Parish President Candidate Q&A: Darrin Guidry

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. This is our final candidate. 

 

Darrin Guidry

 

I’m Darrin Guidry, a conservative and two-term parish Councilman. My prior experience included serving as station manager of KCIL/KJIN radio stations from 1989-92 and KHOM/KTIB radio stations from 1992 until 1997 when I founded the weekly Tri-Parish Times and the monthly Gumbo Entertainment Guide. In 2014, the publishing business was sold, and today I own and operate a successful real estate investment company.

I live in Houma with my wife of 30 years, the former Pamela Matherne, and we have a son, Darrin “D.J.” Guidry, Jr; a daughter, Brooke DeRoche Spiers; and granddaughters, Anna DeRoche and Adyn Falgout. I am a member of Maria Immacolata Catholic Church in Houma and a member and past financial secretary of the Immacolata Knights of Columbus.

 

Why are you running for Terrebonne Parish President?

I am running for Terrebonne Parish President because I care. As a Councilman for the last 8 years, I see firsthand the needs of Terrebonne Parish, and it is frustrating seeing these needs go unmet. If there was a candidate for Parish President more qualified, I might have considered re-election to the Parish Council … but that is not the case. I care too much to leave our parish in the hands of someone less experienced.

 

 

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

In order for our parish to survive, we must have a vibrant economy. To achieve that, we must

• Repair our roads and infrastructure
• Lower our cost of living and insurance rates
• Clean up our community

Without addressing these three issues, we will never have people wanting to live and work in Terrebonne Parish.

 

 

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?

We will use every tool to keep businesses in Terrebonne Parish, including having a government that is business-friendly. We will oppose the oilfield lawsuits, oppose new taxes and work to make sure our permitting process is streamlined.

The Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA) will be fully funded under a Darrin Guidry Administration, just as it was when I served on the TEDA Board from 2008-2012. We need a strong TEDA to help sell Terrebonne Parish to industry.

Now that the Lock in the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) is being built, the Intracoastal Waterway will become less salty. We can use this to go after industry in need of access to fresh water. Why should they pay for water rights in other states when there is plenty of fresh water in Terrebonne Parish? We will work together with the Port of Terrebonne to take advantage of the deepening of the HNC, allowing our fabricators and ship builders to expand their capabilities and bid on jobs they previously could not.

Unmanned aviation is the fastest growing aviation segment in the nation, and we will work with the Airport Commission to promote investment in unmanned aviation. The Commission is currently constructing an unmanned aviation base, making this the right time to go after this industry.

Working closely with Fletcher Technical Community College we will train workers to work in new industries willing to locate in Terrebonne Parish, and we will go after every grant and incentive available to help attract new businesses and expand businesses already here.

My experience on the TEDA Board has prepared me to be the Parish President most capable of developing our economy, and economic development is the key to our future.

 

 

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?

Our seafood industry is in need of help, and we will explore the concept of building a public cold storage facility limited to local seafood. Every cold storage facility available is reportedly filled with foreign product. This leaves our seafood industry at the mercy of current prices. We will also go after businesses that add value to our seafood catch, and help locals establish such businesses. Why sell raw shrimp at low prices to restaurants when we can sell shrimp etouffee, or ready to serve cooked shrimp, to grocery stores at a much higher price, and keep the money in Terrebonne Parish?

 

 

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

Quality of place begins with a clean community. We will step up efforts to enforce nuisance violations and make sure the grass is cut along public roadways and ditches. We will also have a litter program that begins with education and ends with tougher sentences for violators.

We will finish the off-road bike path project from the Civic Center to the Sports Park, a project I am spearheading as Councilman. As Parish President, I will expand this to create a bike-path network throughout Terrebonne Parish. We will build a system of fishing piers to help residents who do not own boats take advantage of the great fishing resources in our Community. It will also help generate tourism and revitalize the bayou communities.

We will complete the Mandalay Kayak/Canoe Park, another project I am spearheading as a Councilman, and one that has already received partial funding. Soon, Bayou Black could play host to Kayak/Canoe Races and other family-friendly activities.

