Scott Angelle

Scott Angelle
52nd Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
In office
May 17, 2010 – November 22, 2010
Governor Bobby Jindal
Preceded by Mitch Landrieu
Succeeded by Jay Dardenne
Personal details
Born November 20, 1961
Political party Democratic (Before 2010)
Republican (2010–present)
Spouse(s) Dianne Bourque
Alma mater University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website Government website

Scott Anthony Angelle (born November 20, 1961) is a Republican politician from Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, who is the District 2 member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, an elected five-person utility regulatory body. In January 2013, he succeeded the retiring Jimmy Field.

In 2010, Angelle served six months as the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana. He is a Democrat-turned-Republican.[1] He is running for Governor of Louisiana as a Republican in the 2015 election.[2]

Education

He is an honor graduate of the St. Martin Parish Public School System. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Land Management and is a Cum Laude graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.[3]

Political overview

Early political career

From 2000 to 2004, Angelle was the first parish president of his native Saint Martin Parish and the vice president of Huval Companies in Lafayette, Louisiana, from 1998 to 2000. Prior to 1998, he was a member of the Saint Martin Parish Police Jury, the local governing body known as the county commission in most other states. Earlier, he worked as a petroleum land manager in Lafayette.

Department of Natural Resources

From 2004 to 2012, with the exception of his six months as lieutenant governor, Angelle was the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources under Governors Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and then Bobby Jindal.[4] As Angelle resigned from the Natural Resources position, Jindal nominated him to represent Louisiana's 3rd congressional district on the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.[5]

Lieutenant Governor

As part of the interim appointment as lieutenant governor, Angelle agreed not to seek the position in the special election held in November 2010. The vacancy occurred when Mitch Landrieu resigned to become mayor of New Orleans. Angelle was a Democrat until he switched to the Republican affiliation on October 26, 2010.[6] Both parties had attempted to recruit Angelle to run for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district in the 2010 elections, to succeed Democrat Charlie Melancon who ran instead for the U.S. Senate, but he declined their overtures.[7]

Angelle officially began the duties of lieutenant governor on May 17, 2010. He temporarily relinquished the job of secretary of the Department of Natural Resources to Robert Harper but continued to serve as the governor's lobbyist to the Legislature.[8] Angelle returned to his position in Natural Resources after his time as lieutenant governor ended.[9]

Scott Angelle speaking at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La in July 2010 demanding the federal government to end the drilling moratorium. [10]

Moratorium Rally

On July 21, 2010, Angelle led a rally of over 12,000 citizens in Lafayette, Louisiana demanding the federal government to "Lift the [deepwater-drilling] Moratorium Now!" This was in response to the White House halting drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.[11]This rally has led to his most notable quote, "This moratorium is not hurting the stock holders of BP, or Exxon or Chevron; this moratorium is hurting the Cheramies, and the Calais, and the Dupuis, and the Robins and the Boudreauxs, and the Thibodeauxs," referring to the negative effect on the local economy that the moratorium may have. The ban was lifted in October 2010, and this is regarded as a pivotal point in Angelle's political career.

Public Service Commissioner

In the 2012 PSC race, Angelle, with 213,485 votes (57.2 percent), won all thirteen parishes in District 2 to claim the seat vacated by Jimmy Field, a Baton Rouge attorney. The Democrat Forest Wright finished second in the balloting with 76,336 votes (20.5 percent), and Republican State Representative Erich Ponti of Baton Rouge, trailed in third place with 43,287 ballots (11.6 percent). Two other contenders, a Republican and a No Party contender, shared the remaining 11 percent of the vote.[12]

Political positions

Social

Same-sex marriage

Angelle believes that same-sex marriage should be a state regulated issue, however, he is against same-sex marriage.[13]

Abortion

On May 24, 2013, Louisiana State Senator Fred Mills and Angelle held a cause that raised money for adoption awareness. They were hoisted up onto a billboard at a busy intersection in Lafayette, Louisiana. Angelle stated “Fred and I are both 1,000,000 percent pro-life and we believe in that cause and have had the good fortune to be from strong families that have a great deal of faith,” says Angelle. “When we were contacted about this opportunity and we kinda looked at it, in my mind, you can’t be pro-life unless you’re also pro-adoption. And it was a way to say, ‘It’s not just about words. It’s about actions." [14]

Gun rights

Angelle is seen in his political campaign commercial stating, "you don't mess with our second amendment rights," alluding to his support for gun ownership. He is also a member of the National Rifle Association.[15]

Education

Angelle has expressed his criticism of the Common Core standard adopted in Louisiana in 2010.[16]

Personal life

Angelle is a native of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana and one of nine children. Angelle and his wife have three daughters and two sons. He is a practicing Catholic and Parishioner of Saint Bernard Catholic Church in Breaux Bridge. In an interview on March 3, 2009, concerning the Haynesville Shale natural gas fields in Northwest Louisiana, Angelle described how his father, J. Burton Angelle, a former state representative and the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries during the administration of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards, had been his mentor in government service.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Day after resignation, Angelle announces PSC candidacy". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  2. ↑ Avery, Cole (October 2, 2014). "Scott Angelle to run for governor in 2015". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  3. ↑ Angelle bio on the Louisiana Governor's web pages (accessed May 15, 2010). See also Sandra Thompson.
  4. ↑ "Angelle resigns post as DNR secretary, Jindal liaison", August 8, 2012". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Jindal appoints Scott Angelle to LSU Board of Supervisor". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  6. ↑ Governor Jindal Picks Angelle for Louisiana Lt. Governor, Bayou Buzz, April 26, 2010 (accessed May 15, 2010). An alternative scenario is that the office of lieutenant governor be abolished, as Jindal prefers, but doing so has gained little traction in the Legislature despite the efforts of State Representative Cameron Henry of Jefferson Parish.
  7. ↑ "Queue Begins to Form for Melancon’s Open Seat". Roll Call. September 8, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ Interim lieutenant governor starts Monday, Times-Picayune, May 16, 2010, Metro Edition, p. A3 (accessed May 16, 2010).
  9. ↑ "Angelle takes office as lt. governor," Daily Star (Hammond, Louisiana), May 17, 2010, p. 6A
  10. ↑ Rally for Economic Survival
  11. ↑ "Lift the Moratorium Now, July 26, 2010".
  12. ↑ "Louisiana election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ Louisiana religious freedom bill and gay marriage: Where the gubernatorial candidates stand
  14. ↑ Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle And La. Sen. Fred Mills Going “Up In The Air” For Adoption Awareness
  15. ↑ 'John Breaux Democrat' leaves the party
  16. ↑ Scott Angelle Latest Gubernatorial Candidate To Condemn Common Core
  17. ↑ Clean Skies television interview, March 3, 2009 (accessed May 15, 2010).

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Mitch Landrieu		 Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
2010 		Succeeded by
Jay Dardenne
Preceded by
Jimmy Field		 Member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
from the 2nd district
2013–present 		Incumbent