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Regular Session, 2010 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 177
BY SENATORS ADLEY, ALARIO, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME, CHABERT,
CHAISSON, CHEEK, CLAITOR, CROWE, DONAHUE, DORSEY,
DUPLESSIS, ERDEY, B. GAUTREAUX, N. GAUTREAUX,
GUILLORY, HEBERT, HEITMEIER, JACKSON, KOSTELKA,
LAFLEUR, LONG, MARIONNEAUX, MARTINY, MCPHERSON,
MICHOT, MORRELL, MORRISH, MOUNT, MURRAY, NEVERS,
PETERSON, QUINN, RISER, SHAW, SMITH, THOMPSON AND
WALSWORTH
A RESOLUTION
To commend Charlie Smith, lobbyist extraordinaire and political consultant, upon his
selection as an inductee into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame for 2011.
WHEREAS, it is altogether fitting and proper to congratulate Charlie Smith for this
auspicious honor; and
WHEREAS, very few mortals reach the status of legend in the world of politics, in
particular, someone who has never held an elective office; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Smith has been a integral part of the State Capital community
for over forty years; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Smith has reached that pinnacle and rose far beyond it to the
stratosphere of near political nirvana; he is without peer in the world of lobbying and
persuasion; and
WHEREAS, Charlie possesses a wealth of knowledge on many complex issues that
include arts and humanities, business law, natural resources and mineral production, film and
entertainment, music, and workmen's compensation; and
WHEREAS, Charlie was born in Mobile, Alabama, reared in Slidell, Louisiana,
attended Southeastern Louisiana University, and later graduated from LSU with a Bachelors
of Arts degree in Journalism where he often voiced opinions at Free Speech Alley, was
active in the Young Democrats campus organization, and developed a fervor for LSU Tiger
football; and
WHEREAS, he began with representation of the Louisiana Municipal Association
and soon after that, a power-wielding client, Associated General Contractors; the time was
1968 and "old-time" politics was the order of the day; dictated by movers and shakers
confecting deals in smoke-filled rooms over cards and Kentucky bourbon; and SR NO. 177 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, in the thick of it was Charlie Smith, a master of riding the roller coaster
of legislative procedure, managing legislators like bull-riding at the rodeo; goading them as
they emerge from the chute, spurs a'gleaming; sometimes making the "8 second ride" and
sometimes being bucked off; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, Charlie Smith became Executive Director of the Construction
Industry Legislative Council, a loose-knit association of contractors, engineers, architects,
and sub-contractors, by itself no easy task to herd that group; and
WHEREAS, Charlie tackled the monumental labor management political battles of
all time such as, Right To Work, Workers' Compensation, Unemployment Compensation
Reform, and the repeal of the Prevailing Wage Law; and
WHEREAS, for eighteen years Charlie was a well-connected, extremely successful
political strategist, however, his hard-charging, "take no prisoners," fast paced life had begun
to spin out of control; in 1987, he had a moment of clarity, stopped his world in the midst
of all his success, did a complete about face, stepped away from the political scene, and took
up the laid back life style of a poet and bohemian in the French Quarter of New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, he eked out a meager living, wrote compositions and poems, published
several books of poetry, Last Call, Still Waiting for Last Call, and Throw Me Something
Mistuh, a reflective look at his life both past and present; he was once arrested for selling
poetry without proper municipal authorization, to which he commented, "There is no poetic
license in New Orleans."; and
WHEREAS, after a seven year hiatus, Charlie Smith returned to the capital in 1994,
to take up the lobbyist mantle once again with the same tenacity as before, but less of the
bravado, with his life now on a more even keel, steady, assured, ready to go to work as an
advocate for funding for the arts, environmental issues, historic preservation, fishing
industries, humane societies, parishes, and municipalities; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Smith has helped to change the landscape for the arts, to
promote its worth, to elevate the necessity of arts in education, and to find financial support
of such worthy causes as Louisiana Artworks, the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans,
and the conservation of the Grand Opera House in Crowley, to name but a few; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Smith, the elder statesman of lobbyists and proud ardent SR NO. 177 ENROLLED
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admirer of the people and institution of the legislative process, is well known for his pleasant
demeanor and kind heart, his affection for animals, his writing, and his passion for
Louisiana, her culture, and her people; and
WHEREAS, he is happily married to his wife, Donna; and
WHEREAS, his children hold his heart in their hands, his daughters, Kimberly and
Cristina Noel, and his son and business partner, Tracy Donovan Smith; and
WHEREAS, Charlie Smith describes himself as the patron saint of previously lost
causes, and politically unconventional, which from most points of view, is only the tip of the
iceberg.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Charlie Smith, lobbyist and political analyst, for his selection and
future induction into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame for 2011.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Charlie Smith of Smith and Associates.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE