I’m back!

After a six-month hiatus from the Tri-Parish Times to seek public office, I have returned a little bit thinner and a lot wiser.

I had anticipated the District 21 State Senate race to be one based on the issues; instead, it became a race based on geography. I received 67 percent of the vote in Terrebonne and Lafourche, and my competitor received 67 percent of the vote in St. Mary and Iberia.

It was a close election, but the difference came down to voter turnout. Nearly 2,000 more voters in St. Mary and Iberia went to the polls than those in Terrebonne and Lafourche, resulting in a 1 percent victory for West St. Mary Parish resident Bret Allain.

I have no regrets, and although I know I would have made a great senator, it was not part of God’s plan for me.

So, what did I learn from the experience?

I learned that I am not a politician. I learned that you can care so much it hurts. And, I learned that the character of men should be judged not by how they act when they win, but rather how they act when they lose.

What is next?

As before the campaign, I hope to continue running a successful business. I have yet to decide whether I will seek reappointment to the Terrebonne Levee District. However, I do plan to continue serving on the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority Board, at least through the end of my term in August.

I’ll become more active on the Terrebonne General Foundation Board, the Maria Immacolata Knights of Columbus and the Houma Rotary Club. I hope to get more involved with the Morganza Action Coalition, which lobbies the state and federal government for flood protection and coastal restoration, and I hope to partner with our struggling seafood industry to help promote its cause.

My phone has already been ringing with people asking me to once again consider running for political office, and while I am not a politician, I have agreed to keep the doors open. I will always have a passion to “make a difference” in my community… it is just a matter of the best way to do that.