HTHA denies woman’s discrimination charge
March 7, 2011Thurs., March 10
March 10, 2011
Go east, young man.
That was state Sen. Norby Chabert’s advice, delivered moments after he voiced his displeasure for the proposed and Tri-parish-supported coastal Congressional District in preparation for the post-Census redistricting.
“If we can’t get the coastal district that everybody seems to want, that’s one thing,” said Chabert, D-Houma. “But when it becomes evidently clear that that will not happen, and that time’s coming quick, y’all need decide amongst yourself and your membership if you want to go west, you want to go north or you want to go east, because if we can’t decide what we want to do, somebody’s going to make the decision for us.
“At some point, we’ve got to cross the Rubicon and say, ‘What we want, it ain’t happening. Now, what’s in the best interest for this region?’ And that time is coming quick.”
Chabert, along with state Reps. Damon Baldone, D-Houma, Jerry “Truck” Gisclair, D-Larose, and Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, made a presentation about the redistricting process to gathered members of the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce at El Cajuns La-Mex in Raceland last Wednesday.
After the presentation, Chabert said the coastal parish priorities on the west side of Vermillion Bay differ from those on the east “They’re growing land, we’re losing it. They grow rice, we grow sugar cane.”
Chabert, who said he never supported Harrison’s proposed coastal district, added that he would speak to Congressman Steve Scalise, 1st District, this week to exchange ideas on a congressional district encompassing Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes.
His proposal would exclude Rep. Jeff Landry, an Iberia Parish native, from serving Terrebonne and Lafourche and would subject him to competing against Rep. Charles Boustany, 7th District, for his young political career in the 2012 election cycle.
The four legislators shared a common theme: Terrebonne and Lafourche need to make a unified decision and stick with it.
Harrison said the commonality between the coastal parishes affords its residents the opportunity to have their voice heard. He said the links – high population, similar priorities in hurricane protection, coastal restoration and the oil and shipbuilding industries – and high population give the region democratic power.
“So we have the main issues that drive the revenue of the state, and we need the issues addressed properly to say that we do live in a democratic society and that those people who have the population and the issues of the state should be the primary and the pivotal district that should drive the rest of the state,” Harrison said. “It’s a democracy under majority-rules, and we’re hoping we’re able to rule in that area.
“Every business organization, every individual needs to get involved in this. This is too important.”
Absent any congressmen, the legislators stressed the fact that the state delegation has complete control over the redistricting process, which will undergo the brunt of the work in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, and its Senate counterpart.
Chabert is an interim member of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee and Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard, I-Thibodaux, sits on the House committee.
The Louisiana Legislature convenes its 25-day Extraordinary Session on March 20 at 5 p.m., when it will be tasked with drafting new districts for house and senate seats, the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Public Service Commission in addition to congressional districts.
The necessity to redraw congressional lines is not as urgent because the next congressional elections aren’t for another year, so that part of the process may not be finalized until next year, Chabert said.
State Sen. Norby Chabert, who does not support the coastal district, said the time will soon come for Terrebonne and Lafourche residents to bind together and support going east, west or north at the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce Bayou briefing. CASEY GISCLAIR
