The first controversy of the newest legislative term involves how the new leadership will be selected in the Senate, writes Jeremy Alford in his new opinion piece.
The selection of the Senate president leader, after the Legislature is seated in early January, is more than just an internal election. That vote will decide who replaces outgoing Senate President John Alario, a man so ingrained in the mechanics of the Capitol that a hallway is named after him.
No one expects a John Alario 2.0 to take over the position of president, but his successor will be charged with overseeing one of the most important transitions in recent legislative history. The Senate has long been a backstop for governors, thanks in no small part to Alario, and who the president will be is surrounded by uncertainty
Thing is, that’s not the only thing under secret in the Senate. The nomination process for the next Senate president is slated to take place by secret ballot, a rule that was established by senators back in 2015, just a year prior to Alario being re-elected. The process didn’t grab much attention in 2016, however, because Alario was unopposed.
The secret process has some worried about transparency. The folks over at the Public Affairs Research Council, for example, have taken a strong stance against the existing Senate rules. PAR’s stance has caught the attention of more than one senator.
Read Alford’s full column for more about the legislative term’s first controversy.
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
