Erich Ponti

Erich Edward Ponti (born April 30, 1965), a general contractor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 69 in East Baton Rouge Parish.^[1]

On October 25, 2011, Governor Bobby Jindal endorsed Chuck Kleckley of Lake Charles as his choice to succeed the term-limited Jim Tucker as the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives.^[2] Ponti, along with fellow Baton Rouge then Representative Hunter Greene and Republican Representative Joel Robideaux of Lafayette and the Democrat Jeff Arnold of New Orleans, sought support for the speakership.^[3] By tradition, the House of Representatives, regardless of partisan makeup, confirms the governor's choice as the Speaker.

Background

Ponti was born in New Orleans, a son of Eugene Oliver Ponti and Janice Ponti of Baton Rouge. A 1983 graduate of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Ponti thereafter received a bachelor's degree in Construction Management from Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe). Upon returning to Baton Rouge, Ponti started Accent Construction Services, Inc., a successful general contracting and development firm. Through his profession he first became involved in the political process.^[4][5][6]

Political career

Ponti was elected to the House on November 17, 2007, when he defeated fellow Republican William L. "Bill" Benedetto (born 1941), a retired Entergy Corporation official from Baton Rouge, 6,772 votes (63 percent) to 4,059 (37 percent).^[7] The position opened when the incumbent representative, Republican Gary Beard of Baton Rouge ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. Ponti attributed his victory to "shoe leather ... Just knocking on the doors and be being seen everywhere."^[8]

Representative Ponti also holds the District 69 seat on the Republican State Central Committee, having defeated party activist Sally A. Nungesser, 898-407 (69-31 percent), for the position in Louisiana presidential primary held on February 9, 2008.^[9]

In his first legislative session, Ponti voted in committee to send a proposed legislative pay raise to the House floor.^[10] He then voted in the full chamber against the measure, known as SB 672, which nevertheless passed the House 56-45 on June 13, 2008.^[10] Amid a large public protest, Governor Bobby Jindal vetoed the legislation, which would have tripled state legislators' salaries.^[11]

In 2008, Ponti joined a large House majority in voting for legislation authorizing the castration of sex offenders.^[10]

Ponti served as the charmain of the House Committee on Commerce and Government Affairs committees and is vice-chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.^[6] He is rated 100 percent by the Louisiana Right to Life Committee, 81 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, and 75 percent by the Louisiana Family Forum.^[10]

In 2010, Ponti failed in an attempt to gain passage of a law requiring new licenses for residential plumbers.^[12]

Candidacy for Public Service Commissioner

On August 8, 2012, Ponti announced his candidacy for the District 2 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a position being vacated by Jimmy Field, an attorney from Baton Rouge who has held the position since 1997. If elected, Ponti said that he would seek to require utility companies to upgrade their transmission grids. Such changes would, he maintains, "lower the cost of power to users, ensure long-term reliability, and expedite the restoration of power after damaging storms and hurricanes."^[13]

However, Ponti finished third in the PSC race with 43,287 votes (11.6 percent). Former Lieutenant Governor Scott Angelle of Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish was the runaway winner with 213,485 votes (57.2 percent) and carried all thirteen parishes in the district. A Democrat, Forest Wright, finished second in the balloting with 76,336 votes (20.5 percent). Two other contenders, a Republican and a No Party contender, shared the remaining 11 percent of the vote.^[14]

The nonpartisan blanket primary for the PSC coincided with the U.S. presidential and congressional elections.^[15]

Leaving the House

Ponti announced that he would not seek a third term in the House in the non-partisan blanket primary held on October 24, 2015. He announced too his support for the successful candidate to succeed him, former deputy insurance commissioner Paula Davis. He accelerated his departure and left the House with six months remaining in his term. James Ridgley Bullman (born August 1986),^[16] a business attorney from Baton Rouge and an LSU graduate who was reared in Texas, ran as a Democrat candidate to succeed Ponti. "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of the failed policies of the Jindal administration and the legislature," said Bullman in his statement of candidacy. A Republican, Ryan Eugene Heck (born 1978), a member of the Baton Rouge Metro Council, also entered the contest.^[17] Ultimately, Davis won the runoff election and the special election to succeed Ponti. She defeated the second-placed candidate, Ryan Heck, the owner of Cajun Ready-Mix Concrete Company.^[18]

On leaving the House, Ponti became the executive director of the Louisiana Asphalt Pavement Association.^[19]

References