Mert Smiley

M. J. "Mert" Smiley, Jr. (born December 23, 1951), is an automobile dealer and politician from St. Amant, Louisiana. He is the assessor of Ascension Parish, located south of Baton Rouge. Though elected in 2011, he did not take office until January 2013. Meanwhile, Governor Bobby Jindal named Smiley to serve during 2012 on the Louisiana Pardon Board, a part-time position which pays $36,000 annually.^[1]

Formerly, Smiley was a two-term Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 88, which encompasses Ascension and Livingston parishes in the outlying Baton Rouge area. In 2012, the district was reconfigured and is now based only in Ascension Parish.^[2]

Background

A Baton Rouge native, Smiley graduated in 1969 from East Ascension High School. After years in the work force, he attended the Ford Marketing Institute in 1984. Since 1994, he has owned the used car dealership, Smiley Enterprises, Inc., in St. Amant. From 1981 to 1994, he was sales manager at All-Star Ford in Denham Springs in Livingston Parish. Smiley is affiliated with Rotary International, the Chamber of Commerce, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. He is Roman Catholic. His wife is Ina Smiley.^[3]

Legislative matters

Smiley calls himself a "fiscal conservative." As a member of the House since 2004, in an effort to trim state spending, he supported the abolition of more than 125 state commissions and boards. He also voted against the Stelly Plan, a tax transfer scheme named for former Representative Vic Stelly of Calcasieu Parish.^[4]

Smiley barely led the field in the 2003 nonpartisan blanket primary for House District 88, formerly held under a different districting plan by Republican Tom Capella, now the assessor of Jefferson Parish. Smiley polled 4,678 votes (31.4 percent) and faced a general election with the Democrat Ralph L. Willie of Livingston, who polled 4,581 votes (30.7 percent). Two other Republicans, Paul Henderson and Michael J. "Mike" Muller, and an Independent, Willis Blackwell, held the remaining but critical 38 percent.^[5] Smiley then defeated Willie, 8,259 (54 percent) to 7,014 (46 percent).^[6] Smiley was unopposed for reelection in the primary held on October 20, 2007.

Smiley served on these House committees: (1) Appropriations, (2) Budget, (3) House and Governmental Affairs as vice chair, (4) Judiciary, (5) Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Resources, and (6) Subcommittee on Public Safety and Corrections.^[3] In 2010, Smiley was rated 100 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. He drew 90 percent from the Louisiana Family Forum, ten points lower than his perfect score in 2009.^[3]

Assessor election

In the primary held on October 22, 2011, Smiley did not seek reelection to the House in the revised District 88 but instead unseated the two-term Ascension Parish Assessor Renee Mire Michel, a Democrat and member of a prominent Ascension Parish political family. Smiley received 11,736 votes (50.3 percent) to Michel's 11,592 ballots (49.7 percent).^[2] Smiley had vowed to "offer the fair, transparent and pro-business approach that Ascension Parish voters deserve," regarding property taxes.^[4]

References