Troy E. Brown

Troy Earl Brown (born August 22, 1971)[1] is a Democratic former member of the Louisiana State Senate. From 2012 to 2017, when he resigned his seat under duress, Brown represented District 2, which includes parts of Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James, and West Baton Rouge parishes.

Troy Earl Brown
Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 2nd district
In office January 2012 – February 16, 2017
Preceded by	Cynthia Willard-Lewis
Succeeded by	Ed Price
Personal details
Born	August 22, 1971 Napoleonville Assumption Parish Louisiana, USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Toni B. Brown
Children	Jatiea Brown Jadeon Brown
Residence	(1) Napoleonville, Louisiana (2) Geismar, Ascension Parish (3) Paincourtville, LA
Alma mater	Assumption High School Southern University
Occupation	Businessman
Website	troybrownstatesenate.com

Background

Brown is from Napoleonville, in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, where he maintains his voter residence,[1] but he also resides in Geismar in Ascension Parish near the capital city of Baton Rouge.[2] He graduated from Assumption High School. Brown received his associate and bachelor's degrees from historically black Southern University in Baton Rouge, at which he majored in criminal justice.[3] Brown also attended but did not graduate from Louisiana State University and the Southern University Law Center, both in Baton Rouge.[4] He owns and works as the chief executive officer of Home-Health PCA, LLC, and Troy Brown Construction. He is a member of the Louisiana Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Home Builders.[2][3][4][5]

State Senate

On July 5, 2011, Brown announced his candidacy for the Louisiana State Senate. In 2007, he ran unsuccessfully for the Louisiana House of Representatives but lost by four percentage points.[5] He served on the Senate Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee, as well as the committees for Insurance and Select Vocational & Technical Education. He was the vice chairman of the Environmental Quality Committee.[4]

As senator, Brown advocated for better pay and benefits for police, firefighters, and other emergency personnel.[2][3][5]

Family and personal life

Brown and his wife, Toni B. Brown, have two children: Jatiea and Jaedon.[4][5] He and his family attend Saint Paul Baptist Church in Napoleonville.[3]

Assault

On November 28, 2015, Brown was arrested for allegedly having struck his long-time female companion, Katasha A. Willis, in the face.[6] The incident happened after the Bayou Classic football game in New Orleans. The attack allegedly occurred while the woman, a resident of Labadieville in Assumption Parish, with whom he has been involved for a decade, was outside an elevator, along with other people, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Brown and the woman had reportedly quarreled prior to the incident.[7]

Brown was arrested and booked on November 29 into the Orleans Parish Prison on domestic abuse battery, a misdemeanor. Brown said that he had no recollection of the incident and sought medical help. He was represented by former State Senator Edwin R. Murray of New Orleans.[7]

On January 8, 2016, Brown appeared in court in New Orleans to complete paperwork in the battery case against him. Attorney Ed Murray said that Brown could not remember hitting Ms. Willis because of a brain injury in his earlier years.[8]

On July 17, 2016, Brown was arrested at his Geismar residence after biting his wife, Toni, his second domestic abuse arrest in a year. Brown told deputies of the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office that because of the brain injury he had no recollection of biting his wife. Brown posted $5,000 in bail and was released the next day. Not long after this incident, Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards, called for Brown's resignation.[9]

Prior to his resignation, Brown told an interviewer that it was his "gut feel" that "it's pretty obvious that the Senate is going to vote for expulsion. It is my hope that once it gets to the courts, and the courts see the various flaws that exist that are contrary to the Constitution that legal reason will prevail." His latest attorney, Jill Craft of Baton Rouge, referred to the Senate's consideration of expulsion as "a dog and pony show" without proper rules of legal fairness.[10]

Brown's resignation in February 2017 avoided a vote by his colleagues on his proposed expulsion from the chamber. He had pleaded no contest twice in four months to misdemeanor charges related to domestic abuse. Brown said that he did not believe his Senate colleagues, the majority of whom are Republicans, would have given him a fair hearing had he sought to remain in office.[11]

Democrats Warren Harang, III, a sugar cane farmer from Donaldsonville whose late father was a mayor of Thibodaux, and Ed Price, the District 58 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Gonzales, were the top finishers in a 13-candidate field to choose Brown's successor in the state Senate. The two squared off in a runoff contest on May 27, 2017.[12] In a turnout of 20.2 percent of registered voters, Price handily trounced Harang in the second round of balloting, 9,224 (63 percent) to 5,507 (37 percent).[13]

References

1. "Troy Brown, August 1971". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
2. Jennifer Boquet (August 1, 2011). "Business owner Troy Brown will run for 2nd District Senate seat". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
3. "Running for Office: Troy Brown". The Advocate. 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
4. "Senator Troy Brown's Biography". Project Vote Smart. 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
5. "Troy Brown Announces Candidacy for Louisiana State Senate District Two". Donaldsonville Chief. July 5, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
6. "Katasha Willis, May 1975". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
7. David J. Mitchell and Jim Mustian. "Police: State Sen. Troy Brown arrested, accused of punching girlfriend in face Saturday night at New Orleans hotel". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
8. "Report: State Senator Troy Brown makes stop at courthouse in domestic abuse battery case". The Baton Rouge Advocate. January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
9. "Edwards calls for Sen. Troy Brown to resign after domestic violence charges". WBRZ-TV (ABC in Baton Rouge). August 9, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
10. Mark Ballard (February 15, 2017). "Troy Brown says 'it's pretty obvious' he'll be expelled; Senate rejects evidence requests". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
11. By Julia O'Donoghue (February 16, 2017). "Troy Brown resigns Louisiana Senate, avoiding expulsion". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
12. David J. Mitchell (April 30, 2017). "Harang, Price top finishers in Saturday election to replace former state Sen. Troy". The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
13. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

External links

• Official page at the Louisiana State Senate
• Campaign website
• Profile at Vote Smart