Page Cortez
Encyclopedia
Patrick Page Cortez, known as Page Cortez (born August 25, 1961), is a Lafayette
, Louisiana
, businessman and a departing one-term Republican
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
. On January 14, 2008, he assumed the District 43 seat for Lafayette Parish vacated by fellow Republican Ernie Alexander
, who did not seek a third term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007.
In January 2012, Cortez will assume the Louisiana State Senate
seat from District 23 being vacated by his friend Michael J. Michot
, term-limited in the position. He is unopposed for the Senate in the October 22, 2011 primary. Cortez will be succeeded in the House by Stuart Bishop
, a Lafayette businessman without previous political experience. Bishop is also unopposed in the upcoming primary. So is a third Republican, former state Representative Ronnie Johns
of Sulphur
in Calcasieu Parish
, who will succeed the term-limited Willie Landry Mount in the District 27 seat in the state Senate.
Cortez is a co-owner and operator of La-Z-Boy
Furniture
and Stoma’s (his wife’s maiden name) Furniture and Interiors in Lafayette. He gained name identification in the community through his furniture advertising
on local television
channels and his earlier profile as a high school
coach
.
In the 2007 House primary, Cortez defeated fellow Republican Patrick LeBlanc
, president of the architecture
firm, The LeBlanc Group, and the owner of the private-prison
company LCS Corrections Services. Cortez received 7,742 votes (55.5 percent) in the twenty-three precinct
s, compared to LeBlanc’s 6,218 ballots (44.5 percent). Less than five months after the election, LeBlanc (1954–2008) and his pilot died in a small-craft airplane crash near Abbeville
, the seat of nearby Vermilion Parish.
Cortez had entered the legislative race when Alexander was contemplating seeking a third term. Cortez has been allied with Senator Michot, a former Democrat
and Cortez’s fraternity
brother at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
, and with Independent (since Republican) District 45 State Representative Joel Robideaux
, both of whom actively supported Cortez in the race against LeBlanc through an organization called “Leadership for Louisiana”.
Ernie Alexander and U.S. Representative
Charles Boustany
, M.D.
, also of Lafayette, endorsed LeBlanc. Boustany and LeBlanc endorsed the failed candidacy of former New York City
Mayor
Rudy Giuliani
for the American presidency
. Michot and Cortez questioned LeBlanc’s business activities regarding controversies which surfaced over the building of prisons in Bastrop
, the seat of Morehouse Parish in north Louisiana, and in San Antonio, Texas
. No charges were ever brought against LeBlanc. Michot has also been mentioned as a potential opponent to Congressman Boustany.
A Lafayette native, Cortez graduated from Lafayette High School
and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, from which he received two bachelor’s degrees in education
and general studies
. A former classroom teacher
and coach, he is a former member of the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Commission. Cortez is married to the former Angela Stoma (born ca. 1964), and they have two children, Matthew and Maria Cortez. He was assigned as a House member to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Insurance, the House Committee on Retirement, and the Energy Council.
Among early votes that Cortez cast in the legislature were successful measures to restrict gifts to elected officials, banning public funds for human cloning
, and prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. He opposed the “Anti-Bullying” bill rejected by the state House in April 2008. Cortez also supported a failed measure in 2008 which would make it easier for juvenile
offenders who commit heinous crimes to become eligible for parole
, a position counter to his ally Robideaux. However, Cortez played an instrumental role in helping victims' rights supporters to defeat the same legislation in committee in 2009.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, businessman and a departing one-term 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...
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
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...
. On January 14, 2008, he assumed the District 43 seat for Lafayette Parish vacated by fellow Republican Ernie Alexander
Ernie Alexander
Ernest Joseph "Ernie" Alexander is a former Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, having served in District 43 from 2000 to 2008. Prior to his legislative tenure, Alexander served a four-year term on the newly-established Lafayette City-Parish Council...
, who did not seek a third term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007.
In January 2012, Cortez will assume the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All Senators serve four year terms and are assigned multiple committees to work on. The Republicans control the State Senate following a Special Election Victory in District 26 by Jonathan W. Perry...
seat from District 23 being vacated by his friend Michael J. Michot
Michael J. Michot
Michael John "Mike" Michot is the departing senior Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 23 since the year 2000. He is the outgoing hairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Michot was unopposed for his third Senate term in the nonpartisan blanket primary...
, term-limited in the position. He is unopposed for the Senate in the October 22, 2011 primary. Cortez will be succeeded in the House by Stuart Bishop
Stuart Bishop
Stuart James Bishop is a businessman in Lafayette, Louisiana, who is an incoming Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He will assume the District 43 seat in January 2012, when the incumbent, his fellow Republican Page Cortez of Lafayette, instead becomes the District 23...
