John Alario
Encyclopedia
John A. Alario, Jr. is an American
businessman from Westwego
in Jefferson Parish
in the New Orleans
suburbs, who is the dean of the Louisiana State Legislature
, having served consecutively in the law-making body since 1972. He was the District 83 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from 1972 to 2008. During this period, he served two four-year stints as Speaker
of the House—from 1984 to 1988 and 1992 to 1996, the third and fourth terms of his close ally, former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. Term-limited in the nonpartisan blanket primary on October 20, 2007, Alario, then a Democrat
, was instead elected to his first term in District 8 in the Louisiana State Senate
.
in Harvey
in Jefferson Parish. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1965 from Southeastern Louisiana University
in Hammond
in Tangipahoa Parish
. He was subsequently named an "Outstanding Alumnus" of both institutions. Alario attended the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Massachusetts
. He was a schoolteacher from 1965 to 1966 and an accountant
from 1966 to 1972, at which time he launched an income tax
service in Westwego. He is a member of the professional organization, the National Society of Public Accountants. Alario was the chairman of the Louisiana Exposition Authority, which arranged the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition
in New Orleans. In 1973, freshman Representative Alario was elected as a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, whose members included a future governor, Buddy Roemer, and a subsequent Louisiana secretary of state and insurance commissioner, James H. "Jim" Brown. From 1968 to 1972, Alario served on the Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee. He was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention
in Miami Beach
, Florida
, which nominated the George S. McGovern and R. Sargent Shriver ticket, which fared particularly weak in Louisiana.
Alario is Roman Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus
men's organization. He is married to the former Alba "Ree" Williamson. The couple has three sons, John W. "Johnny" Alario (born c. 1966), Christopher Brian Alario (born c. 1972), and Kevin George Alario (b. 1976).
of Lafayette
, as "a master of adding just the right degree of levity to defuse almost any potentially explosive situation." In 1986, Alario removed Representative Kevin P. Reilly, Sr.
, of Baton Rouge from the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee after thirteen years of service when Reilly, an unsuccessful candidate for state treasurer
the following year, criticized Governor Edwards.
With the election of Buddy Roemer
as governor, Alario was replaced as Speaker by Jimmy N. Dimos of Monroe
. Ron Gomez explained that Alario and Senate President Sammy Nunez of Chalmette
nevertheless attempted to maintain their leadership posts. He explained: "Alario immediately had the backing of organized labor, the black caucus, many member from the New Orleans and Jefferson Parish delegations and a healthy number of other House members whom he had helped and to whom he had ingratiated himself over the years." However, in Louisiana, the governor is rarely prevented from selecting his own legislative leaders, regardless of party or factional considerations. Nunez, meanwhile, was succeeded by Allen Bares
of Lafayette.
As a House member, Alario was chairman at different times of the Appropriations and Ways and Means committees. He last faced opposition for his House seat in the 1995 primary, when he secured 70.5 percent of the ballots over a fellow Democrat and two Republican candidates. He ran without opposition in the House races of 1987, 1991, 1999, and 2003.
chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr.
, of Jefferson Parish, voters heavily supported Alario. A Louisiana Republican Party flyer charged Alario with corruption:
In 2009, Senator Alario voted to permit restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages and assess cover charge
s for live entertainment. He supported the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
53 percent of the time.
tapped Alario, whom the Republican Party had virgorouly opposed in the 2007 senatorial campaign, as his choice for the presidency of the State Senate, effective January 2012. If approved by his thirty-eight colleagues, Alario will replace the term-limited Senate president Joel Chaisson
, a Democrat from Destrehan
in St. Charles Parish
. Alario would also become only the second person in Louisiana and United States history to have been the presiding officer of both the state House and the state Senate of their legislature since the death in 2005 of Republican Senator John Hainkel
of New Orleans. Four state Senate seats will not be determined until the November 19, 2011, general election. Jindal claimed to have commitments from twenty of the thirty-nine senators to support Alario.
, Southeastern Louisiana University. He was nominated for the honor by then State Representative Henry "Tank" Powell
, a Ponchatoula
Republican who is also an alumnus of the institution. At the time, Powell said that the then Democrat Alario "cares about people more than he does about politics. We [then] represent different parties, yet John is willing to work together if it benefits Louisiana. I respect him and so does every member of the legislature. He is a statesman."
Alario is a past winner of the "Hale Boggs Outstanding and Dedicated Service to Community Award", named for the late Democratic House Majority Whip from New Orleans, Hale Boggs
. Alario received the Chamber of Commerce
"Business Champion Award". He was named a "Special Olympics
Champion" in 2008. He has been honored by the Association for Retarded Citizens, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, and the Louisiana State Troopers Association. He has also been honored by the Jefferson Parish Marine Fisheries Association for his support of the Gulf of Mexico
fishing industry. Even the conservative interest group, the Louisiana Family Forum
, gave him its 2009 "Family Advocate Award". Alario voted with the Family Forum 78 percent of the time in the 2009 legislative session.
