Dan Kyle
Encyclopedia
Daniel Guin Kyle, known as Dan Kyle (born 1937), is a businessman from Baton Rouge
Louisiana, who served as his state's legislative auditor from 1989–2003, when he stepped down to run unsuccessfully for insurance commissioner. An active Republican
, Kyle uncovered many instances of misappropriations in state and local governments during his fifteen years as auditor. He planned to run for governor in 2003, but he switched to the insurance commissioner race, when another Republican candidate for that office, Tony Perkins
, a state representative
from East Baton Rouge Parish, abandoned the campaign to become president of the Family Research Council
.
As legislative auditor, Kyle posted an office sign "In God We Trust, All Others We Audit." His work uncovered embezzlers
, cronyism
, and political kickbacks. His office moved against the late Elections Commissioner Jerry M. Fowler
, indicted and convicted of receiving kickbacks from voting-machine contractors. Kyle investigated several college presidents but stressed that he does not believing in dismissing academic heads solely because of problems with an audit, as such positions are multi-faceted in scope. Kyle's work led to the conviction of nearly 250 public officials and government employees for the misappropriation of state funds.
Prior to his auditor's position, Kyle, both a PhD and a C.P.A.
, taught governmental accounting and auditing from 1968-1989 at Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. In 2000, Kyle uncovered serious problems with an audit of historically black Grambling State University
in Grambling
in Lincoln Parish
. A 1998 audit of the same institution uncovered no problems, but two years later, the auditor received inaccurate and incomplete information from the university administration. Grambling had four months of data missing, which rendered it impossible to conduct the required two-year audit.
In 1998, Kyle was invited by Leo Deslatte, the new Republican mayor of Pineville
in Rapides Parish
, to conduct an audit of the previous Fred Baden
administration. While Kyle's report found malfeasance
regarding Baden's management, state Attorney General
Richard Ieyoub
declared insufficient evidence of wrongdoing to bring about an indictment of the 28-year Democratic mayor.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 4, 2003 for insurance commissioner, Kyle trailed the Democrat Robert Wooley, 424,961 (33.7 percent) to 467,084 (37.1 percent). Four lesser-known candidates held the remaining but critical 30 percent of the vote. In the general election, Wooley defeated Kyle, 773,578 (57.7 percent) to 567,034 (42.3 percent). Kyle won only a quartet of the more Republican parishes, Bossier
, Lafayette
, Livingston
, and St. Tammany
parishes.
Kyle is a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Executive Committee.
In 2007, as the deputy chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party under chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr.
, Kyle worked for the unsuccessful GOP candidate for Louisiana attorney general
, Royal Alexander
of Shreveport
, who was handily defeated by the Democrat
, Buddy Caldwell
of Tallulah
. The GOP claimed that Caldwell spent public funds for personal uses and that he cursed and threatened Dan Kyle.
In 2008, Kyle along with another Republican, Wayne Carter, a parish council member, and a Democrat, Ron Johnson, ran unsuccessfully for the mayor-presidency of East Baton Rouge Parish but was handily defeated by the incumbent
Democrat Kip Holden
, an African American who scored his second term in the executive office. Kyle called for the establishment of a public bus system to help with traffic congestion. Kyle criticized Holden's bond issue as an example of "tax-and-spend philosophy." Kyle ran a weak second in the mayor-parish presidency, having polled 12,886 votes (12.2 percent). Holden received 75,450 (71.2 percent) and Carter polled 11,341 (10.7 percent). Holden won in 2004 when he defeated the incumbent Republican Mayor-President Bobby R. Simpson
.
In June 2009, as treasurer of the Louisiana GOP, Kyle became one of the directors of a national presidential fund-raising effort promoting Governor Bobby Jindal
. According to Kyle, the group hopes to raise $60 million to persuade Jindal to seek the 2012 party nomination. Others on the committee are former State Representative Woody Jenkins
and U.S. Representative Steve Scalise
. Former Republican State Senator
Tom Schedler
of Slidell
, had his name removed from the group, not because he opposes Jindal but because such fund-raising activity could conflict with Schedler's role as first assistant to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne
.
In October 2009, Kyle was named chief financial officer for Southern Star Amusement, Inc., a starup company which seeks to redevelop the Six Flags New Orleans
theme park, which closed since Hurricane Katrina
struck in August 2005. Southern Star plans to construct a water and theme park at the former Six Flags site.
Kyle, whose place of birth is not known, entered the work force at the age of fourteen in 1951, at the time of his father's death. He laid bricks and worked in retail to provide for his family and to earn his way through college. He is married to the former Connie Musick (born 1943). The couple has two sons, Alfred Daniel Kyle (born 1966) and Ronald Glen Kyle (born 1969), both of Baton Rouge. At some point prior to coming to Baton Rouge, Kyle had resided in Huntsville
, Alabama. Kyle received his Bachelor of Science in accounting in 1959 from Southern Arkansas University
in Magnolia
. He then procured an MBA in 1961 and a Ph.D.in business administration in 1968, both from the University of Arkansas
at Fayetteville
. The Kyles are active in the First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge since they moved to the state capital in 1968.
