Nita Hutter
| Nita Rusich Hutter Meins | |
 | |
Louisiana State Representative
for District 104 (St. Bernard Parish) | |
| In office 2000 – 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Warner |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Paul Bryan Hollis |
| Born | October 29, 1949 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Divorced and remarried (names of husbands not available) |
| Children | One son |
| Residence | Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish |
| Alma mater | Loyola University (New Orleans) |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Nita Rusich Hutter Meins, known in her state House tenure as Nita Hutter (born October 29, 1949), is a community college administrator who served from 2000 to 2012 as a Republican state representative for District 104 in St. Bermard Parish, Louisiana.[1]
Background
Hutter graduated in 1974 from the Roman Catholic-affiliated Loyola University in her native New Orleans. In 1978, she received a Master of Education degree from Tulane University, also in New Orleans.[2] Hutter is a former teacher in St. Bernard Parish and is the executive director of Delgado Community College in New Orleans.[3]
She is divorced,[2] remarried, and the mother of one son.[4]
Legislative career
With previoius exposure as a St. Bernard Parish council member, Hutter was sufficiently well known that she was unopposed in 1999 for her first term in the state House. To win her second term in the House in 2003, she defeated another Republican, Mike Bayham, 8,839 (61 percent) to 5,667 (39 percent).[5] In 2007, Hutter prevailed over a Democrat, Stacy Riley, Sr., 4,120 (69.5 percent) to 1,812 (30.6 percent).[6]
Early in 2011, a television station, WDSU, disclosed that Hutter was living in Metairie, a large unincorporated area in Jefferson Parish outside the boundaries of House District 104. When confronted, Hutter explained that she has temporarily left St. Bernard Parish temporarily after Hurricane Katrina struck and was helping to care for her elderly mother at the Metairie address. She still maintains her legal residence in a house on Golden Drive in Chalmette. The structure was damaged by Katrina and has not been restored.[7] The legislature passed a bill requiring members to be in continuous residence in their districts; Hutter was the lone dissenter on the measure, which was signed into law by Republican Governor Bobby Jindal. In 2020, the Louisiana Secretary of State's office does not show that Hutter-Meins is a registered voter in either Chalmette or Metairie.
In her last legislative session, Hutter chaired the House Transportation Committee. She served on special committees regarding Coastal Restoration, Flood Control, and Disaster Planning, topics of great important to her district. In 2006, she was named chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus.[4] In 2010, Hutter received a 38 percent rating by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, low for a Republican lawmaker, 78 percent from the conservative Louisiana Family Forum. In 2009, she was ranked 100 percent by the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. In 2011, she voted against an increase in the state tobacco tax.[8]
Term-limited in the House, Hutter was defeated in a race for the District 1 seat in the state Senate in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011. The Senate district includes all of Plaquemines and parts of St. Bernard, St. Tammany, and Orleans parishes. She lost to the incumbent Republican senator, Almond Gaston "A. G." Crowe of Pearl River in St. Tammany Parish, who received 15,717 votes (69.1 percent), compared to her 7,025 ballots (30.9 percent).[4][9] The seat is now held by the conservative Republican, Sharon Hewitt, who was elected in 2015, when Crowe did not seek a third term in the Senate.
Her successor in the House is fellow Republican Paul Bryan Hollis, who received 3,905 votes (55.8 percent) in the 2011 primary. His opponent, Republican Christopher Trahan, trailed with 3,096 votes (44.2 percent). Hollis is a son of the state Senator Jesse Kendrick "Ken" Hollis, Jr..[9]
Paul Hollis, term-limited in the House, hence could not seek reelection in 2023. Seeking to succeed him are fellow Republicans "Jay" Gallé and John Raymond.
References
- ↑ "Louisiana: Nita Hutter," Who's Who in American Politics, 2007-2008 (Marquis Who's Who: New Providence, New Jersey, 2007), p. 661.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rep. Nita Hutter. congress.org. Retrieved on August 29, 2011; material no longer on-line..
- ↑ Nita Hutter Meins. relationshipscience.com. Retrieved on April 3, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Rep. Nita Hutter will seek Louisiana Senate seat in October elections," The New Orleans Times-Picayune, accessed August 29, 2011; article no longer on-line.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 4, 2003.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.
- ↑ "I-Team: State Rep. Lives Outside District: Nita Hutter, of St. Bernard, now lives in Metairie," WDSU-TV, February 10, 2011.
- ↑ Nita Hutter's Political Summary. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on April 3, 2020.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 22, 2011.
