Pete Heine
Encyclopedia
Norman E. Heine, known as Pete Heine (born December 4, 1928), is a former Democratic
mayor
of the East Baton Rouge Parish city of Baker
, located east of Baton Rouge
, Louisiana
, having served from 1964–1976 and again from 1981-1992. Heine was the president of the Louisiana Municipal Association from 1967 to 1968.
Heine was born in Baton Rouge and attended public schools there before enrolling at the defunct Jefferson Military College in Washington
, Mississippi
. He served in the United States Air Force
from 1948-1952 as a staff sergeant
, participating in the Berlin Airlift and later serving as crew chief on an F-86 Sabre jet. Heine is the widower of the former Georgia Lea Pilcher (September 2, 1926–December 12, 2006), a pianist
at the First Baptist
Church of Baker. He is the father of five: Kathryn Earn Heine Overfield, herself a piano teacher in Zachary
in East Baton Rouge Parish; Steven Kerry Heine, who died in 2002; Charles Norman "Chuck" Heine, George Lee Heine, and James Donald "Scooter" Heine.
Heine was an alderman
and Mayor Pro Tem when he was elected mayor in 1964 to succeed the retiring Henry Grady Smith, Sr. (1921–2009), who served from 1956-1964. Only the fourth mayor in Baker history, Heine stepped down in 1976 to run unsuccessfully for the mayor-presidency of East Baton Rouge Parish, having lost to the incumbent
Democrat, W.W. Dumas. A Republican
, Mayor Jack Breaux
of Zachary, finished third in the race for mayor-president.
As the Baker mayor, Heine was succeeded by Michael A. "Mike" Cross
, who served until 1981, when he resigned the position to succeed State Senator
Gaston Gerald
, who had been expelled from the chamber in a 33-3 vote because of his conviction and imprisonment of extortion
to receive a bribe. Heine then returned to the mayoralty post to succeed Cross. Heine served until 1992, when he declined to run again. The Baker mayoralty then went to the Republican Bobby Simpson
, who subsequently became mayor-president in 2001. In Heine's last campaign for mayor on March 8, 1988, he defeated another Democrat, Jewel E. "Duke" Welch, 2,244 (53.9 percent) to 1,923 (46.2 percent), a member of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council who was later elected as a state court judge
. In that same election, the Democrat Sid J. Gautreaux, III, won the position of police chief in Baker. In 2007, Gautreaux was elected sheriff
of East Baton Rouge Parish. Heine has served as a mayor in East Baton Rouge Parish longer than any other person.
From 1993-2000, he served as the first parish manager for West Feliciana Parish
in St. Francisville
, north of Baton Rouge.
Heine ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor
in the 1971 Democratic closed primary, with the eventual winner being former city council member Jimmy Fitzmorris
of New Orleans
. In 1973, he was an elected as a delegate from East Baton Rouge Parish to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, which drafted the new charter approved by voters statewide in 1974.
In 1991, Heine forced Mike Cross, his first successor as mayor of Baker, into a general election
runoff for Cross' Senate seat. Cross led with 19,650 votes (45 percent) to Heine’s 13,808 (31.8 percent). Two other Democratic candidates shared the remaining 23 percent. In the second round of balloting, Cross prevailed, 28,234 votes (57.8 percent) to Heine’s 20,813 (42.4 percent).
Heine is the son of the Reverend Charles Heine, a Baptist minister who helped to organize two area churches and was the pastor of several others. An active layman in his denomination, Heine was named in 2008 as the "Peoples Health Champion" in recognition of those over sixty-five who perform exceptional community service. In Heine’s case, he was honored for having coordinated the construction of a church in the Leland community.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the East Baton Rouge Parish city of Baker
Baker, Louisiana
Baker is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,793 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baker is located at...
, located east of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, having served from 1964–1976 and again from 1981-1992. Heine was the president of the Louisiana Municipal Association from 1967 to 1968.
