Quentin Dastugue
Encyclopedia
Quentin D. Dastugue is a founding partner and the chief executive officer of the New Orleans-based real estate firm Property One, Inc., and a former four-term member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
. Dastugue was elected as a Democrat
to the state House in 1979 and 1983 as the District 82 representative for suburb
an Jefferson Parish
. In 1984, as he began his second term in the House, he switched his affiliation to the Republican Party
to support the reelection of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan and Vice President
George Herbert Walker Bush.
As the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works, Dastugue authored and secured passage of the state Transportation Trust Fund and the TIMED program. In 1994, he received one of eleven national "Legislator of the Year" awards.
In 1990, Dastugue announced that he would run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in a bid to unseat popular Democratic incumbent J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., of Shreveport. However, when the Republican State Central Committee endorsed state Senator Ben Bagert
of New Orleans as the official party choice, Dastugue abandoned plans to make the race. Bagert later withdrew from the contest, and Johnston defeated the remaining Republican hopeful, controversial state Representative David Duke
, then of Jefferson Parish, a former Grand Wizard
of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
.
In 1995, rather than seeking a fifth term in the legislature, Dastugue entered the gubernatorial race as the early official choice of the Republican state leadership. However, he withdrew from the governor's contest when he failed to make headway in the race to raise money. Thereafter, most GOP
leaders coalesced behind state Senator Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
, of St. Mary Parish
, who switched from Democratic to Republican affiliation during the campaign. Two other Republicans, also former Democrats and former governors, ran too, Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer, III
, who in 1991 had upset the right-to-life contingent of the party, and David C. Treen
, who soon withdrew from consideration. Ultimately, Foster handily won the election in a runoff.
degree in civil engineering
from the Georgia Institute of Technology
in Atlanta
. Upon his graduation in 1977, he returned to his native New Orleans to assume a position as commercial leasing manager for Medallion Management, Inc., with responsibilities for office buildings and shopping centers. In 1983, he joined Property Network, Inc., and progressed from investment sales broker to vice president of the commercial sales division to senior vice president for Louisiana, Florida
, and Texas
. In 1985, he founded Property One, a full service commercial real estate firm that has grown to be one of the largest firms in the region with over five offices across South Louisiana.
Dastugue's commercial real estate experience includes leasing, investment sales, development, property management, construction project management, and consulting. He has also served on numerous civic organizations and real estate industry committees. He was honored by the Jefferson Board of Realtors as "Realtor Associate of the Year". He served on the board of directors of WYES public television and the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce
. He sits on the board of the Idea Village, and the Audubon Institute. In addition to his engineering credentials, Dastugue is a graduate of the Loyola University Institute of Politics. He has also been a youth basketball and softball coach for his three daughters.
levee
s. He filed bills to reform the levee boards year after year during the 1980s, when then Democratic Governor Edwin Washington Edwards was at the zenith of his power. Dastugue said that establishment politicians ridiculed his reform attempts. Dastugue was, unfortunately in his view, vindicated by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina
. "What bothered me the most was seeing intelligent people turn their backs on such an important public service," Dastugue said of his earlier efforts on behalf of stronger levees.
In 1987, Dastugue won his first election as a Republican by a large margin in his metropolitan district. He received 7,210 votes (64 percent) to 3,432 ballots (30 percent) for the Democrat Dale Cannizzaro. A second Republican, J. W. West, polled the remaining 6 percent.
In 1991, in his last election, Dastugue polled 8,456 ballots (73 percent), to 3,089 (27 percent) for Democrat Alfred J. "Al" Ferry. Ferry ran again in 1995 but lost by nearly the same margin to Dastugue's successor, fellow Republican Steve Scalise
.
with his wife, the former Penny Matherne (born 1959).
Mrs. Dastugue is a former elected Republican member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Education from District 1 (the New Orleans suburbs). She won the seat in the November 15, 2003, general election
. She polled 57,205 votes (54 percent) to Democrat Barbara Ferguson's 48,729 ballots (46 percent). A second Republican candidate, incumbent Donna Contois, was eliminated in the primary the preceding month.
Penny Dastugue was not a candidate for reelection to the BESE board in the primary held on October 20, 2007. Her fellow Republican, James "Jim" Garvey of Metairie, was unopposed for the seat. After his inauguration
early in 2008, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal
named Penny Dastugue to continue to serve on the BESE board, a body which consists of both elected and appointed members.
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
. Dastugue was elected 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...
to the state House in 1979 and 1983 as the District 82 representative for 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...
an 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 1984, as he began his second term in the House, he switched his affiliation to the Republican Party
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...
to support the reelection of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
George Herbert Walker Bush.
As the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works, Dastugue authored and secured passage of the state Transportation Trust Fund and the TIMED program. In 1994, he received one of eleven national "Legislator of the Year" awards.
