Vic Stelly
Encyclopedia
Victor Theodore Stelly, known as Vic Stelly (born January 11, 1941), is a retired business
man from Lake Charles
, Louisiana
, a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents
for Higher Education, and from 1988-2004 a Republican
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 35 in Calcasieu Parish in the southwestern corner of his state. He is best known for the since repealed Stelly Plan
tax-shifting amendment.
in Zachary
in East Baton Rouge Parish
. In 1962, he received a Bachelor of Science
degree from Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
. In 1965, he obtained a Master of Education
degree from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
. From 1962-1974, he taught and coached at Redemptorist
and Broadmoor High School
high schools in Baton Rouge and at McNeese State University
in Lake Charles. Thereafter, he became an insurance
and real estate
agent in Moss Bluff
north of Lake Charles. He was later an administrator at McNeese, where he also took postgraduate courses. He is the past president of the McNeese 100 Club. From 1983-1987, Stelly served on the Calcasieu Parish School Board. He is Roman Catholic. Stelly is married to the former Terry Bass (born ca. 1940), and the couple has three children, including Victor Todd Stelly (born ca. 1963).
es with a simultaneous reduction in otherwise "temporary" state sales tax
es on food and utilities. Though the Stelly Plan also referred to "drugs", Louisiana does not tax prescription drugs but does fully tax over-the-counter products.
Thereafter, many voters rebelled against the plan, claimed that they had been deceived, and many legislative candidates ran successfully in 2007 on a platform to repeal it. For many middle-class taxpayers, the additional amount paid in income taxes exceeded the sales tax "savings". The legislature voted in 2008 to eliminate the income tax increases, a potential loss of $380 million to the state treasury. The actual rollback of the income tax increases began early in 2009.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 1987, Stelly ran for representative against two Democrats, the freshman incumbent
, Margaret Welsh Lowenthal, and Ken Brown. Stelly led in the first round of balloting, 6,717 (42.7 percent), and went into the official general election
with Lowenthal, who trailed with 5,802 (36.9 percent). Brown received 3,226 votes (a critical 20.5 percent). In the general election
Stelly defeated Lowenthal, 5,509 (55.9 percent) to 4,348 (44.1 percent).
In the 1991 primary, Stelly defeated Democrat Newton Blanchard "Sonny" Powell, Jr., a Calcasieu Parish deputy sheriff for public relations, 8,4890 (63.1 percent) to 4,966 (36.9 percent). Powell (born March 1, 1935) subsequently retired to his native Ashland
in northern Natchitoches Parish
. He is the older of two sons of N.B. Powell, Sr. (1904–1971), and the former Marie Weaver (1907–2001), who was a long-term elementary school
teacher at the defunct Ashland High School.
Stelly was unopposed in the 1995 and 1999 primaries but did not seek a fifth term in 2003. He was succeeded by Republican Brett Frank Geymann
, who with nearly 54 percent of the vote defeated two Democratic candidates.
Stelly later left the Republican Party and re-registered as an Independent or "No Party" as permitted under Louisiana law.
as a fund raiser to install a monument to former Governor Sam Houston Jones at the Jones State Park
in Moss Bluff. His roasters included his legislative colleagues, State Senator
Willie Mount
(female) and Representative Randy Roach, both Democrats. Stelly's public papers are at the Lether Frazar
Memorial Library at NcNeese State University. Though a native of Beauregard Parish
, Jones practiced law for years in Lake Charles.
In recent years, recipients of Stelly's personal campaign contributions have included former State Senator Robert Barham of Oak Ridge
, who ran as a Republican for the 5th Congressional District seat in 2002, state Senator Willie Mount, a former mayor
of Lake Charles who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for the 7th Congressional District post, and current Republican U.S. Representative Charles Boustany
of Lafayette
, who defeated Mount in 2004. Stelly contributed in 2008 to John N. Kennedy
, the Republican state treasurer who failed in his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
of New Orleans.
In 2006, Stelly was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
, a relatively rare honor for a political figure whose career has been confined to the state House of Representatives. In addition to the Stelly Plan, the museum exhibit notes that Stelly declined to enroll himself in the legislative retirement and health insurance plans. He is depicted as an "intelligent, reasonable and accessible legislator who was active in efforts to bring major structural changes to much of the state government [and] strongly supported tightening ethics laws for public officials ..."
