New state sales tax law takes area’s commercial fishermen by surprise
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‘I’m a pretty decent shot on a gun range.’
April 7, 2016
The Lafourche Parish Council District 5 race will finally come to an end this weekend.
Lafourche voters will choose between James Bourgeois and Holly “Scooter” LeBouef on Saturday in a run-off election following a March 5 special election for the seat. The weekend’s results should bring an end to a seat that has been up for grabs since September, when incumbent John Arnold, running unopposed, was disqualified for overdue election fees.
Both Bourgeois and LeBouef said they have been meeting residents to hear their concerns, and each plans to continue to do so through Saturday. The two candidates said that drainage would be a main fo-
cus if elected. LeBouef has heard the area along Lake Long Drive in Bayou Blue has had drainage issues, while Bourgeois said the most vocal group he has spoken to about drainage are those living along La. Highway 182.
Both candidates praised the work of new Public Works Director James Barnes, appointed in January, in addressing drainage. LeBouef said there is a lack of pumps in Bayou Blue, and the parish needs to work on fixing the broken pumps already in the parish.
“There are a lot of pumps that are broken that need to be repaired. I know Mr. Barnes is doing a great job. He just got on board the first of the year, and he has just been busting his butt to really survey everything. But it just can’t be done overnight,” she said.
Bourgeois said Lafourche should have standardized pump stations throughout the parish, so parts and repairs can be readily available from nearby stations.
“The parish can’t shop price on pumps. We need to stick with kind of the same brand so that parts are somewhat interchangeable. That way we’re not looking at what brand of pump, what size, what this, what that, where we have some commonality,” he said.
Bourgeois said he could be an asset to the parish’s emergency preparedness. He said he has experience in the subject from spending nearly 30 years in the National Guard. Bourgeois said he has also known Chris Boudreaux, director of homeland security and emergency preparedness in Lafourche, and Eric Benoit, assistant manager in Boudreaux’s office, since high school. He said he would like to set up meetings between Boudreaux’s office and the National Guard to establish a working relationship before a storm hits.
“Another hurricane’s going to hit. We know it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. I just think that trying to help people after the fact is one thing. The more you do ahead of time, the better things go when the disaster happens,” Bourgeois said.
LeBouef said she would also focus on cleaning up blight in the Bayou Blue area, particularly the area near Meadowland Drive. She said the process to remove blight is drawn-out, as most notices are sent to abandoned houses, and those that are not accepted can be “forgotten.” LeBouef wants to expedite the process to get the properties up for auction sooner and clean up the neighborhood, for value and safety purposes.
“I don’t know how people live like that, but there’s a lot of burned and abandoned, just derelict, structures that need to come down. First of all, they’re safety hazards, and if we have a hurricane, there’s no telling where it’s going to wind up, because it’s just falling apart,” she said.
SATURDAY RUNOFF ELECTIONS
Lafourche Parish
Council Member District 5 (Select 1)
• James Honore’Bourgeois #294
Republican
• Holly “Scooter” LeBouef. #295
No Party
Member Greater Lafourche Port Commission, Div. D (select 1)
• Rodney Gisclair Sr. #297
Republican
• Jimmy “T-Jim” Lafont #298
Republican
SPECIAL EDUCATION DIST. NO. 1-4.98
MILLS – BOC – 10 YRS. (Select 1)
Shall Special Education District No. 1 of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana (the “District”), levy a four and ninety-eight hundredths (4.98) mills tax on all the property subject to taxation in the District (an estimated $3,358,300 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2017 and ending with the year 2026, for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining or operating the facilities of the District?
• Yes
• No
Bourgeois
LeBouef
