Dist. 7 councilman changes mind, will seek re-election

Lafourche Parish Councilman Phillip Gouaux, who previously said he would not seek re-election in October, has changed his mind and confirmed that he would campaign for a fourth term.

Gouaux said in January that he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his parents, and the demands of the council prevented it. He said a conversation with his father changed his mind.

“My dad said, ‘Son, you’re helping people. Do it.’ I said, ‘Alright,'” the 7th District councilman said.

Gouaux, who has been one of the leading councilmen in drawing the new parish districts, said the transfer of Point-aux-Chenes to District 5 would cut down on his travel time.

Greg Sanamo, the parish’s former recreation director and 7th District resident, said Gouaux’s decision would have no impact on his plans to seek a council seat.

Sanamo said a formal announcement concerning his campaign would come after the new parish districts were finalized.

Energy Council meets for first time

The newly formed Lafourche Energy Council met for the first time on the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon incident.

The council’s goal is to “start a dialogue between our local emergency personnel from all agencies and private oil companies to share as much knowledge as possible” in preparing for future disasters, Parish President Charlotte Randolph said.

Rep. Jeff Landry and Wes Kungel, a representative from Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office, made a presentation on the national impact of the oil spill and briefed those in attendance on what to expect in the future from the federal government.

Mark Kosiara, a representative of Shell Oil, discussed with the council Shell’s situation and talked about containment plans for future spills.

Several other entities were also represented: the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce, City of Thibodaux, Town of Golden Meadow, the Gulf Economic Survival Team, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Restore or Retreat, Nicholls State University, three parish high schools and the oil industry.

Chamber to host GCRO

The Lafourche Chamber of Commerce will host representatives from BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization (GCRO) today at 8 a.m. during its monthly Bayou Briefing meeting at the Larose Civic Center.

Iris Cross, general manager of external relations, and Gary Dunham, area operations manager, will offer an operational update on the response, discuss BP’s Louisiana involvement pre and post-spill and answer questions on behalf of the GRCO.

The GRCO has offices in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Reservations are required and can be made over the phone at (985) 693-6700 or email at admin@lafourchechamber.com. The cost is $15 for chamber members and $20 for prospective members.

LPSO partners with DEA in prescription drug ‘Take Back’

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office will again offer the public an opportunity to surrender expired, unwanted or unused prescription drugs on Saturday.

In a partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, LPSO will participate in the national “Take Back” initiative April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in three locations:

Thibodaux Police Department, 1309 Canal Blvd., Thibodaux

LPSO Personnel Building, 5200 La. Highway 1, Raceland

South Lafourche Substation, 102 West 91st St., Cut Off

“Studies indicate the majority of prescription drugs that are abused are provided by family members or friends,” the LPSO release says. “Also, citizens are sometimes unsure of the best way to properly dispose of their unused medication. Throwing them away or flushing them down the toilet can be both a safety and health hazard.”

Members of the public are being asked to direct their questions to Agent Scott Pritchard at the Lafourche Parish Narcotics Section at (985) 532-4362.