Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) candidate Julie Quinn | Julie Quinn campaign
Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) candidate Julie Quinn | Julie Quinn campaign
Former State Senator and Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) hopeful Julie Quinn has previous complaints of conflicts of interest after reportedly helping to draft policies during her last year in the senate that benefited her recent new employer.
Quinn is attempting to re-enter public service this fall and is currently seeking the District 2 seat on the LPSC on November 5th.
On November 3, 2011, the Times-Picayune reported that then-State Sen. Quinn had "[advocated] for new rules in the state's $750 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program" to benefit consumers and improve Louisiana's home-elevation grant program. Earlier that year, in April 2011, during her final state senate term, Quinn was hired as an attorney for Orleans Shoring, the largest home-elevation firm in the state, at the time.
The Times-Picayune said that Quinn was “instrumental” in drafting new insurance and bonding requirements for all contractors receiving grants. The Times also noted that several smaller shoring companies expressed concerns with the new requirements because “the state has been slow to pay for completed projects,” and “they don't have the cash flow to afford the costly warranties, performance bonds and insurance packages" the government required under the new rules pushed by Quinn.
An editorial from the Times' editorial board stated that Quinn shouldn't "blur ethical lines" and noted that her efforts in passing the new requirements benefitted her employer, Orleans Shoring. They state that Quinn "would have been wise to keep more distance as the state crafted new rules for contractors. If she had, it would be much easier for consumers to take her at her word that she was putting them first."
Quinn, a Republican, will face Republican Senator Jean-Paul Coussan of Lafayette and Democrat Nick Laborde for the District 2 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission during the November general election. If no candidate reaches the 50 percent threshold, the top two vote receivers will advance to a runoff.
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