Adonis C. Exposé
Adonis C. Exposé says District 99 has been overlooked for many years, and he believes he is the best person to represent the area because he has the experience and the relationships needed to bring a new vision to the state legislature and needed services to his community.
Exposé currently serves as the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Compliance Manager-Liaison Officer for TransDev, where he recruits DBE participation for contracts for the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), publicizes business opportunities to DBEs, and provides any technical assistance to contractors in order to achieve their goals.
He is also the owner and operator of Funkshuns, LLC.
After Katrina, Exposé worked for the Housing Authority of New Orleans, where he was responsible for communicating information to public housing residents throughout the country to bring them back home.
He is a board member of Heart N Hands, Inc., and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club. He was crowned King Zulu in 2017. He is the former board member of Young Audiences of Louisiana and Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana.
Exposé is a graduate of McDonogh #35 Senior High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a master’s in public administration from Southern University A&M.
Candace Newell
Candace Newell is running for the District 99 House seat to bring change in the criminal justice system, she says.
If elected to serve, Newell says she will make criminal justice reform her top priority. Because of her track record in politics, Newell says she will be effective on day one.
Newell’s desire to seek criminal justice reform stems from the years she spent working in the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Intake Center, where she interacted with youth from ages 10-16.
Rather than incarceration, Newell wants to secure funding for programs that will put young people on a positive path. In criminal court, as an intern to Judge Harry Cantrell, Newell worked with the judge on case resolution plans.
Newell also gained political experience as an intern with the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus and as an aide to state Sen. Wesley Bishop.
An experienced financial analyst with a history of working in government administration, Newell is currently the manager of Board Relations at Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans.
She earned a law degree from the Southern University Law Center.
L. Jameel Shaheer
L. Jameel Shaheer’s plan for serving the residents of District 99 includes providing affordable housing and increased economic opportunities along with reforming Louisiana’s education and criminal justice systems.
Shaheer says he will sponsor legislation to increase early childhood education opportunities for children who live in District 99 and to ensure that the TOPS program is retooled to focus on need-based financial assistance for students.
He will also fight until the state’s minimum wage reaches $15 per hour, he says.
At the top of Shaheer’s priorities is the creation of an economic development opportunity zone for retail, dining, and entertainment businesses in the Lower Ninth Ward that he wants to name in honor of the late Antoine “Fats” Domino, who was a lifelong resident the area.
An entrepreneur and property owner, the candidate owns an embroidery and screen-printing business and a uniform shop. He is also an accounting consultant. He is a United States Air Force veteran, former New Orleans firefighter; and a former math and science in the Orleans Parish school system. Shaheer is also an advisor for the District E Economic Development Advisory Council.
Shaheer is not in favor of vouchers. He believes that public education dollars should be used exclusively for public schools. Shaheer says he has five bills ready to present to the legislature, the day after the election. One of those bills would return failing charters back to the local school board to operate, he says.
Shaheer, the co-founder of the West Lake Forest Neighborhood Association, is a graduate of St. Augustine High School, Delgado Community College and Dillard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.