Page Cortez

Infobox State Representative| name=Patrick Page Cortez

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caption=State Representative Page Cortez, Lafayette Republican
office= Louisiana State Representative from District 43 (Lafayette Parish)
party=Republican Party
term_start=January 14, 2008
term_end=
preceded= Ernie Alexander
succeeded=Incumbent
date of birth= birth date and age|1961|8|25
place of birth= Lafayette, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, USA
religion=
occupation=Businessman; former Educator
spouse= Angela Stoma Cortez
children=Matthew and Maria Cortez
footnotes=(1) Cortez gained vital name recognition in his 2007 race for the Louisiana House of Representatives through his furniture advertising on television and his earlier service as a high school coach.

(2) Cortez is politically allied with a former fraternity brother, Republican State Senator Michael J. Michot, also of Lafayette.

Patrick Page Cortez, known as Page Cortez (born August 25, 1961), is a Lafayette, Louisiana, businessman and a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. On January 14, 2008, he assumed the District 43 seat vacated by fellow Republican Ernie Alexander, who did not seek a third term in the jungle primary held on October 20, 2007. Cortez is a co-owner and operator of La-Z-Boy Furniture and Stoma’s (his wife’s maiden name) Furniture and Interiors in Lafayette. [ [http://house.louisiana.gov/h_reps/members.asp?ID=43 Louisiana House of Representatives - Internet Portal ] ] He gained name identification in the community through his furniture advertising on local television channels and his earlier profile as a high school coach. [Kevin Blanchard, "Baton Rouge Mornng Advocate", Acadiana Bureau, "Alexander's not running: Republican honoring commitment to two-term limit", July 28, 2007]

In the primary, Cortez defeated fellow Republican Patrick LeBlanc, president of the architecture firm, The LeBlanc Group, and the owner of the private-prison company LCS Corrections Services. Cortez received 7,742 votes (55.5 percent) in the twenty-three precincts, compared to LeBlanc’s 6,218 ballots (44.5 percent). [ [http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcpr&rqsdta=10200728a Louisiana Secretary of State-Parish Elections Inquiry ] ] Less than five months after the election, LeBlanc (1954-2008) and his pilot perished in a small-craft airplane crash near Abbeville, the seat of nearby Vermilion Parish. [ [http://www.theind.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2183&Itemid=93 The Independent - Funeral services set for Patrick LeBlanc ] ]

Cortez had entered the legislative race when Alexander was contemplating seeking a third term. Cortez is allied with Republican State Senator Michael J. Michot, a former Democrat and Cortez’s fraternity brother at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and with Independent District 45 State Representative Joel C. Robideaux, both of whom actively supported Cortez in the race against LeBlanc through an organization called “Leadership for Louisiana”. Meanwhile, departing Representative Alexander and U.S. Representative Charles Boustany, M.D., also of Lafayette, endorsed LeBlanc. Boustany and LeBlanc endorsed the failed candidacy of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the American presidency. Michot and Cortez questioned LeBlanc’s business activities regarding controversies which surfaced over the building of prisons in Bastrop, the seat of Morehouse Parish in north Louisiana, and in San Antonio, Texas. No charges were ever brought against LeBlanc. Michot has also been mentioned as a potential opponent to Congressman Boustany. [ [http://www.politicsla.com/site/memberblogs/how_about_manning_up/ PoliticsLA.com ] ]

A Lafayette native, Cortez graduated from Lafayette High School and ULL, from which he received two bachelor’s degrees in education and general studies. A former classroom teacher and coach, [ [http://pagecortez.org/ Page Cortez ] ] he is a former member of the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Commission. Cortez is married to the former Angela Stoma (born ca. 1964), and they have two children, Matthew and Maria Cortez. He is assigned to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget , [ [http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Misc/Press_Rel/PDF/0116_08_2008CmteMembership.pdf Committe Appointments ] ] the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Insurance, the House Committee on Retirement, and the Energy Council. [ [http://representativepagecortez.com/biography Representative Page Cortez - Biography ] ] Among early votes that Cortez cast in the legislature were successful measures to restrict gifts to elected officials, banning public funds for human cloning, and prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. He opposed the “Anti-Bullying” bill rejected by the state House in April 2008. [ [http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=93829 Project Vote Smart - Representative Patrick Page Cortez - Voting Record ] ] Cortez also supported a failed measure which would make it easier for juvenile offenders who commit heinous crimes to become eligible for parole, a position counter to his ally Robideaux. [ [http://conservativecajun.blogspot.com/ The Conservative Cajun ] ]

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