republican Kenneth L. Odinet, Sr., with 33,470 (22.6 percent), and "No Party" Bruce C. Kincade, with 18,440 (12.5 percent). In the November 4 general election, Skrmetta easily defeated Schwegmann, 222,268 (60 percent) to 149,220 (40 percent).