Schwab will not seek re-election parish president post

Terrebonne Parish President Don Schwab announced Monday that he would not seek re-election for the Parish President seat.

Schwab won the seat in 2003 and will hold the office until January 2008.

The next election is scheduled for Oct. 20 and, if needed, a runoff election between the top-two vote getters would take place Nov. 17.

When asked to elaborate on his decision not to run, Schwab said the choice came after discussions with his family.

“I felt at this time of my life, I didn’t want to pursue the office anymore,” he said, “for reasons I’d rather not disclose. I’ve had numerous discussions with my family, and at this time it’s the best decision for me to make.”

He said that there are numerous options available to him for future endeavors, but he did not want to focus on those right now. “I’ve still got about nine months left of this job, and plan to do the best I can until January 2008,” said Schwab. “Just focusing on these next nine months … that’s what I’m concerned about.”

When discussing his biggest accomplishment, Schwab pointed to how he felt the administration was run. “We ran an honest administration,” he said. “Everything was strictly above board, and everything was done for the benefit of, and for what we thought was for, Terrebonne Parish.”

Still, he points to when he first took office as a low point in his term. “The most discouraging part is when we had to lay a bunch of people off when we first got here,” he recalled. “My administration, we had to make some cuts, and unfortunately, that meant laying off a lot of people. That was very difficult for me.”

When speaking of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Schwab said he was thankful the area did not take on damage comparable to other areas of the Gulf Coast.

“That was a high point that nobody likes to consider a high point,” he said. “It was hectic around here. Thank God we weren’t hit as hard as everybody else, and hopefully we can go through another hurricane-free season.”

Schwab thanked the residents of Terrebonne for their support throughout his term. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as (their) parish president.”