Thomas G. Carmody
Encyclopedia
Thomas Gaughan Carmody, Jr. (born April 20, 1961), is a real estate
broker from Shreveport
, Louisiana
, who since 2008 has been a Republican
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 6 in Caddo
and Bossier
parishes.
, Texas
. He graduated in 1979 from Roman Catholic Jesuit High School in Shreveport. In 1983, Carmody received the Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
.
Prior to his election to the legislature, Carmody served two terms (1998 - 2002 and 2002 -2006) as the District C member of the Shreveport City Council, which covers much of the same territory as House District 6, the bedroom communities of Broadmoor, South Highlands and Pierremont situated along Youree Drive, Kings Highway, and Line Avenue. In 2003, councilman Carmody pushed for an independent review of the police-related shooting death of Marquise Hudspeth, which at the time attracted national headlines.
race to former Representative B.L. "Buddy" Shaw. Ultimately, however, Carmody defeated Peacock, 52 to 48 percent. In 2011 election cycle Carmody ran unopposed.
Carmody serves on the House Commerce, Education, and the Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs committees. Carmody's biggest donors in his initial election were the Republican Party, the Louisiana Association of Educators, and the Louisiana Hospital Association.
Carmody ran for the House as a fiscal conservative and successfully worked to repeal the Stelly Plan
, which had increased progressive state income taxes along with a decrease in regressive sales taxes. He has worked to fund public education and to protect youth from abuse. He secured passage in 2009 of a bill which strengthens penalties involving the crime of indecent behavior with juveniles. He has pushed to fund completion of Interstate 49
from Shreveport to the Arkansas
border.
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
broker from Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, 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...
, who since 2008 has been 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...
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
from District 6 in Caddo
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
and Bossier
Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Bossier Parish is named for Pierre Bossier, a 19th-century Louisiana state senator and U.S. representative from Natchitoches Parish.Bossier Parish was spared fighting on its soil during the American Civil War...
parishes.
Background
Carmody is a son of Thomas Gaughan Carmody and the former Katherine Elizabeth Phelan of BeaumontBeaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He graduated in 1979 from Roman Catholic Jesuit High School in Shreveport. In 1983, Carmody received the Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in 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...
.
Prior to his election to the legislature, Carmody served two terms (1998 - 2002 and 2002 -2006) as the District C member of the Shreveport City Council, which covers much of the same territory as House District 6, the bedroom communities of Broadmoor, South Highlands and Pierremont situated along Youree Drive, Kings Highway, and Line Avenue. In 2003, councilman Carmody pushed for an independent review of the police-related shooting death of Marquise Hudspeth, which at the time attracted national headlines.
House career
Carmody won a special election to the House after a fellow Republican Mike Powell stepped down in December 2007 before he could even begin his second term. Shreveport businessman Barrow Peacock, a fellow Republican, immediately announced for the open seat, having just lost a state senateLouisiana 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...
race to former Representative B.L. "Buddy" Shaw. Ultimately, however, Carmody defeated Peacock, 52 to 48 percent. In 2011 election cycle Carmody ran unopposed.
Carmody serves on the House Commerce, Education, and the Municipal, Parochial, and Cultural Affairs committees. Carmody's biggest donors in his initial election were the Republican Party, the Louisiana Association of Educators, and the Louisiana Hospital Association.
Carmody ran for the House as a fiscal conservative and successfully worked to repeal the Stelly Plan
Stelly Plan
The Stelly Plan is a since repealed 2002 tax measure in the U.S. state of Louisiana designed to shift certain state sales taxes on food for home consumption and utilities to increases in state income taxes. Narrowly approved by voters, the proposal soon ran into criticism as middle-class taxpayers...
, which had increased progressive state income taxes along with a decrease in regressive sales taxes. He has worked to fund public education and to protect youth from abuse. He secured passage in 2009 of a bill which strengthens penalties involving the crime of indecent behavior with juveniles. He has pushed to fund completion of Interstate 49
Interstate 49
Interstate 49 is currently an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Louisiana in the southern United States. Its southern terminus is in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Interstate 10 while its northern terminus is in Shreveport, Louisiana, at Interstate 20.-Route...
from Shreveport to the Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
border.