Parish President Candidate Q&A: Aronda Smith

Editor’s Note: The Times of Houma-Thibodaux sent each candidate the same list of questions for our readers to learn more about their platforms and what their plans are for the highest office in Terrebonne Parish. We will be publishing their responses this week. 

Aronda Smith

Please, introduce yourself. Share your name, occupation, and a little about yourself and your family.

Aronda Smith is a Houma native, Business Consultant, Professional Coach, and a proud graduate of Terrebonne High School. After high school, she served as a medic in the United States Army, deploying in support of Operation Desert Shield and Storm. Once returning home from the military, she worked several odd jobs, later becoming a certified welder. Years later, she earned undergraduate degrees in Business Administration. She then fulfilled her childhood dream of graduating from an Ivy League with a Master’s degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania with three master’s certifications in Organizational Leadership, Organizational Coaching, and Organizational Development and Change Studies. Aronda grew up in Gibson on Sam Rapp with extended family in her formative years. While in middle school, her family moved to Stovall Street on the west side of Houma. She’s blessed to have five godchildren whom she adores. The youngest of them are two and eight years old.

Why are you running for Terrebonne Parish President?

I am running for Parish President because I am excited about what we can become. Our future is bright! Let’s work collectively to ensure every community within Terrebonne Parish thrives. I have a vast amount of leadership experience, education, and credentials but most of all, I have a passion for serving people. As an experienced professional, I’ve started and ran non-profits, served on boards, provided expert advice on panels, provided keynotes both nationally and internationally and received numerous accolades. As a United States Army combat veteran, I protected and served this Great Nation with honor and pride. Now, I’m asking you for an opportunity to serve as your next, Parish President.

As Parish President, what will your three top priorities be?

Mental Health and Addiction Services

One priority is Mental Health and Addiction services with a focus on prevention. Right now, we are in the midst of a fentanyl crisis which has to be addressed with a sense of urgency. Stories of overdose connected to fentanyl are becoming far too prevalent in our community. The time is now to do something. My plan is to immediately create a Think Tank of mental health providers, addiction service professionals, community members, individuals in recovery and Nicholls State Social Science department to address a collaborative approach for healing and treatment. Capital Outlay dollars will also be required to address the needs.

Local Tourism

Our culture is truly a unique one that we take pride in. My plan is to discover opportunities for offering microloans for entrepreneurs to start businesses geared toward stimulating and growing our local tourism industry. The goal is to infuse tourism dollars directly into our local economy. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, “Living like a local” is increasingly popular, and cultural travel is experiencing a renaissance among travelers seeking deep and personal connections with the people they meet on the road. Travelers increasingly see local offerings as a way to ensure meaningful and transformative travel experiences.

Insurance Rates

Quite frankly, I think the Governor should declare a state of emergency based on financial hardship for homeowners. A Governor declares a State of Emergency when he/she believes a disaster has occurred or may be imminent that is severe enough to require State aid to supplement local resources in preventing or alleviating damages, loss, HARDSHIP or SUFFERING. We need immediate relief. A state of emergency is opportunity to get financial support based on hardship from state government and other funding sources.

Economic development: What are your plans to keep existing businesses located in Terrebonne Parish? What are your plans to grow and bring in new businesses?

Within my first 100 days in office, I will put together a team to focus on identifying challenges for existing business. The team is designed to prevent businesses from closing or leaving Terrebonne Parish. The goal is to provide a personalized approach by offering support from business coaches who will provide guidance and resources for growth and expansion. The team will also collaborate with TEDA (Terrebonne Economic Development Authority) to create innovative ways to attract new businesses to our region. As a part of a global economy, it is imperative we build strategic relationships outside of our region.

Industry: With the current economic challenges our seafood industry is experiencing, what are your plans as Parish President to help sustain and support this particular industry?

Louisiana’s seafood industry is an undervalued and under resourced component of rural economies across the coastal parishes. It produces an economic impact of over $2.4 billion annually in the state. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration and the Meridian Institute, in consultation with Louisiana Sea Grant, embarked on a research effort, supported by USDA’s Office of Rural Development and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, in order to highlight the industry’s importance, and catalyze economic development efforts to sustain it. The report characterized the coastal region of Louisiana and the seafood industry; provided an overview of the seafood supply chain; described the industry challenges and needs; and outlined a set of eight goals and 24 strategies to support the industry’s long-term success.

As Terrebonne Parish President, I will engage with commercial fisherman to learn more about their challenges firsthand, and then help craft an economic development strategy along with a robust marketing campaign for the local seafood industry. The recommendations will be grounded in the findings of the collaborative research lead by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Several weeks ago, I had the honor of going skimming with a husband and wife from Dulac. It was a great cultural and practical experience. I have a profound respect for our shrimpers and all they do.

Quality of place: What do you plan to do to increase the quality of place in Terrebonne Parish?

Quality of Place is fostering collaborations throughout Terrebonne Parish with stakeholders that encourage investing in our community. Investing in our infrastructure, parks, venues and cultural activities is paramount. However, at the top of my list is the urgent need for community sewerage. The untreated wastewater/sewerage entering our ecosystem and how little elected leaders speak about it is alarming. This public health issue could create epidemics involving the onset of diseases such as Encephalitis, Gastroenteritis, Hepatitis A, and numerous other illnesses.