Early in 2007, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a Democrat, named Stelly to the Board of Regents, a body which consists of both elected and appointed members. He holds the 7th Congressional District seat on the board.
Stelly is a director of Jeff Davis Bank in Jennings
; the bank vice president is his former legislative colleague, Gerald Theunissen
. Stelly is also a member of the interest group, Council for a Better Louisiana.
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man from Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, 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...
, a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents
Louisiana Board of Regents
The Louisiana Board of Regents is a government agency in the U.S. state of Louisiana that is responsible for coordination of all public higher education in the state...
for Higher Education, and from 1988-2004 a 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...
from District 35 in Calcasieu Parish in the southwestern corner of his state. He is best known for the since repealed Stelly Plan
Stelly Plan
The Stelly Plan is a since repealed 2002 tax measure in the U.S. state of Louisiana designed to shift certain state sales taxes on food for home consumption and utilities to increases in state income taxes. Narrowly approved by voters, the proposal soon ran into criticism as middle-class taxpayers...
tax-shifting amendment.
Early years, education, family
Stelly was educated at Zachary High SchoolZachary High School
Zachary High School is a public high school located in Zachary, Louisiana, United States.-History:Originally Zachary High School was within the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. In 2002, Zachary High School became part of the Zachary Community School District. Since the break from East...
in Zachary
Zachary, Louisiana
Zachary is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,275 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in East Baton Rouge Parish
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. As of the 2010 census, the population was 440,171. The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is the most populous parish in the state...
. In 1962, he received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. In 1965, he obtained a Master of Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
degree from 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
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...
. From 1962-1974, he taught and coached at Redemptorist
Redemptorist High School
Redemptorist Upper School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is located in north Baton Rouge, under the remit of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge.-Background:...
and Broadmoor High School
Broadmoor High School
Broadmoor Senior High School is an accredited public high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.-About the school:Broadmoor High School was founded in 1960 and resides in the center of the historic Broadmoor Neighborhood of South Baton Rouge...
high schools in Baton Rouge and at McNeese State University
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1939 as a junior college, McNeese experienced growth due to economic activity in the region. It adopted its present name in 1970....
in Lake Charles. Thereafter, he became an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agent in Moss Bluff
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
Moss Bluff is a census-designated place in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 10,535 at the 2000 census. Located just north of the city of Lake Charles, it is considered a suburb of that city. Moss Bluff is a burgeoning community, and is one of the communities in...
north of Lake Charles. He was later an administrator at McNeese, where he also took postgraduate courses. He is the past president of the McNeese 100 Club. From 1983-1987, Stelly served on the Calcasieu Parish School Board. He is Roman Catholic. Stelly is married to the former Terry Bass (born ca. 1940), and the couple has three children, including Victor Todd Stelly (born ca. 1963).
Legislative career
His Stelly Plan, a 2002 constitutional amendment increased state income taxIncome tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es with a simultaneous reduction in otherwise "temporary" state sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
es on food and utilities. Though the Stelly Plan also referred to "drugs", Louisiana does not tax prescription drugs but does fully tax over-the-counter products.
Thereafter, many voters rebelled against the plan, claimed that they had been deceived, and many legislative candidates ran successfully in 2007 on a platform to repeal it. For many middle-class taxpayers, the additional amount paid in income taxes exceeded the sales tax "savings". The legislature voted in 2008 to eliminate the income tax increases, a potential loss of $380 million to the state treasury. The actual rollback of the income tax increases began early in 2009.
In the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 1987, Stelly ran for representative against two Democrats, the freshman 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...
, Margaret Welsh Lowenthal, and Ken Brown. Stelly led in the first round of balloting, 6,717 (42.7 percent), and went into the official general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
with Lowenthal, who trailed with 5,802 (36.9 percent). Brown received 3,226 votes (a critical 20.5 percent). In the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
Stelly defeated Lowenthal, 5,509 (55.9 percent) to 4,348 (44.1 percent).
