[StBernard] Georges Hopes to Parlay Business Success into Political Win

[Westley Annis]

Georges Hopes to Parlay Business Success into Political Win
Date: Monday, September 17 @ 01:04:56 EDT
Topic: Community


New Orleans - By Melinda Deslatte
John Georges has never been an elected public official. Instead, he's been
making millions in the business world. And he wants to make sure voters in
the governor's race know that.

The information is in every campaign ad. It's sprinkled throughout his
speeches. He mentions it in every conversation about the Oct. 20 election.
He grew his family's New Orleans area grocery distribution company to a $500
million business and expanded into other industries, and that's how he sells
himself as the next leader of Louisiana. 
"I have the skill set. I have the credentials. I have the background,"
Georges, a registered independent gubernatorial candidate from Metairie,
told a small gathering at a cafe in New Orleans' Museum of Art. 

"We want a Lee Iacocca to lead the state," he said, referencing the storied
former leader of automaker Chrysler. 

Louisiana voters have embraced the "businessman for governor" concept in
past elections, giving Mike Foster two terms in the Gov.'s Mansion. But
political watchers consider Georges a long-shot in a governor's race with
four major candidates and 13 candidates total. Democratic Gov. Kathleen
Blanco isn't running for re-election. 

Despite the naysayers, the serious and methodical Georges is pouring
millions of his own dollars into his gubernatorial bid and talking himself
up as a contender for the job. 

A 46-year-old New Orleans native, Georges grew up in the family business
that was started by his maternal grandfather, a Greek immigrant. Imperial
Trading Co. - a wholesale distribution company that supplies supermarkets,
drugstores and convenience stores with food, drinks and cigarettes - has
expanded to eight states and 10,000 trucks. 

"I took it from $29 million to half a billion," Georges said. 

Along the way, he added other business interests to his list, including real
estate, tugboats, oil and gas services. 

"He takes companies that are basically broke and turns them around. He's
been very successful at it, as was his father," said Bob d'Hemecourt, once
chief of staff for former Gov. Edwin Edwards and a friend of Georges' family
for three generations. 

Those who know Georges say he delegates authority and runs his businesses
well. 

"He's not shy. He has a strong self-image. He believes himself to be very
capable. I think he has indeed, in business matters, proven that to be
true," said lawyer Paul Andersson, who knows Georges' family through the
Greek church they attend. 

George's ties to his Greek heritage remain strong. His father was a Greek
immigrant who founded a popular Greek Festival in New Orleans. Georges
speaks fluent Greek and he is a leader in his Greek Orthodox church who led
efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina flooded the cathedral. 

Long active in civic organizations, the only political post Georges has ever
held was a seat on the state Board of Regents, which governs public colleges
in Louisiana. He toyed with a political campaign before, filming TV ads for
the governor's race in 2003 before bowing out. 

But d'Hemecourt said Georges got the fever for politics right out of
college. Georges has donated to a slew of candidates over the years and has
been involved in political strategy behind the scenes. 

"All Greeks are political at some level. It's in the soul. It's in the
chromosomes," Andersson said. 

This time, Georges said he's in the race to stay, and he's putting up a
powerful amount of his own money to fund the campaign. He said he has spent
at least $3 million of his cash on the race so far and plowed another $4
million into his campaign warchest. Also, with gambling still a
controversial business for some voters, Georges said he sold his video poker
businesses on the day he formally signed up for the race. 

When poll numbers showed him with higher support as an independent, he
changed his party in the hopes of distinguishing himself from the pack,
becoming an independent after spending his entire adult life as a registered
Republican. He will be listed on the ballot as "no party." 

Georges had gotten nowhere with the state's leading Republicans in his bid
to become governor because the GOP leadership aligned itself behind the
front-runner in the polls, Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal. 

Political analysts don't think the party switch will do much for Georges
because of the state's unique open primary system, where candidates for
state offices, regardless of party, all run against each other at once. 

"Everybody jumps in at the same time, so really, unless somebody is just
blindly voting based on the party, I don't really see an advantage," said
Glenn Antizzo, a political scientist at Nicholls State University. 

But Georges uses his party switch to pitch himself as a leader, rather than
a party acolyte. 

"I'm looking to unite this state and work with both parties at this point in
our state's history," Georges said in Baton Rouge. 

He views Jindal's support as soft and prides himself on nearing double
digits in polls. Besides Jindal, his main opponents include two Democrats:
state Sen. Walter Boasso, of St. Bernard Parish, and Public Service
Commissioner Foster Campbell, of Bossier Parish. A runoff in the race, if
needed, will be Nov. 17. 

Georges' campaign platform is jumbled so far. He talks of the need to fight
crime, improve schools and health care, and clean up Louisiana's image. He
said he supports toughening the state's ethics laws and wants to do away
with state income taxes for people 65 years old and older. He plans to hire
a "recovery czar" to help the state rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. 

In a candidate survey for the nonpartisan Council for a Better Louisiana,
Georges said he backs voucher programs that would funnel state education
money to private schools that accept students from families who can't afford
tuition and supports the repeal of several taxes on businesses. He talks of
taking "power away from government" to help end corruption. 

The nuances of his plans, he said, will be revealed in a 30-page document
within the next week. He told the audience at the New Orleans museum that if
elected, he would bring together representatives of government watchdog
groups to help him craft his agenda. 

"I don't have a constituency that I'm going to be accountable to. I'm going
to be accountable to the general public," Georges said. 

**** Associated Press