In 1990, Dastugue announced that he would run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in a bid to unseat popular Democratic incumbent J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., of Shreveport. However, when the Republican State Central Committee endorsed state Senator Ben Bagert
Ben Bagert
Bernard John "Ben" Bagert, Jr. is a prominent New Orleans attorney who was a member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1970 to 1992. As a legislator, Bagert was known as a politician who did not follow structured party dogma...
of New Orleans as the official party choice, Dastugue abandoned plans to make the race. Bagert later withdrew from the contest, and Johnston defeated the remaining Republican hopeful, controversial state Representative David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
, then of Jefferson Parish, a former Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard was the title given to the leader of the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan which existed from 1866 to 1871.In 1915, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was created, initially as a fraternal organization. The highest-ranking leader of the latter organization was the Imperial Wizard. National...
of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
In 1995, rather than seeking a fifth term in the legislature, Dastugue entered the gubernatorial race as the early official choice of the Republican state leadership. However, he withdrew from the governor's contest when he failed to make headway in the race to raise money. Thereafter, most 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...
leaders coalesced behind state Senator Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
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...
, of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
, who switched from Democratic to Republican affiliation during the campaign. Two other Republicans, also former Democrats and former governors, ran too, Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer, III
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...
, who in 1991 had upset the right-to-life contingent of the party, and 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...
, who soon withdrew from consideration. Ultimately, Foster handily won the election in a runoff.
Education and business experience
Dastugue earned a Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Upon his graduation in 1977, he returned to his native New Orleans to assume a position as commercial leasing manager for Medallion Management, Inc., with responsibilities for office buildings and shopping centers. In 1983, he joined Property Network, Inc., and progressed from investment sales broker to vice president of the commercial sales division to senior vice president for Louisiana, 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...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In 1985, he founded Property One, a full service commercial real estate firm that has grown to be one of the largest firms in the region with over five offices across South Louisiana.
Dastugue's commercial real estate experience includes leasing, investment sales, development, property management, construction project management, and consulting. He has also served on numerous civic organizations and real estate industry committees. He was honored by the Jefferson Board of Realtors as "Realtor Associate of the Year". He served on the board of directors of WYES public television and the New Orleans Regional 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...
. He sits on the board of the Idea Village, and the Audubon Institute. In addition to his engineering credentials, Dastugue is a graduate of the Loyola University Institute of Politics. He has also been a youth basketball and softball coach for his three daughters.
Dastugue called for levee board reforms
As a legislator, Dastugue was a leader of a small group who questioned the accountability of the levee board system of controlling the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s. He filed bills to reform the levee boards year after year during the 1980s, when then Democratic Governor Edwin Washington Edwards was at the zenith of his power. Dastugue said that establishment politicians ridiculed his reform attempts. Dastugue was, unfortunately in his view, vindicated by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. "What bothered me the most was seeing intelligent people turn their backs on such an important public service," Dastugue said of his earlier efforts on behalf of stronger levees.
Elections of 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, and 2003
Dastugue was first elected in 1979 when he defeated a two-term incumbent. He won with more than 60 percent of the vote. At the age of twenty-three, he was the third youngest person ever elected to the Louisiana legislature.In 1987, Dastugue won his first election as a Republican by a large margin in his metropolitan district. He received 7,210 votes (64 percent) to 3,432 ballots (30 percent) for the Democrat Dale Cannizzaro. A second Republican, J. W. West, polled the remaining 6 percent.
In 1991, in his last election, Dastugue polled 8,456 ballots (73 percent), to 3,089 (27 percent) for Democrat Alfred J. "Al" Ferry. Ferry ran again in 1995 but lost by nearly the same margin to Dastugue's successor, fellow Republican Steve Scalise
Steve Scalise
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Scalise is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party...
.
Penny Dastugue
Dastugue lives in MandevilleMandeville, 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...
with his wife, the former Penny Matherne (born 1959).
Mrs. Dastugue is a former elected Republican member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Education from District 1 (the New Orleans suburbs). She won the seat in the November 15, 2003, 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...
. She polled 57,205 votes (54 percent) to Democrat Barbara Ferguson's 48,729 ballots (46 percent). A second Republican candidate, incumbent Donna Contois, was eliminated in the primary the preceding month.
Penny Dastugue was not a candidate for reelection to the BESE board in the primary held on October 20, 2007. Her fellow Republican, James "Jim" Garvey of Metairie, was unopposed for the seat. After his inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
early in 2008, Republican Governor Bobby 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....
named Penny Dastugue to continue to serve on the BESE board, a body which consists of both elected and appointed members.
External links
- http://www.property-one.com/who_br.cfm?id=1#Quentin
- http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2005-11-22/news_feat.php
- http://www.ideavillage.org/about_board.php