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Term limits are finally taking hold in 2007, and it’s driving the politicians absolutely mad. It’s like watching addicts go cold turkey, and it’s sad, even pathetic. You won’t believe some of the stories below. The first sign of madness was when term-limited Rep. Peppi Bruneau resigned early this year to force a quick, special election and had his son run for his seat. The voters saw through this attempted handoff and defeated his son by a 60%-40% margin.

But they aren’t the only ones trying to beat the system and avoid term limits and the shift of power. The insanity continues:

-- West Baton Rouge Parish Councilman Larry Johnson is term-limited. Reliable sources in the parish tell me Johnson is planning on having his wife run for his seat, despite her very poor health.

The plan is, after she wins, for her to resign and Johnson to run for the vacant seat. Insane. The good news is, attorneys with the state inform me that the WBR home rule charter says you are not eligible to qualify for the succeeding term (four years). Therefore, even if his wife ran, won and resigned, the special election would still be to fulfill the balance of the “succeeding term” for which he is not eligible to qualify.

If Johnson attempts this ruse, it might be up to a court to decide—if the voters don’t end it sooner.

-- Is this nuts? A football coach from Dry Creek becomes a state senator. Then he mentors another football coach from Dry Creek who gets elected as a state representative.

When the senator gets term-limited, he decides to run for statewide office. Expecting to win, he talks to his friend the representative, who is also term-limited, and encourages his wife to run for his seat in the House.

But, when the senator loses the statewide race, he has nowhere to go and can’t bear the thought he would be out of office, so he decides to run against the wife of his protégé, after he encouraged her to run for the office. This incestuous and disgusting story of Louisiana politics is not fiction: It is the story of Sen. James David Cain, Rep. Herman Ray Hill and Dorothy Sue Hill in House District 32 in 2007.

There are more stories developing—such as the grandson of Sen. Don Hines running for his grandfather’s seat. And I’m sure others will soon surface. It is hard for these “two-bit politicians” to accept they are losing their shiny quarter and will become just ordinary citizens like the rest of us.

I am worried that the ghost of crazy Earl Long has returned to our state. Could someone call the men in the white coats?

Women in business

This issue of Business Report includes profiles of seven influential women in business. (Years ago we expanded our criteria to include those in the business of government, education and nonprofits.) This is our 10th anniversary of this special issue and event, which specifically recognize the success and achievements of professional women and businesswomen in the Capital Region.

The impact of women in business is growing in Baton Rouge and across the country. Women own more than 10.6 million businesses in the United States and employ more than 19 million workers—that’s one in seven employees. These companies account for $2.5 trillion in sales and are the fastest-growing market. Nationwide, 5.7% of all adult women are entrepreneurs.

At the luncheon honoring the 2007 Influential Women in Business, Kellyanne Fitzpatrick Conway, president of The Polling Co., will be discussing how women are changing America. She is co-author of What Women Really Want—How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live. Conway will be the keynote speaker at the June 14 luncheon.

We salute this year’s honorees (pages 32-39) and all those who have been recognized over the past 10 years (pages 40-42). In fact, all women entrepreneurs who have stepped out and taken the risk to start their own business deserve kudos. It’s never easy.

I would also like to point out that 68% of this company’s employees are women—and you wouldn’t be reading Business Report, Book of Lists, Real Estate Report, Daily Report, 225 or 225 Select without their efforts. We appreciate their commitment to excellence and the contribution and leadership that each provides.

Embracing entrepreneurship

Speaking of entrepreneurs, LSU got a huge boost recently with the generous donation of $25 million to the E.J. Ourso College of Business and the School of Veterinary Medicine from Emmet and Toni Stephenson.

The Stephensons are LSU grads and entrepreneurs, and $4 million of the donation will go toward the Entrepreneurship Institute in the College of Business. It will be used to increase outreach activities “to promote economic growth in Louisiana and the Gulf South region.”

At the ceremony changing the institute’s name to the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute, LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe noted, “Entrepreneurship is about exploring opportunities.” Well said. Louisiana has often relied on our past opportunities and natural resources and not moved to explore new opportunities for this century. Our flagship university can help change that.

Dr. Mark Weaver, who heads the institute, said one of the reasons people don’t start businesses is because of the fear of failure. He pointed out that it is often said eight out of 10 small businesses fail in the first five years. But, he noted, that is not actually true—companies that merge or are acquired and change their name are reported as “ended,” even if they were acquired because they were very successful.

Weaver said the accurate failure rate is about 40%. If a person had a 60% chance of success, those would be pretty good odds, he added, and we need to encourage people to start businesses. If you fail—and we all have—you get up, learn from it and go for it again.

That’s a culture of entrepreneurship and risk-taking that we must embrace and encourage in Louisiana to grow jobs for the future. More entrepreneurs and fewer politicians is a formula for success. One produces jobs and wealth and the other gives us red tape and taxes.

Who would you rather bet your future on?