‘Best of times; worst of times’

Parish President Charlotte Randolph’s first term in office may best be described by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Still reeling from an ugly election, ongoing bad blood between her and opponent parish councilman Tommy Lesseigne and an ill-timed state Legislative audit that cites bad bookkeeping and a lack of adequate policing of public funds, Randolph is still hopeful about the coming year and the start of her second term at the helm.

Randolph admits, so far, the journey hasn’t been easy.

On the bright side, she’s been able to do what no one – male or female – has been able to do: Win a second term as Lafourche’s parish president. Randolph is the parish’s first woman chief executive, and the first known seated parish president to be re-elected to the office.

“This year’s election was more a testament to the people who work for the parish,” she said. “The electors of the parish appreciate and recognize the accomplishments that were made in the last four years, and they would like it to continue.”

Randolph’s voter numbers were actually higher in her second run at office.

“I think [the people] saw a good team and they re-elected a team of 200 or 300 people who will be returning and continuing the good work for the parish,” she said.

During Randolph’s first run at office, staying on the “high road” proved difficult. It was equally tough the second time around against Lesseigne, she admits.

“Human nature sometimes makes you want to say things that you shouldn’t say. For the most part, I resisted and stayed basically on the issues,” she said.

As the final days of the election approached, the discussion did get a little personal. But Randolph is quick to note it’s the nature of Louisiana politics.

“We tend to point out the shortcomings of our opponents instead of good attributes and that’s not a good way to campaign,” she said. “We should be telling the voters why they should vote for us, not why they shouldn’t vote for the other person.”

It also proved more difficult to seek re-election for the job while still trying to perform the work.

“The first time, I owned my own business so I could actually campaign during the day and get work done at night,” Randolph said. “We were more flexible, which made for long days, but we had time to attend and to host events and meet more people.

“I didn’t want to take any time away from my duties as parish president,” she explained. “I felt that the people were paying me to do my job and I needed to do my job.”

Relying heavily on her skills as a communicator and well-rounded knowledgeable person proved beneficial.

“I know a little bit about a lot of things, which gives me an advantage,” Randolph said. “I can talk about economic development, public works or whatever the situation calls for. I think I am old enough, wise enough and have experience in knowing what living in the parish is like to talk about anything concerning Lafourche Parish.”

These days, there’s plenty of good to talk about, the parish president said.

With the economy booming in the wake of the 2005 hurricane season – Randolph had barely been sworn in when hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed ashore – Lafourche Parish is riding a high.

The parish council just last week approved a $60.5 million operating budget for the coming year. [But not before first overriding Randolph’s veto of several items.]

The parish administration’s challenge for the coming year will be finding ways to keep the economy growing.

“We are living in a tremendous economy right now,” Randolph said. “Lafourche Parish is at 2 percent unemployment. People are making money and seizing opportunities that don’t come along every day.”

Thinking outside the box – beyond oil and gas – to attract more work is a chief concern, she said.

“It is certainly a boom time in the oil and gas industry and when things are very good, you take advantage of the extra money and the extra time to diversify in the event there’s a downturn in that industry. That way you have something to fall back on,” she said.

Boosting the parish’s cash flow by beefing up recreation and tourism is a goal for the coming year.

Although attracting visitors to the parish to spend money is an aspect to growing the industry, Randolph believes there’s an untapped or undertapped market in the parish.

Creating opportunities locals can enjoy is a priority, she said.

“We are looking to put a central market in the Raceland area, where locals can come and sell their vegetables and seafood,” she said.

At the same site, Randolph wants a pier built where visitors can fish or rent canoes for rowing up Bayou Lafourche.

“We need to refocus on Bayou Lafourche,” she explained. “This is all part of recreation and tourism and it’s what we are looking at in the next four years.”

Randolph would also like to see a harbor built in Golden Meadow for recreational boaters or, during storms, to offer safe harbor.

In her second term, Randolph envisions citizens of Lafourche Parish getting more involved in government. She harkened back to the words of the late President John F. Kennedy:?”Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what you can do for your country.”

“I don’t mean in the sense of taxes and things like that,” Randolph said, “but rather increasing participation in social programs that help those less fortunate.

“I would like adults to teach our young children and lend a helping hand when needed,” she explained.

To achieve those goals and see the parish continue to prosper, Randolph admits will take some fence mending.

In recent weeks, accusations have been lobbed from the council side that Randolph’s administration has failed to measure up to ethical standards. The latest fight was fueled by state Legislative Auditor Steve Theriot’s findings that the administration’s shoddy bookkeeping practices in documenting charges and expenses relating to credit card charges, cell phone minutes and travel expenses.

Theriot recommended the parish adopt detailed policies and purchasing procedures to rectify the discrepancies. Randolph said steps have been taken to right the shortcomings. But the audit did come as a blow to her term. Days after being selected to serve on Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal’s ethics reform transition team, Randolph resigned.

“I knew I would have to answer for the allegations in the audit,” she explained. “How do I do that and serve on the transition team?

“Having to resign that appointment was a very low point that went to my heart. Everything else I handled with my head, but this one went to my heart.”

Despite recently imposed fixes to the shortcomings noted in the audit, Randolph said report remains a point of contention with some members of the council.

“My failure to detail and insist that every document is detailed led us to this, but we can fix it,” she said.

She is quick to note that the audit did not cite any misuse of funds, but rather a lack of documentation. “I am very careful about the way that’s said because there is information that supports the spending,” Randolph said. “It’s just that [Theriot] requested more documents for business purposes.”

By assigning staffers to oversee the documentation process, Randolph believes the problem has been addressed. But completely allaying at least one council member’s ongoing concerns may be beyond simply honing communication skills, she admits.

“There is one person on the council who is not going to trust [the administration] until he is no longer in office,” Randolph said. “Sometimes he is able to convince others, and sometimes he isn’t. He will attempt to create that divide. He was successful this time. Hopefully, he won’t be next time.”

Despite ethics questions and infighting with the council, Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph remains optimistic about the future