In his 2003 race for insurance commissioner, Kyle summed up his political motivation, accordingly.
"Louisiana is my home. . . Louisiana is my passion. Hard economic times has split up too many families and forced our children to search for jobs in other states . . . I will fight to keep our children and grandchildren in Louisiana . . . it will take my experience, integrity, and leadership to rid this state of corruption, create an economic climate for growth, and get this state off the bottom."
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
Louisiana, who served as his state's legislative auditor from 1989–2003, when he stepped down to run unsuccessfully for insurance commissioner. An active Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Kyle uncovered many instances of misappropriations in state and local governments during his fifteen years as auditor. He planned to run for governor in 2003, but he switched to the insurance commissioner race, when another Republican candidate for that office, Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins (politician)
Anthony Richard "Tony" Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian think tank and public policy foundation based in Washington, D.C...
, a state representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from East Baton Rouge Parish, abandoned the campaign to become president of the Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
.
As legislative auditor, Kyle posted an office sign "In God We Trust, All Others We Audit." His work uncovered embezzlers
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
, cronyism
Cronyism
Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy....
, and political kickbacks. His office moved against the late Elections Commissioner Jerry M. Fowler
Jerry Fowler
Jerry Marston Fowler was a Baton Rouge businessman who served as Louisiana's state Elections Commissioner from 1980 until his defeat in the 1999 jungle primary. He was part of the Fowler family Democratic political dynasty...
, indicted and convicted of receiving kickbacks from voting-machine contractors. Kyle investigated several college presidents but stressed that he does not believing in dismissing academic heads solely because of problems with an audit, as such positions are multi-faceted in scope. Kyle's work led to the conviction of nearly 250 public officials and government employees for the misappropriation of state funds.
Prior to his auditor's position, Kyle, both a PhD and a C.P.A.
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
, taught governmental accounting and auditing from 1968-1989 at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge. In 2000, Kyle uncovered serious problems with an audit of historically black Grambling State University
Grambling State University
Grambling State University is a historically black , public, coeducational university, located in Grambling, Louisiana. The university is the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson and is on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.-Academics:Grambling State University provides over...
in Grambling
Grambling, Louisiana
Grambling is a city in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,693 at the 2000 census. The city is home to Grambling State University and is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in Lincoln Parish
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Lincoln Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ruston. In 2004, its population was estimated to be 42,382...
. A 1998 audit of the same institution uncovered no problems, but two years later, the auditor received inaccurate and incomplete information from the university administration. Grambling had four months of data missing, which rendered it impossible to conduct the required two-year audit.
In 1998, Kyle was invited by Leo Deslatte, the new Republican mayor of Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
, to conduct an audit of the previous Fred Baden
Fred Baden
Frederick Herman Baden, Sr., known as Fred Baden , was a Democratic mayor of Pineville, a small city across the Red River from Alexandria in Rapides Parish, Louisiana...
administration. While Kyle's report found malfeasance
Malfeasance
The expressions misfeasance and nonfeasance, and occasionally malfeasance, are used in English law with reference to the discharge of public obligations existing by common law, custom or statute.-Definition and relevant rules of law:...
regarding Baden's management, state Attorney General
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
Richard Ieyoub
Richard Ieyoub
Richard Phillip Ieyoub, Sr. , is a Baton Rouge lawyer and a Democratic politician who was the attorney general of Louisiana from 1992 to 2004. Ieyoub was the Calcasieu Parish district attorney in Lake Charles from 1984 to 1992, and is presently with the Baton Rouge firm Couhig Partners...
declared insufficient evidence of wrongdoing to bring about an indictment of the 28-year Democratic mayor.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 4, 2003 for insurance commissioner, Kyle trailed the Democrat Robert Wooley, 424,961 (33.7 percent) to 467,084 (37.1 percent). Four lesser-known candidates held the remaining but critical 30 percent of the vote. In the general election, Wooley defeated Kyle, 773,578 (57.7 percent) to 567,034 (42.3 percent). Kyle won only a quartet of the more Republican parishes, Bossier
Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Bossier Parish is named for Pierre Bossier, a 19th-century Louisiana state senator and U.S. representative from Natchitoches Parish.Bossier Parish was spared fighting on its soil during the American Civil War...
, Lafayette
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....
, Livingston
Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Livingston Parish Is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston. As of 2010, its population was 128,026....
, and St. Tammany
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....
parishes.
Kyle is a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Executive Committee.
In 2007, as the deputy chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party under chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Roger F. Villere, Jr.
Roger Francis Villere, Jr. is a businessman from Metairie in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans who on March 26, 2004, was elected state chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party by the 144-member GOP State Central Committee. He succeeded Pat Brister of St...
