Joseph F. Toomy
{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Joseph Francis Toomy
|office=Louisiana State Representative
for District 85 (Jefferson Parish)]]
|term_start=1984
|term_end=2008
|preceded=
|succeeded=Ricky James TempletCite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
A 12-year limit on legislative service in one chamber took effect in 2008; Toomy had served twenty-four years when he became ineligible to seek a seventh term.[1] Toomy was a Democrat from 1984 to 1990, when he switched to Republican registration. Thereafter, he was elected in the nonpartisan blanket primaries of 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2003 on the GOP label. Prior to his legislative career, Toomy was a Democratic member of the Jefferson Parish School Board from 1974 to 1983 and the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, a year-long nonpartisan position, in 1973. There he served with future Governor Buddy Roemer and later Louisiana Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner James H. "Jim" Brown. In March 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Toomy to the board of the New Orleans Port Authority.[2]
A Roman Catholic, Toomy was born to Francis X. Toomy (1914–1989), formerly of New Jersey,[3] and Dorothy N. Toomy (born c. 1920) of Gretna. He graduated in 1966 from Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero in Jefferson Parish. Thereafter, he received [Bachelor of Arts and M.B.A. degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans. He was a Tulane administrator from 1976 to 1981 and was also a private tax consultant. He was named "Outstanding Young Man of the Year" in 1977 by the Jaycees. Toomy is married to the former Jo Ann Fisk (born September 7, 1943).[4]
Representative Toomy was named "Legislator of the Year" in 1991 and 1995 by the interest group, the Alliance for Good Government. In 1987, he was honored as "Boss of the Year" by the Westbank Business and Professional Women. Active in the community, he is a former vice president of the Gretna Senior Citizen Management Board. He is affiliated with the David Crockett Volunteer Fire Company and is a past president of the Friends of the Louisiana State Fire Museum. He is a member of the Gretna Historical Society and the Archbishop Shaw High School trustees.[4] Toomy also has served on the board of New Orleans Catholic Charities.[5]
In 1987, Toomy won his second legislative term, 5,539 votes (52.3 percent) to 5,057 (47.7 percent) for fellow Democrat Olden Toups.[6] In 1991, Toomy in his first run as a Republican defeated fellow Republican challenger, Lynn R. Cheramie, 6,966 (62.2 percent) to 4,232 (37.8 percent).[7] In 1995, Toomy defeated fellow Republican Don James, 7,591 (73.3 percent) to 2,763 (26.7 percent).[8] In 1999 and 2003, Toomy was unopposed for reelection.[9]
In 2008, Toomy was a maximum contributor to the Republican presidential nominee U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona.[10] He also donated in 2008 to the 2010 reelection campaign of Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter,[11] who left the Senate in January 2017.
References
- ↑ Lawmakers Propose 90 Amendment. The New Orleans Times-Picayune (March 18, 2006). Retrieved on November 3, 2009.
- ↑ New Orleans Port Authority. portno.com. Retrieved on October 24, 2009.
- ↑ Social Security Death Index. ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved on October 24, 2009.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "House District 85," Louisiana Encyclopedia (1999); material no longer accessible.
- ↑ Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New Orleans. ccano.org. Retrieved on October 24, 2009.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 24, 1987.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 19, 1991.
- ↑ Louiiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 21, 1995.
- ↑ Toomy, Joseph F.publisher=ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved on November 13, 2019.
- ↑ Watchdog.net: The Good Government Site with Teeth. watchdog.net. Retrieved on October 24, 2009.
- ↑ Joseph F Toomy from zip code 70054. watchdog.net. Retrieved on October 24, 2009.
