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Members of the Lafourche Parish Council and Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle have had a lot to say at each other for some time now.
But what remains to be seen is whether common ground can be created for both sides of the Lafourche Parish Government equation to properly balance, rather than jerk to occasional fits and starts.
“We all know that royalties and revenues plummeted these past two years,” Cantrelle said in a recent opinion piece which was published in The Times. “Despite the decline, I dedicated funds to rebuild infrastructure parish-wide, not to fund special interests. More areas saw new or refurbished pump stations in addition to drainage improvement projects along roadways and streets. Flood protection is a matter of life and death. That’s my top priority.”
Council members, meanwhile, are exasperated by some things the parish president has done which, to them, are unconscionable.
”This parish will never progress as long as Cantrelle is the president,” was the judgment passed by Councilman Jerry Jones.
Cantrelle’s comment — along with what he has had to say about other accomplishments of his administration — by themselves are not problematic. It becomes clear that he can be self-congratulatory on multiple counts, a habit which doesn’t endear any of us to anyone, let alone people who have learned not to like us.
But some of his administration’s actions have substance.
Jerry Jones, whose words regarding Cantrelle may appear harsh to some, has a reputation for being a hard worker.
Taken separately, it is difficult to believe that either of these two men have anything but the best interests of the parish at heart, even if they have different approaches. The same holds true to other council members, who have proven themselves time and again to be dedicated and willing to go the distance for their constituents.
If the above statement is true, then how is it that Cantrelle and the Council cannot find common ground, or at least enough ground between them to stop taking years off of each others’ lives.
The missing element between them is trust, and the lack of trust is evident on both sides.
Cantrelle’s stubborn approach may work in private industry. But it doesn’t work well in government-craft.
The Council members who have been particularly rankled by Cantrelle have let hurtful words fly, and not been shy about bringing serious potential consequences to bear against him.
The result in the long run becomes the kind of feud that families end up having and forget, over time what caused it. The result is a toxic environment that prevents either side from doing its best.
This situation will continue until somebody blinks and Lafourche Parish has needs that won’t necessarily last that long.
So what can be done?
A marriage counselor would say that a couple needs to spend some time learning how to respect each other, and that most of all they need to talk.
If both sides of the equation have the best outcome for Lafourche Parish in mind, both sides should talk while emphasizing principles over personalities.
Jimmy Cantrelle had some very good things to say in things he has written to the newspaper. Council members have had some very good points in the things they have discussed, and their passion is admirable. Cantrelle speaks of their inexperience, but not in a way that evinces patience.
The question facing both sides is whether each can recognize the humanity in the other, the potential to fail and the potential to succeed with each others’ help.
It sounds like a tall order, but whether they realize it or not, each side has given plenty of indications that it could be met.
