Alario anticipates “toughest session” he’s seen yet
The story about Senate President John Alario’s ability to strike 11th-hour deals, forge unlikely alliances and turn a finger jab into a thumbs up has been written and rewritten repeatedly over the years by practically every publication in Louisiana.
This time, however, the narrative is different thanks to an unprecedented revenue challenge, a governor running for president and the race to replace him underway. Through it all, Alario must also find a way to retain his own title and gavel in 2016.
While Alario has never wielded more influence over the legislative process during his 43-year career than he does now, those who know him best suggest he’s approaching the coming session with an uncharacteristic sense of uncertainty.
During a recent interview at his Westwego office — where the only photographs of people hanging in his lobby are of Pope John Paul II, former President Bill Clinton and his late father — Alario’s warm and collected demeanor betrayed any feeling of precariousness. But his words did not.
“I think it is going to be the toughest session I’ve personally seen,” he said, adding it’s too early, roughly a month before session convenes, to make a call. “We have various senators working on various solutions and the same is happening in the House. We’ll be having meetings gathering those folks together. It’s going to take a little piece of all those things to make it work but at some point we’ll have to pull it all together and see what works best.” Alario, a Republican, said it will be a “group effort,” but the political reality is that all eyes are on him.
Ask House members and they’ll tell you it doesn’t matter what they do: “It only matters what John does with what we send over there,” said a longtime representative.
Ask Senate members and they’ll tell you they prefer to defer: “Everyone is waiting to see what John is going to do,” said a senator. “I feel like he’s grasping right now, but it won’t last. He’s seen every kind of cycle and catastrophe there is.”
Ask lobbyists and they’ll tell you there’s no need for worry, that Alario “is crafting a plan to cover everyone”: “He’s the adult in the room,” said one lobbyist. “He’s not going to pay attention to all these crazy ideas that are being floated. He knows it’s an election year.”
An administration source added, “There are very workable pieces in the budget proposal, but John’s going to have to pull some of it together.” Golf with Vitter, a man between governorsIt’s all playing out against the backdrop of a governor’s race that could decide whether John Alario resumes his role as Senate president next term. Few would bet against it, but Alario, to no surprise, is already working the angles. Just in case.
To that end, the biggest question in the field has been whether U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a fellow warrior of Jefferson Parish politics, will support Alario returning to the helm. Sources say donors have been appealing to Vitter on Alario’s behalf and the two have shared time recently on the greens.
“He has reached out to me and we’ve played some golf at TPC. David just starting playing two years ago but he’s pretty good,” Alario said with a laugh. “You have to look down when you’re playing golf, which is tough for David because he’s always looking up.”
Alario, 71, is a man between governors.
His power over the legislative and executive branches has grown because Gov. Bobby Jindal has left a void in Baton Rouge while pursuing national office.
Yet given Jindal’s penchant for delegating authority, and Alario’s dedication to delivering for Jindal, the political arrangement is mutually beneficial – although it’s clear it will be Alario doing the heavy lifting this session.
As lawmakers lose patience with Jindal’s strict parameters, as in keeping everything revenue neutral, Alario must not only provide cover to a body that has come to expect protection from him, but he must also find a way to sustain the governor’s anti-tax pledge.
It’s a tall order with a $1.6 billion shortfall, and the candidates for governor will be watching his performance. To be certain, Alario is positioning himself as the last line of defense for the administration. He is the proverbial company man, but one who looks out for his “friends” too. “I think it’s going to be important to structure a solution to make sure we’re not at odds in the session,” Alario said, referencing the administration and Legislature.
Alario said Jindal’s budget proposal is a “big starting point,” but wouldn’t go into details on how lawmakers can build off of it during session. He meet with House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, the chairmen of the money committees and other key lawmakers two week ago.
The Senate president did tell LaPolitics that it’s probably best to avoid the idea floated by House members to move bills early and fast through the process to set up a possible veto override of Jindal.
So that’s probably off the table.
Some influential House members, though, still like the idea of temporarily suspending tax exemptions through veto-proof resolutions, which would give lawmakers the ability to raise revenue for one year without putting Jindal on the spot.Alario stuck to his same talking points from most of this year during the meeting held two weeks ago with other legislative leaders, urging patience.
That’s also what Alario did when he held a private meeting with senators in the Capitol basement in January, said a member of the upper chamber.
“He kind of let everyone moan and groan. John is really good about that,” said the senator. “Then he told us all to sit tight, let the House stew, let the budget document become public record, let the universities and everyone else digest the numbers, and then let it all come to us. That’s hard for a lot of us to do, but it’s probably good advice. There’s the hope that he’s going to take care of everything, just kind of come in and wave a wand and show up with 100 pages of amendments for the budget on the final day of session.
Actually, that’s probably the way it’s going to work out – another Alario miracle. But this is definitely the biggest test he has ever faced.”They Said It“I’ve jumped out of planes at 2 o’clock in the morning, so looking at you at 7:45 in the morning isn’t hard.” — State Rep. John Bel Edwards, a former Airborne Ranger, at an early morning gubernatorial forum this month hosted by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association
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