Completing the Bayou Country Sports Park and adding the Airbase Park as a sister facility will continue to be priorities, and it is my intention to explore the idea of purchasing the old Southern Oaks Golf Course property to establish a Parish Recreation Park designed to provide recreation to residents not involved in organized sports.

We will also explore opportunities to use our levee system as off-road trails for hikers, bikers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Revitalizing Downtown and other at-risk areas of Terrebonne Parish will also be a focus of a Darrin Guidry Administration.

 

 

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

Having served 8 years on the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District Board, I understand the need to complete the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection System to its final, authorized height. As Parish President, I will continue to work with the Levee Board to continue its construction and assure our parish drainage projects work symbiotically with the Morganza Project, providing the highest level of flood protection.

 

 

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

Working together with Parish President Dove, my fellow Council members and I have built more pumps and flood protection than in any previous administration. We will continue to improve pumps as well as build new pumps where necessary. However, in order to protect homes from flooding we need to make sure our drainage ditches and canals are maintained. Pumps do little good if water cannot get to them. As Parish President, I will develope a maintenance schedule that addresses all of our lateral and feeder ditches. We will also develop a plan to eliminate lilies and vegetation from our bayous and waterways, so we can enjoy their beauty for years to come.

 

 

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

We must address our bridges and state highways. I will work together with our legislative delegation to add incentives in our bids to complete projects ahead of schedule. We cannot have another bridge-replacement-program project taking five years to complete like what happened with the Bourg Bridge.

On a parish level, we will focus on replacing broken neighborhood streets and widening narrow parish roads like Savanne Road, Country Drive and Southdown Mandalay Road, just to name a few.

Tall grass along state highways has also been a major issue in the past. As Parish Councilman I helped negotiate an agreement with the state to transfer state grass cutting funds to the parish, allowing us to maintain the center medians of Tunnel and Prospect Boulevards and the boulevard before and after the Shriever Overpass. As Parish President I will work with the state so the exits of US Highway 90 and shoulders of our state highways are added to the list.

The Terrebonne Sewer Plant is currently operating at only 25% capacity. We need to expand the system so more people can connect to parish sewer, cleaning up our waterways and increasing the resale value of our homes.

Another infrastructure priority will be the hardening of our electrical system by running major transmission lines underground. There are funds available, and doing this would expedite electricity restoration after hurricanes.

 

 

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

As Parish President, I will prioritize state capital outlay requests based on needs rather than wants. I am not beholden to special interests and will fight for what is important to the people of Terrebonne Parish.

 

 

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?

Terrebonne Parish cannot reduce high insurance rates alone. I will work together with Parish President Matt Jewell in St. Charles, Parish President Archie Chaisson in Lafourche and whomever gets elected Parish President in St. Mary to create a consolidated plan to lower insurance rates. We can speak louder as a coalition.

One plan would be to prevent insurance companies from excluding certain areas from their coverage. If they write policies in Louisiana, they should write in all of Louisiana, not just north of I-10. Another idea would be to lobby Baton Rouge for an exception to the Louisiana Citizen’s Insurance Program, allowing them to lower rates in areas excluded by insurers.

As for the Flood Insurance Program, It is my desire to hire LSU to complete storm surge models that include all of our levees in the calculations. We would then petition FEMA to change unreasonable elevation requirements. Lowering base flood elevations would lower rates for residents of Terrebonne Parish who are not currently at those elevations.

 

 

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?

As Parish President, I will work with Recreation Districts to help reduce costs and improve efficiencies, like making all recreation district employees eligible for parish health insurance, negotiating bulk fuel contracts, and offering recreation districts options to reduce costs.   

 

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

I will work with non-profit organizations to help residents made homeless by the hurricane to get back in their homes or buy new ones. We will work with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Options for Independence to help make this happen.

 

 

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?

The new concept for public housing is to have mixed income developments. I will assist the Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD) to create such developments. The Bayou Towers is too damaged to repair and must be torn down. We will also help attract investors to provide more Section 8 housing for displaced residents from public housing.