Heine was born in Baton Rouge and attended public schools there before enrolling at the defunct Jefferson Military College in Washington
Washington, Mississippi
Washington is a small unincorporated town in Adams County, Mississippi, United States, close to Natchez.-History:The town of Washington's namesake is George Washington...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He served in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
from 1948-1952 as a staff sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
, participating in the Berlin Airlift and later serving as crew chief on an F-86 Sabre jet. Heine is the widower of the former Georgia Lea Pilcher (September 2, 1926–December 12, 2006), a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
at the First Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church of Baker. He is the father of five: Kathryn Earn Heine Overfield, herself a piano teacher in Zachary
Zachary, Louisiana
Zachary is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,275 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in East Baton Rouge Parish; Steven Kerry Heine, who died in 2002; Charles Norman "Chuck" Heine, George Lee Heine, and James Donald "Scooter" Heine.
Heine was an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and Mayor Pro Tem when he was elected mayor in 1964 to succeed the retiring Henry Grady Smith, Sr. (1921–2009), who served from 1956-1964. Only the fourth mayor in Baker history, Heine stepped down in 1976 to run unsuccessfully for the mayor-presidency of East Baton Rouge Parish, having lost to the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Democrat, W.W. Dumas. A Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Mayor Jack Breaux
Jack Breaux
Jack Louis Breaux, Sr. was the Republican mayor of Zachary, Louisiana, in East Baton Rouge Parish for nearly fourteen years — from his first election in 1966 until his death of a brain tumor. He was also the first member of his party since Reconstruction to head the municipal government of a...
of Zachary, finished third in the race for mayor-president.
As the Baker mayor, Heine was succeeded by Michael A. "Mike" Cross
Mike Cross (Louisiana politician)
Michael Aduron Cross, known as Mike Cross is an American businessman who served from 1981 to 1996 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 13 in Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
, who served until 1981, when he resigned the position to succeed State Senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Gaston Gerald
Gaston Gerald
Gaston Gerald is a former American politician from Greenwell Springs in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, who was imprisoned in the early 1980s for extortion of a bribe from a Baton Rouge contractor....
, who had been expelled from the chamber in a 33-3 vote because of his conviction and imprisonment of extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
to receive a bribe. Heine then returned to the mayoralty post to succeed Cross. Heine served until 1992, when he declined to run again. The Baker mayoralty then went to the Republican Bobby Simpson
Bobby Simpson (Louisiana politician)
Bobby Ray Simpson is an educator who served as the Republican Mayor-President, a combined municipal-parish office of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, from 2001-2004...
, who subsequently became mayor-president in 2001. In Heine's last campaign for mayor on March 8, 1988, he defeated another Democrat, Jewel E. "Duke" Welch, 2,244 (53.9 percent) to 1,923 (46.2 percent), a member of the East Baton Rouge Metro Council who was later elected as a state court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. In that same election, the Democrat Sid J. Gautreaux, III, won the position of police chief in Baker. In 2007, Gautreaux was elected sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of East Baton Rouge Parish. Heine has served as a mayor in East Baton Rouge Parish longer than any other person.
From 1993-2000, he served as the first parish manager for West Feliciana Parish
West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,111 people, 3,645 households, and 2,704 families residing in the parish. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
in St. Francisville
St. Francisville, Louisiana
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
, north of Baton Rouge.
Heine ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
in the 1971 Democratic closed primary, with the eventual winner being former city council member Jimmy Fitzmorris
Jimmy Fitzmorris
James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr. , is a New Orleans businessman and civic leader who was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1972–1980...
of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. In 1973, he was an elected as a delegate from East Baton Rouge Parish to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention, which drafted the new charter approved by voters statewide in 1974.
In 1991, Heine forced Mike Cross, his first successor as mayor of Baker, into a general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
runoff for Cross' Senate seat. Cross led with 19,650 votes (45 percent) to Heine’s 13,808 (31.8 percent). Two other Democratic candidates shared the remaining 23 percent. In the second round of balloting, Cross prevailed, 28,234 votes (57.8 percent) to Heine’s 20,813 (42.4 percent).
Heine is the son of the Reverend Charles Heine, a Baptist minister who helped to organize two area churches and was the pastor of several others. An active layman in his denomination, Heine was named in 2008 as the "Peoples Health Champion" in recognition of those over sixty-five who perform exceptional community service. In Heine’s case, he was honored for having coordinated the construction of a church in the Leland community.