In the 1991 primary, Stelly defeated Democrat Newton Blanchard "Sonny" Powell, Jr., a Calcasieu Parish deputy sheriff for public relations, 8,4890 (63.1 percent) to 4,966 (36.9 percent). Powell (born March 1, 1935) subsequently retired to his native Ashland
Ashland, Louisiana
Ashland is a village located in the northernmost portion of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. It was incorporated in 1963. A few residences and a convenience store to the north spill over into neighboring Bienville Parish. The population was 291 at the 2000 census...
in northern Natchitoches Parish
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Natchitoches Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Natchitoches. As of 2000, the population was 39,080. This is the heart of the Cane River Louisiana Creole community...
. He is the older of two sons of N.B. Powell, Sr. (1904–1971), and the former Marie Weaver (1907–2001), who was a long-term elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher at the defunct Ashland High School.
Stelly was unopposed in the 1995 and 1999 primaries but did not seek a fifth term in 2003. He was succeeded by Republican Brett Frank Geymann
Brett Geymann
Brett Frank Geymann is a businessman from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 35 in Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes....
, who with nearly 54 percent of the vote defeated two Democratic candidates.
Stelly later left the Republican Party and re-registered as an Independent or "No Party" as permitted under Louisiana law.
Later years
In 2003, as his legislative career wound down, Stelly was "roasted" by the Moss Bluff Civic Club and Veterans of Foreign WarsVeterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
as a fund raiser to install a monument to former Governor Sam Houston Jones at the Jones State Park
Sam Houston Jones State Park
Sam Houston Jones State Park is a park in near the city of Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, in southwestern Louisiana located at the confluence of the Houston and Calcasieu Rivers and Indian Bayou. It consists of of woodlands, lakes and rivers. Prominent in the park are many bald cypress trees...
in Moss Bluff. His roasters included his legislative colleagues, 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...
Willie Mount
Willie Mount
Willie Landry Mount is an American politician from Louisiana. Mount is a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate and has since 2000 represented District 27, which includes parts of Lake Charles and surrounding cities Sulphur and Westlake. From 1993 to 1999 she served as the first female...
(female) and Representative Randy Roach, both Democrats. Stelly's public papers are at the Lether Frazar
Lether Frazar
Lether Edward Frazar was the Democratic lieutenant governor of Louisiana under Governor Earl Kemp Long from 1956-1960, who had earlier, as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Beauregard Parish, authored the state teacher retirement law...
Memorial Library at NcNeese State University. Though a native of Beauregard Parish
Beauregard Parish, Louisiana
Beauregard Parish [p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Beauregard Parish was formed on 1 January 1913. The parish seat is DeRidder. As of 2000, the population was 32,986. Beauregard Parish is part of the DeRidder Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Fort Polk...
, Jones practiced law for years in Lake Charles.
In recent years, recipients of Stelly's personal campaign contributions have included former State Senator Robert Barham of Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Louisiana
Oak Ridge is a village in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 142 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bastrop Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Oak Ridge is located at ....
, who ran as a Republican for the 5th Congressional District seat in 2002, state Senator Willie Mount, a former mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Lake Charles who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for the 7th Congressional District post, and current Republican U.S. Representative 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:...
of Lafayette
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...
, who defeated Mount in 2004. Stelly contributed in 2008 to John N. Kennedy
John N. Kennedy
John Neely Kennedy is the Republican state treasurer of Louisiana. He was re-elected without opposition to his fourth term as State Treasurer on September 8, 2011.-Early life and career:...
, the Republican state treasurer who failed in his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
of New Orleans.
In 2006, Stelly was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
, a relatively rare honor for a political figure whose career has been confined to the state House of Representatives. In addition to the Stelly Plan, the museum exhibit notes that Stelly declined to enroll himself in the legislative retirement and health insurance plans. He is depicted as an "intelligent, reasonable and accessible legislator who was active in efforts to bring major structural changes to much of the state government [and] strongly supported tightening ethics laws for public officials ..."
Early in 2007, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, a Democrat, named Stelly to the Board of Regents, a body which consists of both elected and appointed members. He holds the 7th Congressional District seat on the board.
Stelly is a director of Jeff Davis Bank in Jennings
Jennings, Louisiana
Jennings is a small city in and the parish seat of Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,986 at the 2000 census....
; the bank vice president is his former legislative colleague, Gerald Theunissen
Gerald Theunissen
Gerald Joseph Theunissen, or Jerry Theunissen , is the vice president of Jeff Davis Bank in Jennings, Louisiana, USA, and served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 37 and as the state senator from District 25...
. Stelly is also a member of the interest group, Council for a Better Louisiana.