Businessman tosses hat in ring for state Senate

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Announcement made day Scalise resigns

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/eastjefferson/index.ssf?/base/news-6/121013772739520.xml&coll=1

East Jefferson bureau

Business activist Conrad Appel III, of Metairie, announced his candidacy Tuesday for the 9th District seat in the state Senate.

His statement came on the same day that Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, resigned the seat to join Congress. Scalise held the seat for fewer than four months, after the quarter-century tenure of Ken Hollis, R-Metairie.

Appel, 56, owns Construction South, a fourth-generation family business, and has been chairman of the Jefferson Business Council, the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and the New Orleans Dock Board. He also has been on the board of Metrovision and the Metropolitan Crime Commission.

The Senate district covers most of west Metairie, Elmwood and part of Old Jefferson.

A Republican, Appel said he would focus on lowering family and business taxes, improving education, backing Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand's crime-fighting efforts, roadwork, improving commerce and protecting Louisiana's homestead exemption.

Among the endorsements he claims are Hollis and Normand, Parish Councilwoman Jennifer Sneed, state Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Covington, and state Reps. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, Tony Ligi, R-Metairie, and Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge.

The election date has not been set.