Proposed parish pipeline provides promise
May 3, 2011
Rebecca Cheramie
May 5, 2011The Lafourche Parish Council finalized last week the borderlines for the voting districts it will use for the next 10 years in determining its parish councilmen.
Before approval of the maps, which were identified as Plan 3A throughout the process, the council passed an amendment that removed 332 people from District 1 and increased the black population percentage by six-tenths of a percent. Jerry Jones, the district councilman, proposed the amendment.
The 1st District, which is the federally required majority-minority voting block, will consist of 10,176 residents, which is 526 people less than the 10,702 ideal district population. Its black residents will make up 54.94 percent of the district’s population.
The population shift was absorbed in full by the 3rd District, which is represented by Councilman Louis Richard. District 3 now boasts the highest population total at 11,055 residents and has an 83.96 percent white population.
South Central Planning and Development Commission worked to reshape the parish’s voting districts and presented a total of five plans to the public to compensate for population shifts in the past 10 years.
In addition to the preservation of a minority-majority voting district, the proposed maps had to stay within the 5 percent allowable deviation from the ideal district population.
“You obviously have to compromise,” said Kevin Belanger, CEO of the planning commission when he unveiled the proposals for the first time. “The shifting in the population from the southern part of the parish to the northern part of the parish had to occur. District 9 had to go north and put pressure upon District 8 and 7 and 6, and we were able to basically work it out.”
District 7, undergoing perhaps the most notable change, became more centralized. Gone are Pointe-Aux-Chenes, the southern border of St. Charles Parish and all of Precinct 10-1 from the jurisdiction that Councilman Phillip Gouaux currently occupies.
District 5 now extends down the central western border of the parish and picks up Pointe-Aux-Chenes.
“The people of Point-Aux-Chenes that I met and served, I have the utmost respect for,” said Gouaux, the 7th District Councilman. “I made a lot of friends, and anytime I can help any of those people in any regard, I’ll be Johnny-on-the-spot.”
The 7th District’s westernmost boundary is Hope Farm Road. Along Bayou Lafourche, the district encompasses the east side south of State Road 654 and the west side south of Bourgeois Street. Its southernmost boundary is La. Highway 657.
District 7 would also gain the northern half of Lockport, which was previously in District 6.
“I’m not that crazy about [the new maps], but it had to be done,” said District 6 Councilman Lindel Toups. “I feel like I’m the councilman that lost the most, but we had to move north.”
Council adds 6 voting precincts, modifies another
The Lafourche Council added five voting precincts:
Ward 1, Precinct 3A and 3B at Thibodaux High, 1355 Tiger Drive in Thibodaux
Ward 2, Precinct 5 at First Baptist Church, 1021 Canal Blvd. in Thibodaux
Ward 10, Precinct 12 at Galliano Government Complex/South Lafourche Library at 16241 East Main St. in Cut Off
Ward 11, Precinct 3 and 3A at Bayou Blue Recreation District 11 at 200 Mazerac St. in Houma
Also, Precinct 2-2 was relocated from the North Thibodaux Fire Station to Vigilant, Chemical and Hose Fire Company at 921 North Canal Blvd. in Thibodaux.