Alario was inducted in 2003 into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
.
The John A. Alario, Sr., Event Center
in Westwego is named in honor of Alario's father because Louisiana does not permit public facilities to be named for living people. Similarly, the office complex Alario Hall at the Capitol is named for Alario, Sr. The structure is part of the Bayou Segnette Sports Complex, located near Bayou Segnette State Park
. The New Orleans Hornets practice there.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman from Westwego
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...
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...
suburbs, who is the dean of the Louisiana State Legislature
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...
, having served consecutively in the law-making body since 1972. He was the District 83 member of 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...
from 1972 to 2008. During this period, he served two four-year stints as Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the House—from 1984 to 1988 and 1992 to 1996, the third and fourth terms of his close ally, former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. Term-limited in the nonpartisan blanket primary on October 20, 2007, Alario, then 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 instead elected to his first term in District 8 in the Louisiana State Senate
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...
.
Background
Alario is the son of John Alario, Sr. (1924–1985). Alario graduated in 1961 from West Jefferson High SchoolWest Jefferson High School (Louisiana)
West Jefferson High School , also known as WJHS, and West Jeff is a public high school located in Harvey in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, just outside of New Orleans. It was founded in 1955. This is one of the schools in Jefferson Parish that offered the Laptop one to...
in Harvey
Harvey, Louisiana
Harvey is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Harvey is on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in Jefferson Parish. He received a 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...
degree in 1965 from Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
in Tangipahoa Parish
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...
. He was subsequently named an "Outstanding Alumnus" of both institutions. Alario attended the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He was a schoolteacher from 1965 to 1966 and an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
from 1966 to 1972, at which time he launched an 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...
service in Westwego. He is a member of the professional organization, the National Society of Public Accountants. Alario was the chairman of the Louisiana Exposition Authority, which arranged the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition
1984 Louisiana World Exposition
The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984 and ended on Sunday, November 11, 1984...
in New Orleans. In 1973, freshman Representative Alario was elected as a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, whose members included a future governor, Buddy Roemer, and a subsequent Louisiana secretary of state and insurance commissioner, James H. "Jim" Brown. From 1968 to 1972, Alario served on the Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee. He was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention
1972 Democratic National Convention
The 1972 Democratic National Convention was the presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party for the 1972 presidential election. It was held at Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida on July 10–13, 1972....
in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, which nominated the George S. McGovern and R. Sargent Shriver ticket, which fared particularly weak in Louisiana.
Alario is Roman Catholic and a member of the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
men's organization. He is married to the former Alba "Ree" Williamson. The couple has three sons, John W. "Johnny" Alario (born c. 1966), Christopher Brian Alario (born c. 1972), and Kevin George Alario (b. 1976).
House Speaker
As the House Speaker, Alario was described by a colleague, Ron GomezRon Gomez
Ronald James Gomez, Sr., known as Ron Gomez , is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, author , and businessman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, from 1980-1989. From 1990-1992, he was the secretary of natural resources in...
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...
, as "a master of adding just the right degree of levity to defuse almost any potentially explosive situation." In 1986, Alario removed Representative Kevin P. Reilly, Sr.
Kevin Reilly (Louisiana politician)
Kevin Patrick Reilly, Sr. , a retired businessman and active philanthropist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the former executive officer of the Lamar Advertising Company who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 68 between 1972 and 1988...
, of Baton Rouge from the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee after thirteen years of service when Reilly, an unsuccessful candidate for state treasurer
State Treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....
the following year, criticized Governor Edwards.
With the election of Buddy Roemer
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
as governor, Alario was replaced as Speaker by Jimmy N. Dimos of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
. Ron Gomez explained that Alario and Senate President Sammy Nunez of Chalmette
Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
nevertheless attempted to maintain their leadership posts. He explained: "Alario immediately had the backing of organized labor, the black caucus, many member from the New Orleans and Jefferson Parish delegations and a healthy number of other House members whom he had helped and to whom he had ingratiated himself over the years." However, in Louisiana, the governor is rarely prevented from selecting his own legislative leaders, regardless of party or factional considerations. Nunez, meanwhile, was succeeded by Allen Bares
Allen Bares
Allen Ray Bares, Sr. was a Lafayette lawyer who served as a conservative Democrat in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1972 and 1992. He is particularly remembered for his strong support of the pro-life cause and the Boy Scouts of America...
of Lafayette.
