Difference between revisions of "Julie Stokes"

Revision as of 21:29, May 16, 2018

Julie Skinner Stokes (born January 1970) is a Certified Public Accountant who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 79 in Kenner in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a candidate for Louisiana Secretary of State in the special election scheduled for November 6, 2018.

Until her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2017, Stokes had been a candidate^[1] for state treasurer in the special election held on October 14, 2017, to choose a successor to John Neely Kennedy, who was elected in 2016 to the United States Senate to succeed fellow Republican David Vitter. Stokes underwent chemotherapy and remains a legislator.^[1] Her legislative colleague, John Schroder, from St. Tammany Parish, won a special election runoff against an African-American Democrat for the right to succeed Kennedy.

On March 2, 2013, Stokes won a special election to succeed fellow Republican Anthony V. "Tony" Ligi, Jr., who resigned to become director of the Jefferson Business Council. On the same day that Stokes was elected to the Louisiana House, another Republican, Barry Dee Ivey of Baton Rouge, won a special election in District 65 to choose a successor to the Republican Clifton Russell "Clif" Richardson, who resigned because of health issues. In defeating three fellow Republicans, Stokes received 56 percent of the vote to fill the nearly three years left in Ligi's term. Businessman Jack Rizzuto, a candidate defeated by Ligi in 2007, finished second in the 2013 contest with 31 percent of the ballots cast. Allison Bent Bowler, the chief financial officer at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans received 9 percent of the vote.^[2] No Democrat sought the District 79 House seat.^[3]

Background

Stokes is the only child of Doris Guerin Skinner, a native of the unincorporated city of Metairie in Jefferson Parish, and the late Edward Thomas Skinner.^[4] She graduated in 1988 from East Jefferson High School in the unincorporated city of Metairie.^[5] In 1992, Stokes received her Bachelor of Science magna cum laude in accounting from the University of New Orleans and immediately passed her CPA exam. From 2000 to 2010, she operated Julie S. Stokes, CPA, but thereafter became the chief financial officer of Stokes & Associates. She also prepares federal and state tax returns.^[6] She is in business with her husband, Larry Steven Stokes (born September 30, 1955);^[7] the couple has two children, Brandon and Taylor Stokes.^[4]

Career

In her freshman legislative year, Representative Stokes was rated 71 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, a type of statewide Chamber of Commerce, but she was scored 97 percent by that group in 2017.^[8] Stokes serves on the Health & Welfare, Labor & Industrial Relations, and Ways & Means committees. In 2013, she voted to increase the pay of state judges. In 2017, she did not vote on the House-passed measure, which was nevertheless blocked in the state Senate, to forbid the removal of Confederate monuments from government locations. Stokes co-sponsored the tax increases on cigarettes in 2016 and voted to hike gasoline taxes in 2017.^[9]

Stokes is affiliated with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the University of New Orleans Alumni Association, and the Society of Louisiana CPAs. She sat on the Kenner 2030 Economic Development Committee. She chairs the Sales Tax Streamlining & Modernization Commission, which seeks to reform the state’s sales tax system. State Tax Notes' recognized her nationally as one of a handful of state “Tax Legislators of the Year” because of her work on sales tax reform.^[10]

Stokes serves on these House committees: Executive, Ways & Means, Health & Welfare, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay.^[11] She is affiliated with the National Conference of State Legislators. She was selected with twenty-four other women for the 2017 Class of "Women in Government Leadership" in Governing Magazine.

In 2015, she received the "Fusion Five Award" from the Louisiana Southwest Chamber as the "best new up-and-coming legislator." The next year, she was named one of four “Women of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Louisiana East. In 2003 and 2014, she was one of the "Women of the Year" designated by New Orleans City Business Magazine.^[10]

Her other legislative awards include:

• “Champion of Economic Development” in 2013-2016 by the Louisiana Industrial Development Economic Association.
• "Liberty Award" and Family Advocate", Louisiana Family Forum, 2014-2016.
• “Small Business Champion” in 2013 and 2014 by the National Federation of Independent Business.
• “Legislative All-Star” in 2014 by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.
• “Legislator of the Year” for 2014 by the Louisiana Orthopedic Association.
• "Education Choice Champion" for 2013 and 2014 by the Louisiana Federation for Children.^[10]

The conservative radio talk-show host Moon Griffon, based in Lafayette but broadcast statewide, has long characterized Stokes, who also considers herself a conservative,^[10] and her fellow lawmaker Barry Ivey and former Representative Chris Broadwater, among others, as "closeted Democrats" who run as Republicans in districts unfavorable to labeled Democrats. However, Stokes has voted conservative on several issues important to Republican voters. In 2016, she voted to restrict state support for sanctuary cities which refuse to enforce laws against illegal immigration. In 2017, she co-sponsored the measure that requires a parent to give identification regarding an abortion on a minor child. In 2014, she voted to require abortionists to have local hospital admitting privileges. Since she entered the legislature, she has been rated 100 percent by the Right to Life Committee. Stokes also voted in 2014 to extend the time for implementation of the Common Core school standards program and co-sponsored legislation that year to permit concealed carry of firearms in restaurant serving alcohol.^[9]

In March 2018, in remission from cancer,^[12] Stokes announced that she would consider running in 2019 for the secretary of state position which Republican Tom Schedler of St. Tammany Parish vacated after allegations of sexual harassment were brought against him by one of his female office employes. Schedler vacated the office on May 8, 2018.^[13] On May 16, 2018, Stokes announced she would run for the year remaining in Schedler's term.

References