, a Lafayette businessman without previous political experience. Bishop is also unopposed in the upcoming primary. So is a third Republican, former state Representative Ronnie Johns
Ronnie Johns (Louisiana politician)
Ronald Steven Johns, known as Ronnie Johns , is a State Farm Insurance agency owner in Sulphur, Louisiana, who is an incoming Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 27 in Calcasieu Parish. He is unopposed in the nonpartisan blanket primary set for October 22, 2011, to choose...
of Sulphur
Sulphur, Louisiana
Sulphur is a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 22,512 at the 2000 census. Sulphur is a suburb of Lake Charles, and is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in Calcasieu Parish
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Calcasieu Parish[p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Charles. As of 2010, the parish population was 192,768...
, who will succeed the term-limited Willie Landry Mount in the District 27 seat in the state Senate.
Cortez is a co-owner and operator of La-Z-Boy
La-Z-Boy
La-Z-Boy Incorporated is a furniture manufacturer based in Monroe, Michigan, USA which makes home furniture, including upholstered recliners, sofas, stationary chairs, and sleeper sofas...
Furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
and Stoma’s (his wife’s maiden name) Furniture and Interiors in Lafayette. He gained name identification in the community through his furniture advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
on local television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
channels and his earlier profile as a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
.
In the 2007 House primary, Cortez defeated fellow Republican Patrick LeBlanc
Patrick LeBlanc
Patrick Lynn LeBlanc, Sr., usually known as Pat LeBlanc , was a prominent Lafayette, Louisiana, architect and businessman who was also active in Republican politics. LeBlanc and his pilot perished when their single-engine airplane crashed over northern Vermilion Parish...
, president of the architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
firm, The LeBlanc Group, and the owner of the private-prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
company LCS Corrections Services. Cortez received 7,742 votes (55.5 percent) in the twenty-three precinct
Precinct
A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses...
s, compared to LeBlanc’s 6,218 ballots (44.5 percent). Less than five months after the election, LeBlanc (1954–2008) and his pilot died in a small-craft airplane crash near Abbeville
Abbeville, Louisiana
Abbeville is a town in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 census...
, the seat of nearby Vermilion Parish.
Cortez had entered the legislative race when Alexander was contemplating seeking a third term. Cortez has been allied with Senator Michot, a former 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...
and Cortez’s fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
brother at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
, and with Independent (since Republican) District 45 State Representative Joel Robideaux
Joel Robideaux
Joel Craig Robideaux is a Certified Public Accountant from Lafayette, Louisiana, who is an Independent-turned-Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 45 in Lafayette Parish...
, both of whom actively supported Cortez in the race against LeBlanc through an organization called “Leadership for Louisiana”.
Ernie Alexander and U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Charles Boustany
Charles Boustany
Charles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, also of Lafayette, endorsed LeBlanc. Boustany and LeBlanc endorsed the failed candidacy of former New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
for the American presidency
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Michot and Cortez questioned LeBlanc’s business activities regarding controversies which surfaced over the building of prisons in Bastrop
Bastrop, Louisiana
Bastrop is a city in and the parish seat of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,988 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Bastrop, Louisiana Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Monroe-Bastrop, Louisiana Combined...
, the seat of Morehouse Parish in north Louisiana, and in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. No charges were ever brought against LeBlanc. Michot has also been mentioned as a potential opponent to Congressman Boustany.
A Lafayette native, Cortez graduated from Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Louisiana)
Lafayette High School is a public four-year high school located in Lafayette, Louisiana.With an enrollment of 2279 students, Lafayette High is one of the largest schools in the state of Louisiana...
and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, from which he received two bachelor’s degrees in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and general studies
General Studies
General Studies may refer to:* Bachelor of General Studies, a degree offered in some Western Universities* A GCSE and A-level examination offered to 16-18 year olds in the United Kingdom and some other countries...
. A former classroom teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and coach, he is a former member of the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Commission. Cortez is married to the former Angela Stoma (born ca. 1964), and they have two children, Matthew and Maria Cortez. He was assigned as a House member to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Insurance, the House Committee on Retirement, and the Energy Council.
Among early votes that Cortez cast in the legislature were successful measures to restrict gifts to elected officials, banning public funds for human cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, and prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. He opposed the “Anti-Bullying” bill rejected by the state House in April 2008. Cortez also supported a failed measure in 2008 which would make it easier for juvenile
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
offenders who commit heinous crimes to become eligible for parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
, a position counter to his ally Robideaux. However, Cortez played an instrumental role in helping victims' rights supporters to defeat the same legislation in committee in 2009.
External links
- Louisiana House of Representatives - Patrick Page Cortez official government website