Dorothy Berniard Bergeron
June 16, 2008Betty Smith Alton
June 18, 2008
Although they discussed hurricane preparedness specifically, a meeting held in Houma last week between Lafourche and Terrebonne parish officials was more about fostering good relations than anything else.
The informal conference included Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph, Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet, Lafourche Parish Administrator Crystal Chiasson, Terrebonne Interim Parish Manager Pat Gordon and all the department heads from the two parishes.
Claudet and Gordon called the event “historic.” Both said that a meeting of such a large number of the two parish’s officials had not taken place in at least 30 years.
The conference came about when Lafourche officials contacted Claudet about a possible meeting. “We thought it was a great idea,” Gordon said.
“It was an exchange of ideas about the region,” he said, “what concerns Lafourche about Terrebonne and what concerns Terrebonne about Lafourche.”
“It was well accepted by all,” he said. “I hope we can do it again.”
“Charlotte started a good thing,” Claudet said. “This will allow us to work together better as a region.”
Because the meeting went well, Claudet said he is calling for similar meetings to be held every three months among officials from Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Mary and Assumption parishes.
Gordon said he wants the next meeting to be held in Lafourche.
Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph and Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet, along with administrators from both parishes, met last week to discuss shared issues. It is the first of what Claudet said he hopes are many idea exchanges between the two governing bodies. * Photo courtesy of TPCG
