Jefferson Parish President Tim Coulon to Join Adams and Reese as Lobbyist - Son Chris Coulon to Accompany Father
10/29/2003
New Orleans, LA —Adams and Reese, the largest law firm in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, announces that Tim P. Coulon, outgoing President of Jefferson Parish, will join the firm’s governmental relations division, effective January 6, 2004. Also joining the firm is his son, Christopher “Chris” Coulon, president of The Coulon Group, a statewide lobbying firm in Louisiana.
Adams and Reese, which also has offices in Baton Rouge, LA; Birmingham and Mobile, AL; Jackson, MS; Houston, TX; and Washington, D.C., is a multidisciplinary law firm with over 260 attorneys.
According to Adams and Reese’s Managing Partner, Charles “Chuck” P. Adams, Jr., “Tim’s 27 year history in parish government and reputation for building coalitions across parish lines have made him one of the most respected and popular leaders in the state. His astute business mind as well as his record of accomplishments will enhance our firm’s governmental relations team.”
E. L. “Bubba” Henry, special counsel with Adams and Reese and former speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, adds, “As a member of the governmental relations team, Tim will provide Adams and Reese with an even stronger ability to help our clients achieve their public policy goals.”
About Chris Coulon he adds, “Chris grew up with politics, having served in the State Capitol first as a student. Like his father, he chose a political career path and founded his own lobbying firm in 1999. Anyone who has ever worked with Chris recognizes that his strong work ethic combined with his affable personality contribute to getting the job done. We consider Chris to be one of the bright stars in Louisiana.”
Tim Coulon, who consistently polls as one of the most popular public officials in Jefferson Parish, is now completing his second term as Parish President. Under his leadership, Jefferson Parish, which boasts the greatest number of businesses in LA, embarked on the most aggressive capital improvement initiative in its history, began a diversified crime protection program and established the Community Justice Agency to monitor and coordinate all court related programs.
Tim Coulon consistently demonstrated his commitment to regionalism as co-chairman of MetroVision and as board member of the Regional Planning Commission.
A life long resident of the West Bank, Tim Coulon attended Holy Cross High School and is a graduate of the University of Southwest Louisiana.
Chris Coulon, a registered lobbyist for LA since 1996, founded The Coulon Group, a lobbying firm, in 1999. It serves a variety of clients, such as municipalities, in the State Legislature.
After eight years as Parish President, Coulon wanted to continue working in the political sector and he explored various opportunities. One of the most publicized of those was CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., the new entity resulting from the merging of MetroVision and the Greater New Orleans Chamber of Commerce. But why did he choose Adams and Reese?
He explains, “Throughout my years in the public sector, it was prudent for me to take note-to be aware-of who was making things happen. Every time there was an important issue in Louisiana, Adams and Reese was in the forefront. When I looked around and saw who the political players were in the State, there was one firm that stood out, and that was Adams and Reese.
“Adams and Reese will allow me to use my political experience as well as the contacts I have cultivated throughout the state and region to assist the firm’s clients in achieving their goals.
“I look forward to being a part of this well reputed team and in furthering the successes of the governmental relations practice at such a well respected firm.”
Political leaders are no strangers to Adams and Reese. The Coulons join several Adams and Reese attorneys who previously held or currently hold public office: James “Jimmy” A. Hayes, former U.S. Congressman, is in the Washington, D.C. office; E. L. “Bubba” Henry, former Speaker of the LA House of Representatives, is in the Baton Rouge office; Ronald J. Sholes, former District Court Judge in Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, is in the New Orleans office; and Bradley R. Byrne, former member of the Alabama State Board of Education and an Alabama State Senator, is in the Mobile office.
Other notables previously associated with the firm are Paul Pastorek, President of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, now serving as General Counsel to NASA, Sam A. LeBlanc III, former member of the LA State Legislature, who is now serving in the Peace Corps in Romania, and Marc H. Morial, former Mayor of New Orleans, who is now serving as president of the National Urban League.
Photos here...
http://tinyurl.com/d3wn7
Tim Coulon, chairman of the Superdome Commission and the lead negotiator for Gov. Kathleen Blanco
When the Saints held a press conference in the auditorium of their headquarters last month, rolling out their vision for the team´s future in New Orleans, it was a spit-and-polish affair. After nearly an hour of testimony and well-burnished plans, Benson returned to the stage and cut right to the point:
"Let me make this clear," he said. "I don´t want to move, and I don´t want to sell. We have three choices: We can build a new stadium, renovate the Superdome, or tell us to leave."
The state owes the Saints $15 million next July 5. The annual payment increases to $23.5 million by 2009.
Louisiana rated low in economic ´report card´
Louisiana´s economy again received low marks in an annual report by a national study group that said the rating masked some improvements in the situation faced by workers in the state.
But the Washington-based Corporation for Enterprise Development said Louisiana has lost ground in its ability to get small businesses to start and grow in the state.
CFED, an economic think tank, put Louisiana at the bottom or just above the bottom of three major ratings used to measure state economies:
Using a scale of A to F, Louisiana scored:
• F in economic performance, which included such measures as employment growth, the unemployment rate, mass layoffs, pay, health coverage, the poverty and crime rates and environmental measurements.
• D in business vitality. The state was ranked third in manufacturing investment, but its rating for entrepreneurial businesses fell during 2004.
• F in development capacity, which measures the quality of workers through education, financial resources available for businesses and such factors as the number of doctoral scientists and engineers, households with computers, university research and patents issued to inventors in the state.
Dan Juneau, president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the state´s major business lobby, said he did not put much stock in the report, questioning the methodology used to compile the ratings.
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20021111h
Inside Track
By Michael O'Leary
November 11, 2002
Coulon In Trouble
Many Jefferson Parish Republicans were shocked when Parish President Tim Coulon endorsed Senator Mary Landrieu. One member of the legislature called the GOP Chief Executive's decision to break party ranks, "treason."
As this State Representative, who asked not to be named, stated, "This is about control of the United States Senate. It's not some local election. It is about the future of the country. To endorse Mary Landrieu is treason."
The legislator also revealed that he and several of his colleagues planned a retaliatory action against Coulon and that this action will be directed at, of all people, his son.
Chris Coulon has his eyes on the State Representative seat currently held by Jennifer Sneed. The Old Metairie and Bucktown district is a prefect fit for a scion of a prominent Republican, and since Ms. Sneed intends to run for the Jefferson Parish Council, vacating the post, a Coulon victory seemed likely.
This has all changed however with the elder Coulon's endorsement of Landrieu. A group of Jefferson GOPers is planning a direct mail piece, which will read, "Like father, like son. The father supported Landrieu. Will the son support her policies?"
Coulon friend Hippo Katz defends the Jefferson Parish president by saying, "Tim was grateful to Landrieu for the drainage money that she provided. He wanted to thank her. He was not concerned by the politics. It is just not who Tim is."
Katz continued, "I don't think Chris will ultimately run. He is looking at other jobs right now."