Levees: What are your plans to maintain and further develop our levee system and protection, beginning with Morganza to the Gulf?

The Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District is the steward for Terrebonne Parish’s levee projects. As Parish President, I will maintain an extremely close working relationship with the Levee District as we are “One Terrebonne.” The citizens of Terrebonne Parish agreed to tax themselves to protect our fragile parish. I will support on-going efforts to fund the continued fortification of our existing levees while supporting new projects that are in the parish’s best interest.

Flooding: What are your plans to address and improve flood protection for our citizens, in particular our pumps/pump stations and street drainage systems? 

Under the current Administration, a number of new forced drainage pump stations have gone online. I am not sure if an after-installation assessment is done to determine if the project aided in reducing the flooding. As Parish President, I will request an assessment within my first 180 days in office. Our forced and gravity drainage systems can only be optimized if all roadside, swale, and lateral ditches are maintained and kept free of obstructions to prevent flooding. As Parish President, the drainage superintendent will be directed to develop a maintenance plan within my first 120 days in office.    

Infrastructure/Roads: List and prioritize the parish’s infrastructure needs that you will address as parish president.

The most critical issue is expanding wastewater Collection and Treatment capacity in the parish. The majority of Terrebonne Parish homeowners lack community sewerage. There are too many malfunctioning mechanical treatment plants, septic tanks, and cesspools, yes cesspools, that allow discharge of untreated sewerage into our ecosystem. Within my first 365 days in the office, I will have a plan to address these conditions.

Terrebonne parish roadways are deficient and need attending to promptly. Neighborhood streets, and other parish roads need overlay, and roadside ditches are obstructed and ineffective in transferring storm water. The parish has approximately 79 bridges and many of these need servicing. As Parish President, I will use a detailed assessment and rating system to improve all parish roads and bridges thereby enhancing their useability.

Capital outlay: Do you have any specific capital outlay project requests you would like to make to the state?

Yes, working with our state legislative delegation, I will request a $20 million dollar dedication for community sewer expansion into North Terrebonne. Additionally, I will seek funding through the U.S. Office of Rural Development grant process for the eligible sewer project. I will also engage our U.S. representatives and federal partners to request Community Development Block Grant Funding, grants, state and federal revolving loan programs to begin and complete the project.

Homeowners/Business Insurance: What specific plans will you push for with our federal and state legislative delegations to keep insurance rates affordable for our residences and businesses?

There is a considerable amount of work completed and ongoing within our levee systems, pump stations, drainage projects, etc. State and federal delegates are armed with the progress of each project. This information needs to be presented to advocate for more affordable rates.

Recreation: As Parish President, what are your plans to streamline the operation of the parish-supported recreation programs and facilities? How do you plan to attract outside recreational teams and tournaments to our area? 

My plan to streamline the operation of the parish-supported recreation programs and facilities is to work closely with each Recreation District and their board to recruit parents and coaches from their District to support each sponsored sporting program. This is intended to ensure a close working relationships, so that the residents of each District feel they are getting the most out of their millage.

In terms of attracting outside recreational teams and tournaments to our area, the first thing to do is to ensure we are increasing the number of kids participating in the Parish-Supported Recreation Programs. This will allow the All-Star teams to be able to compete at the end of their season with other Parish-Supported Recreation program throughout the state. Then we can create a platform for the teams outside of the Parish-Supported Recreation to have the opportunity to grow their programs and participate at a competitive level locally. The local support will attract larger tournaments to our area.  Larger tournaments will boost our local economy for merchants such as hotels, restaurants, and retailers. The goal is to create attractive packages with support from the Tourist Commission, Chamber of Commerce and Local Businesses to showcase and highlight what we have to offer here in Terrebonne Parish. Packages should highlight our unique identity such as great seafood, retailers, restaurants, swamp tours, historical landmarks, and nature trails.

Homelessness: As Parish President, what are your plans to address the homeless issues the parish is currently facing?

The Housing and Human Services Director should work closely with local non-profit organizations to help identify the depth of the homelessness in Terrebonne Parish. Terrebonne Parish government can lead by advocating for a greater collaboration amongst entities whose mission includes providing services to alleviate and prevent homelessness.

Ida Issues: What are your plans to address the damages caused by Hurricane Ida to parish-owned and-operated properties, including Bayou Towers and Senator Circle?

After more than two-years, Hurricane Ida damages are still not repaired at the Bayou Towers or the Senator Circle. The residents deserved a timely response with an action plan from the board of commissioners. They failed to mitigate further damage by leaving the roof and windows exposed to the elements. Absolutely nothing was done to protect those dwellings after Hurricane Ida. The entire governing board, the board of commissioners, should be replaced.

Once in the office, I will request a status report on all parish-owned properties damaged by Hurricane Ida. After reviewing the status report, I will give a public update then work on a plan of action to complete each project. In addition, the Bayou Towers should be inspected by a structural engineer.