Eric Skrmetta
Skrmetta in 2011
Member of the
Louisiana Public Service Commission
from the 1st district
Assumed office
January 1, 2009
Preceded byJay Blossman
Personal details
Born
Eric Frederick Skrmetta

(1958-10-01) October 1, 1958
New Orleans, Louisiana
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDeborah Gibson Skrmetta
ChildrenRaphael Quentin Skrmetta III
Marcia Elizabeth Skrmetta
ResidenceMetairie, Louisiana
Alma materLouisiana State University
Southern University Law Center
Tulane University Law School
OccupationAttorney

Eric Frederick Skrmetta (born October 1, 1958) is an American politician who represents District 1 (largely surburban New Orleans, eastern Florida Parishes, and River Parishes)[1] on the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC), an influential regulatory agency which was the political springboard for former governors Huey Long, Jimmie Davis, and John McKeithen. Skrmetta is a member of the Republican Party.[2]

Education and background

After finishing Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, Skrmetta attended Louisiana State University, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, and in 1981, he received his B.S. degree in industrial technology.[3] In 1985 he was a cum laude graduate (juris doctor) of Southern University School of Law, passed the Louisiana Bar Exam, and entered the practice of law. In 1986 Skrmetta received his LL.M. in admiralty law from Tulane University Law School.

Since 1989 he has focused on legal mediation. A member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee for District 81, in 2003 he unsuccessfully sought to represent the coterminous District 81 in the Louisiana House of Representatives.[4]

Election 2008

Skrmetta won the race for Public Service Commissioner in a 2008 November 4 runoff after two other candidates (Bruce Kincade and Ken Odinet Sr.) were eliminated in the primary election. His runoff opponent was former Public Service Commissioner John F. Schwegmann, who had no party affiliation.[5] Skrmetta had the support of then-incumbent District 1 commissioner Jay Blossman, who was barred by term limits from seeking reelection.[6] Skrmetta assumed his commissionership office on 2009 January 1 for a term which ends on 2014 December 31. Skrmetta’s campaign demonstrated the political utility of open web sites such as Facebook.[7]

Public Service Commissioner

On PSC Skrmetta has sought clarification of Louisiana’s ethics regulations, which have tightened since the state’s populistic past. In particular he has sought to displace meal reimbursements to commissioners from regulated utility companies with reimbursements by PSC itself.[8]

Personal life

Eric Skrmetta and his wife Deborah Gibson Skrmetta (born 1961) have two children. The Skrmettas are involved in various religious and community organizations. They live in Metairie, Louisiana, where they attend Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ In alphabetical order the parishes partly or wholly represented by Skrmetta are Ascension, Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles, Saint Helena, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington. District 1 thus has a reversed-"C" shape; if it contained East Baton Rouge Parish on its western side, District 1 would form a complete loop with radius in the Greater New Orleans area.
  2. ↑ Skrmetta on Votesmart.org, Skrmetta on Peoplefinders.com.
  3. ↑ "Member Directory". Beta-Phi Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Skrmetta profile on the PSC site". Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  5. ↑ Louisiana 2008 PSC 1 second round results. Archived 2008-11-26 at the Wayback Machine See also Robert Travis Scott, “John Schwegmann, Eric Skrmetta face off for PSC post” in Times-Picayune (New Orleans), 2008 October 06 (accessed 2009 June 17).]
  6. ↑ Stephanie Grace, "Blossman pushes boundaries with fund-raiser" Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine in Times-Picayune, 2008 September 19 (accessed 2009 June 17).
  7. ↑ Skrmetta’s Facebook campaign site.
  8. ↑ Greg LaRose, "Commentary: Skrmetta’s debut dubious" in New Orleans CityBusiness, 2009 January 28.
  9. ↑ Skrmetta profile in the Times-Picayune, Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine 2008 September 09 (accessed 2009 June 17).
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