, Kyle worked for the unsuccessful GOP candidate for Louisiana attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, Royal Alexander
Royal Alexander
Richard Royal Alexander is an attorney from Shreveport, Louisiana. In 2007, he was the Republican-endorsed candidate for Louisiana Attorney General. A first-time candidate for public office, Alexander finished second to James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, a Democrat, in the nonpartisan blanket primary...
of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, who was handily defeated by the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Buddy Caldwell
Buddy Caldwell
James David Caldwell, Sr., or Buddy Caldwell , is the Republican attorney general of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Prior to serving as attorney general, Caldwell was the district attorney for Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas parishes from 1979 to 2008...
of Tallulah
Tallulah, Louisiana
Tallulah is a city in and the parish seat of Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census...
. The GOP claimed that Caldwell spent public funds for personal uses and that he cursed and threatened Dan Kyle.
In 2008, Kyle along with another Republican, Wayne Carter, a parish council member, and a Democrat, Ron Johnson, ran unsuccessfully for the mayor-presidency of East Baton Rouge Parish but was handily defeated by the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Democrat Kip Holden
Kip Holden
Melvin L. "Kip" Holden is the Democratic Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capitol of Baton Rouge and smaller suburban cities like Baker, Central City and Zachary. He was elected the city's mayor on November 3, 2004. He unseated the Republican...
, an African American who scored his second term in the executive office. Kyle called for the establishment of a public bus system to help with traffic congestion. Kyle criticized Holden's bond issue as an example of "tax-and-spend philosophy." Kyle ran a weak second in the mayor-parish presidency, having polled 12,886 votes (12.2 percent). Holden received 75,450 (71.2 percent) and Carter polled 11,341 (10.7 percent). Holden won in 2004 when he defeated the incumbent Republican Mayor-President Bobby R. Simpson
Bobby Simpson (Louisiana politician)
Bobby Ray Simpson is an educator who served as the Republican Mayor-President, a combined municipal-parish office of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, from 2001-2004...
.
In June 2009, as treasurer of the Louisiana GOP, Kyle became one of the directors of a national presidential fund-raising effort promoting Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
. According to Kyle, the group hopes to raise $60 million to persuade Jindal to seek the 2012 party nomination. Others on the committee are former State Representative Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
and U.S. Representative Steve Scalise
Steve Scalise
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Scalise is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party...
. Former Republican State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Tom Schedler
Tom Schedler
John Thomas Schedler, known as Tom Schedler , is a politician from suburban St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA, who served as the District 11 Louisiana state senator from 1996 to 2008, when he was term-limited after twelve years...
of Slidell
Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...
, had his name removed from the group, not because he opposes Jindal but because such fund-raising activity could conflict with Schedler's role as first assistant to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne
Jay Dardenne
John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. , has been Louisiana's Republican lieutenant governor since November 22, 2010. He won a special election to the position held in conjunction with the regular November 2 general election. At the time, Dardenne was Louisiana secretary of state...
.
In October 2009, Kyle was named chief financial officer for Southern Star Amusement, Inc., a starup company which seeks to redevelop the Six Flags New Orleans
Six Flags New Orleans
Six Flags New Orleans was an amusement park in New Orleans, Louisiana, which has been closed after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.The park was located in Eastern New Orleans, in the Ninth Ward of the city off Interstate 510...
theme park, which closed since Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
struck in August 2005. Southern Star plans to construct a water and theme park at the former Six Flags site.
Kyle, whose place of birth is not known, entered the work force at the age of fourteen in 1951, at the time of his father's death. He laid bricks and worked in retail to provide for his family and to earn his way through college. He is married to the former Connie Musick (born 1943). The couple has two sons, Alfred Daniel Kyle (born 1966) and Ronald Glen Kyle (born 1969), both of Baton Rouge. At some point prior to coming to Baton Rouge, Kyle had resided in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, Alabama. Kyle received his Bachelor of Science in accounting in 1959 from Southern Arkansas University
Southern Arkansas University
Southern Arkansas University is a public four-year institution located in Magnolia, the seat of Columbia County in Arkansas, United States, not far from the Louisiana state line.-Location:Southern Arkansas University is located in Magnolia, which, as of the census...
in Magnolia
Magnolia, Arkansas
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States, that was founded in 1853. At the time of its incorporation in 1858, the city had a population of about 1,950. The city grew slowly as an agricultural and regional cotton market until the discovery of oil just east of the city in March,...
. He then procured an MBA in 1961 and a Ph.D.in business administration in 1968, both from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
at Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
. The Kyles are active in the First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge since they moved to the state capital in 1968.
In his 2003 race for insurance commissioner, Kyle summed up his political motivation, accordingly.
"Louisiana is my home. . . Louisiana is my passion. Hard economic times has split up too many families and forced our children to search for jobs in other states . . . I will fight to keep our children and grandchildren in Louisiana . . . it will take my experience, integrity, and leadership to rid this state of corruption, create an economic climate for growth, and get this state off the bottom."