Doucet in Laf. presidency race

Lafourche Parish Councilman Rodney Doucet announced last week that he would enter the race for parish president.

Doucet, 54, will complete his first term as District 8 councilman this year. He said he has considered running for election since January and was prodded to do so by his supporters throughout the parish.

“My bosses say that I always set my goals too high, but that’s why I’m always on the move,” Doucet said. “That’s one of the things I want to do is get Lafourche Parish moving. We need to move forward, we need to work on economic development, work on our infrastructure and try to get the parish to become as one.”

The parish president hopeful said economic development, coastal restoration and “straightening out” the parish’s planning and permitting department are three of his top priorities.

Just more than eight months old, the permit department has been a target for criticism since it was established. Doucet is an advocate of returning the parish’s building inspection and permitting duties to South Central Planning and Development Commission.

“If we don’t straighten that out, we’re not going to have any construction,” Doucet said. “I’ve got four major contractors down here who are building homes and camps and all four have let their seven, eight, nine-man crew go because they don’t have nothing to build.”

Doucet said he wants to develop the Raceland-area infrastructure so the parish is primed for growth when U.S. Hwy. 90 officially becomes Interstate 49.

“Especially from the Gheens bridge to Highway 90, it is a bottleneck,” he said. “We need to start work on that.”

A life-long resident of Lafourche, Doucet was born in Cut Off and graduated from South Lafourche High School.

After high school, Doucet worked in oil fields before transitioning into electrical work, and with 36 years of experience in the field, he’s now a branch manager with Teche Electric Supply Company.

Doucet taught the national electric code at South Central Louisiana Technical College for two years prior to running for parish council.

Doucet has served as the president and treasurer of the Krewe of Atlantis, of which he is a founding member.

The parish president’s seat, in addition to the nine parish council seats, will be on the Gubernatorial primary ballot Oct. 22. Registration for the election is from Sept. 6-8.

“I made a pledge to the people that I would not become part of the problem in parish government, that I would help find solutions instead,” Doucet said in his official announcement. “But leadership starts at the top and I am humbly offering myself for the top job in the parish so we can turn the corner and prosper like our neighboring parishes.”

Doucet has been married for 36 years to his wife, Jan. They have three children and are expecting their third grandchild to be born next month.

Doucet is an active member of Sacred Heart Parish, where he served on the council and as a youth minister for 20 years. He was awarded the “Bishop’s Award” and the “Eagle of the Cross Award” by Bishop Jarrell for 13 years of service with the Cub Scouts.

Parish President Charlotte Randolph and local businessman Jimmy Cantrelle have announced bids for parish presidency. Randolph is seeking her third term.

“I’m very energetic and a proven leader,” Doucet said when asked what sets him apart from the other candidates. “I’m willing to work with people, being a problem solver and I’m ready to move Lafourche forward. My integrity, my background, my past. If you don’t know who I am, ask somebody who Rodney Doucet is.”

Doucet urged anyone who wants to offer support to contact him directly at (985) 688-3103 or email at doucetrodney@yahoo.com. He is also on Facebook.