Claudet gets down to business

There is a new way of operating for the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government as Michel Claudet is sworn in as parish president along with a host of new parish council members. A new way is the promise of Claudet, who won the presidency by a comfortable margin. He vows to run the parish like a business.

As a publisher, I see first-hand the problems of government. I am encouraged by the early decisions of Claudet, but I am cautious, too. The new president hired a parish manager and public works director from outside of Terrebonne – a move that appears not to be political, but purely business.

As a businessman, I appreciate the importance of running the parish like a business, but I also see the distinct differences. The goal of a business is to make a profit, while the goal of a government is to provide a service.

Many voters were encouraged when former Parish President Don Schwab took office four years ago. He vowed to put the parish budget back in order, and he made business-like moves to accomplish this goal. Some of these moves included the reduction of services to thousands. The most controversial being the closing of the East Houma Fire Station. The result was a budget surplus – a profit.

I disagreed with the dramatic cut in services that occurred during the Schwab administration and feel the budget could have been balanced without such deep cuts. However, there is a new way coming, and hopefully Parish President Claudet can achieve the correct balance of fiscal responsibility and public service that I feel was lacking under Schwab.

The business of government is not designed to be in the green or red, but rather in the black.

I have great respect for our new parish president and feel he can get things done, as long as he understands that he is now in a whole new business.