Lafourche tourism chief retires

The search for a new chief of the Lafourche Parish Tourist Commission is ongoing nearly 20 days after Executive Director Carolyn Cheramie vacated her post, according to members of the council-appointed board of directors that oversees the parish’s taxpayer-funded visitors’ bureau.

Cheramie informed her staff she was retiring due to health reasons, board president Linda Guidry said. 

“It will be a loss for the parish,” Guidry said. “Her knowledge was her strength, her knowledge of tourism and her experience.”

Guidry and fellow board member Ray Zeringue said they were surprised by Cheramie’s departure.

“I was shocked,” Zeringue said. “She had presented to us she was really enjoying her job.”

The outgoing director announced her intention Friday, May 2, and did not show up to work the following Monday, Zeringue said. 

Cheramie could not be reached for comment. Employees at the Bayou Lafourche Convention and Visitor Bureau, the commission’s public interface in Raceland, declined to comment.

Board members began advertising the position as vacant this week and will accept applications for at least two weeks, Guidry said. The only specified requirements are a bachelor’s degree or five years of experience in tourism and that the successor must be a Lafourche Parish resident. A replacement could be named by July.

The commission called a special meeting May 5 and agreed to convene a search committee. The committee’s first meeting was May 13, and it was determined that an interim director would not be necessary.

“The board voted against (hiring an interim director) because the staff was doing such a good job the last two weeks,” Guidry said. “Things have been going smoothly.”

Zeringue said the change in leadership could provide a channel for fresh ideas. 

“I would like to see someone that’s 24/7 involved in tourism,” Zeringue said. “I think in Lafourche Parish we lack way behind in tourism. We need to get some new ideas. Hopefully we can find that person.”

Cheramie’s departure comes less than one year after a parish council audit alleged Cheramie misused public funds when paying for meals and travel expenses.

The commission’s board of directors has undergone a makeover in recent years. Three directors are in their first three-year term: Marguerite Knight Erwin (who replaced Johnny Percle), Mel Boudin (John Doucet) and Randi Lowe (Jasmine Ayo).

After the audit, the board took a re-energized approach in overseeing the commission, Zeringue said, but he stressed that Cheramie was not pressured to step aside.

“I think the feeling of the board was, in the past, the board really didn’t take an active part (in overseeing the visitors’ bureau),” Zeringue said. “The new board members felt she should be more responsive to the board.”

The parish council is tasked with appointing all members of the tourist commission, but parish ordinances hold that the governing body must approve nominations submitted by various entities throughout Lafourche. 

The municipalities of Golden Meadow, Lockport and Thibodaux each get one nomination, the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce has two nominations, the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce puts forth one and councilmembers of wards 6 and 11 nominate one each. The last nomination comes from a recognized cultural/historical organization. 

Most of the commission’s revenue is derived from a 2-percent occupancy tax from parish hotels and motels, which generated about $588,601 in 2012, according to a report Cheramie gave to the parish council last year. The state allocated an additional $125,000 to the commission that year.

The public body is tasked with promoting tourism within Lafourche. It oversees the welcome center near La. Highway 1 and U.S. Highway 90 in Raceland, as well as the website visitlafourche.com, and is permitted to undertake capital projects as long as they do not compete with local businesses.