Conrad Appel
| Conrad Henry Appel, III | |
 | |
Louisiana State Senator
for District 9 (Jefferson Parish) | |
| In office November 20, 2008 – January 13, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Scalise |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Cameron Henry |
| Born | June 17, 1951 New Orleans Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Ann Appel |
| Children | Conrad (Connor) Appel, IV
Whitney Caroline Appel |
| Occupation | Businessman
Isidore Newman School (New Orleans) |
Conrad Henry Appel, III (born June 17, 1951), is a businessman from Metairie in suburban Jefferson Parish outside New Orleans , Louisiana, who from 2008 to 2020 served as a state senator for District 9. A a Republican, Appel won a special election to succeed short-term state Senator Steve Scalise, after Scalise was instead elected to the United States House of Representatives following the accession of U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal to the governorship.
Background
A New Orleans native, Appel (pronounced AH PELL) graduate in 1969 from the college preparatory Isidore Newman School. In 1973, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Appel has had an extensive business career, with more than forty years in management experience for a large general construction firm. He is the president of three business, including Construction Management Services, Inc., Trinity Company - Real Estate, and ConstructionSouth, Inc., of Metairie, which specializes in industrial and commercial general construction. He is also a licensed real estate broker.[1]
Appel and his wife, Carol Ann, have two children, Conrad Appel, IV, and Whitney Caroline Appel.[1]
Political life
As a first-time candidate Appel defeated fellow Republican Polly Thomas, a professor at the University of New Orleans, in a special election held at the time of the November 4, 2008, national general election. Thomas' defeat for the Senate seat was her fourth election loss since 1999. Appel said that he was pleased to have Thomas as his opponent: "Polly and I have been friends for a long time, and this has been a hard race for me. I'm really proud of Polly."[2] Thomas had also run against Scalise in 2007 and polled only 29 percent of the vote in the regular legislative election.[3] Appel received 21,853 votes (52.1 percent) to Thomas's 20,065 (47.9 percent).[4] Thomas since has been elected as state representative for House District 80.
Appel emphasized economic development in post-Hurricane Katrina period. He has been affiliated with the Jefferson Business Council and the New Orleans Dock Board. Upon his election, Appel said that he would not seek any other political office but remain in the Senate.[2] Appel served on these committees: (1) Commerce, Consumer Protection, and International Affairs, (2) Education, (3) Judiciary C as vice chairman, (4) Retirement.[5]
In 2010, Appel supported the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry 100 percent of the time. He backed the Louisiana Family Forum 90 percent of the time. In 2009, he was rated 100 percent by the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. In 2011, Appel voted to make the state tobacco tax permanent, but the measure was vetoed by Governor Jindal. He also voted against an amendment to the Smoke-free Air Act that would have forbidden smoking in bars and restaurants.[6] Appel filed a bill, with Jindal's support, to merge the University of New Orleans with the historically black Southern University at New Orleans.[6] The state is too small economically to maintain so many four-year universities. Touted as a way to save funds earmarked for higher education, the measure nevertheless failed because of a lack of support in both houses of the legislature. Appel did obtain passage of a bill to place the Schepis Museum in New Orleans into the state system. He also urged support for a state constitutional amendment to limit how public colleges can increase or implement student fees.[7] his third and final state Senate term in the primary election held on October 24, 2015, when he defeated fellow Republican and former state Representative John LaBruzzo, 14,701 (57 percent) to 11,109 (43 percent).[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Senator Conrad Appel - District 9. Louisiana State Senate. Retrieved on August 31, 2011; material no longer on-line.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Richard Rainey, "Conrad Appel bests Polly Thomas for state Senate seat," The New Orleans Times-Picayune, November 4, 2008.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 4, 2008.
- ↑ Senator Conrad Appel - District 9. Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved on August 31, 2011; material no longer on-line.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Senator Conrad Appel. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on April 1, 2020.
- ↑ Senator Conrad Appel. louisianagovernmentalstudies.com. Retrieved on April 1, 2020.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 2015.