As a House member, Alario was chairman at different times of the Appropriations and Ways and Means committees. He last faced opposition for his House seat in the 1995 primary, when he secured 70.5 percent of the ballots over a fellow Democrat and two Republican candidates. He ran without opposition in the House races of 1987, 1991, 1999, and 2003.
Election to the State Senate
Alario won the state Senate seat in 2007 over the Republican candidate, businessman John K. Roberts, 16,939 (63.4 percent) to 9,783 (36.6 percent). Though Roberts had the support of state GOPRepublican 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...
chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Roger Francis Villere, Jr. is a businessman from Metairie in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans who on March 26, 2004, was elected state chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party by the 144-member GOP State Central Committee. He succeeded Pat Brister of St...
, of Jefferson Parish, voters heavily supported Alario. A Louisiana Republican Party flyer charged Alario with corruption:
In 2009, Senator Alario voted to permit restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages and assess cover charge
Cover charge
At bars and nightclubs, or restaurants with live entertainment a flat fee for entry, sometimes known as a cover charge, is made, in addition to payment for food and drink...
s for live entertainment. He supported the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
53 percent of the time.
State Senate presidency
On October 25, 2011, Governor Bobby JindalBobby 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....
tapped Alario, whom the Republican Party had virgorouly opposed in the 2007 senatorial campaign, as his choice for the presidency of the State Senate, effective January 2012. If approved by his thirty-eight colleagues, Alario will replace the term-limited Senate president Joel Chaisson
Joel Chaisson
Joel Thomas Chaisson, II , is an American Democratic politician who is the outgoing president of the Louisiana State Senate. He assumed the leadership position on January 14, 2008. A resident of Destrehan, Chaisson has represented Senate District 19 in St. Charles Parish since 2000...
, a Democrat from Destrehan
Destrehan, Louisiana
Destrehan is a census-designated place in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2000 census. It was named after Jean N...
in St. Charles Parish
St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
. Alario would also become only the second person in Louisiana and United States history to have been the presiding officer of both the state House and the state Senate of their legislature since the death in 2005 of Republican Senator John Hainkel
John Hainkel
John Joseph Hainkel, Jr., was a gregarious, ruffled, and raspy-voiced legislator from New Orleans who died in office after thirty-seven years of service...
of New Orleans. Four state Senate seats will not be determined until the November 19, 2011, general election. Jindal claimed to have commitments from twenty of the thirty-nine senators to support Alario.
Honors
In 1998, Alario received the "Golden Ambassador" award from his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Southeastern Louisiana University. He was nominated for the honor by then State Representative Henry "Tank" Powell
Henry "Tank" Powell
Henry Watson Powell, known as Henry "Tank" Powell , is an insurance agent in Ponchatoula in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 73 from 1996 until term-limited in 2008...
, a Ponchatoula
Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Ponchatoula is a city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,180 at the 2000 census. Ponchatoula calls itself the "Strawberry Capital of the World". It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area. The current mayor is Bob Zabbia.-Geography:Ponchatoula is...
Republican who is also an alumnus of the institution. At the time, Powell said that the then Democrat Alario "cares about people more than he does about politics. We [then] represent different parties, yet John is willing to work together if it benefits Louisiana. I respect him and so does every member of the legislature. He is a statesman."
Alario is a past winner of the "Hale Boggs Outstanding and Dedicated Service to Community Award", named for the late Democratic House Majority Whip from New Orleans, Hale Boggs
Hale Boggs
Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. , was an American Democratic politician and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Orleans, Louisiana...
. Alario received the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
"Business Champion Award". He was named a "Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
Champion" in 2008. He has been honored by the Association for Retarded Citizens, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, and the Louisiana State Troopers Association. He has also been honored by the Jefferson Parish Marine Fisheries Association for his support of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
fishing industry. Even the conservative interest group, the Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum is a social conservative non-profit advocacy group based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage law and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage...
, gave him its 2009 "Family Advocate Award". Alario voted with the Family Forum 78 percent of the time in the 2009 legislative session.
Alario was inducted in 2003 into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
.
The John A. Alario, Sr., Event Center
Alario Center
The John A. Alario, Sr. Event Center, commonly shortened as the Alario Center, is a 2,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Westwego, Louisiana, USA. The facility was approved for construction in 1993, and opened in 1999. The arena is most notably used as the practice facility for the NBA's New Orleans...
in Westwego is named in honor of Alario's father because Louisiana does not permit public facilities to be named for living people. Similarly, the office complex Alario Hall at the Capitol is named for Alario, Sr. The structure is part of the Bayou Segnette Sports Complex, located near Bayou Segnette State Park
Bayou Segnette State Park
Bayou Segnette State Park is located in Westwego, Jefferson Parish southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana, on the west bank of the Mississippi River....
. The New Orleans Hornets practice there.