Williams seeks re-election bid

Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman Arlanda Williams announced last Wednesday she would seek a return to the District 2 seat she has held since being elected for that spot in 2007.

Williams said when she came to office her intentions involved the establishment of a virtual infrastructure that included neighborhood stabilization, community development, economic enhancement and nurturing an element of trust between government and residents.

During two consecutive years of her term, Williams served as the first female council chair ever for the parish governing body.

“During my term, this community was faced with many catastrophic events, beginning with hurricanes Gustav and Ike [in 2008], a heavy rain season in 2009 causing many parts of the city of Houma to flood, the [2010 BP Deepwater Horizon] oil spill that resulted in a moratorium on offshore drilling and more recently the projected spring floods of the northeastern portion of the parish,” Williams said.

Williams noted not only her local activities to address the concerns of her constituents, but listed her involvement as representative of Terrebonne Parish as she met with various state and federal officials to address economic and environmental concerns of coastal Louisiana.

“I was chosen to be part of the [Environmental Protection Agency’s] local government advisory committee’s Gulf Coast Restoration Workgroup and testified before Congress and the [Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement] on behalf of many businesses and residents of this parish affected by the moratorium,” Williams said.

Other areas of Williams’ involvement include securing funding for drainage projects in District 2, boosting police patrols in high crime areas, working with Houma Police in the development and enhancement of neighborhood watch groups, and working with Comcast and the Terrebonne Parish School District to provide students on free lunch programs an opportunity to receive Internet services and the ability to purchase personal computers at a reduced rate.

Williams is a member of several civic organizations and has received multiple awards including those from the Women’s Business Alliance, National Association of Black County Officials and MacDonnell Children’s Services.

“I feel strongly that public servants should live up to that name and volunteer to serve the community outside the political arena,” Williams said. “Among the many groups I belong, I also formed the Diamonds and Pearls mentoring group for young girls and initiated [the] yearly fundraiser Pink Ribbon Social to raise funds to provide mammography services to uninsured females.”

Williams has also been selected to serve as a board officer for the newly formed Foundation for Terrebonne General Medical Center.

The mother of two children, Williams holds an undergraduate degree in political science and master’s in criminal justice from Southern University at New Orleans.

She is employed in the insurance department with the Terrebonne Parish School District.