Joe Sevario

Joseph Adam Sevario, III, known as Joe Sevario (born September 18, 1944),^[1] is a businessman from Prairieville in Ascension Parish near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who from 1976 to 1994 represented District 18 as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate.^[2]

Background

Sevario is one of six children, three surviving, born to Joseph A. Sevario, Jr. (1910-1981), who is interred at Carpenters Chapel Cemetery in Galvez near Prairieville,^[3] and the former Audrey Cannon (born November 11, 1912). Two of Sevario's brothers, Kermit W. Sevario and Byron Basil Sevario (1949-2014), and a sister, Nina Jo, are deceased. He has two surviving sisters, Connie Sevario Kirkwood and Wanda Sevario Marcus. Sevario and his wife, Bobbie (born July 30, 1943),^[4] have at least one child, Shawn Kirk Sevario (born April 1967), an Independent ^[5] member of the Ascension Parish School Board, who was unopposed for his seat in 2014.^[6]

Elections

In the 1983 election for a third term to the state Senate, Sevario defeated fellow Democrat M. Paul LeBlanc, 30,563 (65.4 percent) to 16,200 (34.6 percent).^[7] In that same contest, Edwin Edwards returned to the governorship, when he unseated Republican David C. Treen.

In 1986, Sevario was an unsuccessful candidate for United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 8th congressional district. Victory went to Republican Clyde C. Holloway of south Rapides Parish, the last person to hold the seat before the district was disbanded, effective January 3, 1993. Sevario finished in fourth place in the race with 34,847 votes (19 percent).^[8] Among Sevario's contributors was Ascension Parish attorney Eddie J. Lambert, now a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.^[9]

In his last state Senate campaign, Sevario defeated an Independent in the general election held on November 16, 1991. Sevario polled 27,666 votes (52.1 percent) to Jeffery "Jeff" Diez's 25,436 (47.9 percent).^[10] In that same election, Edwin Edwards returned again to reclaim the governorship with victory over Buddy Roemer and David Duke.

Sevario resigned from the state Senate after eighteen years in office^[2] and was succeeded by former Senator Louis Lambert, who had also served on the Louisiana Public Service Commission and was the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the 1979 general election against Republican David Treen.

Joe Sevario Road in Prairieville, Louisiana Highway 932, is named in his honor.

References