Shelley Tastet resigns from council

Shelley Tastet, who has served as councilman for District 2 in St. Charles Parish since 2007, has resigned due to medical reasons.

Tastet is the second councilman to resign from the council this month. Dennis Nuss resigned from the council on Dec. 4 to pursue a job in the Houston area. Nuss was also elected in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, as was Tastet.

 

Tastet said that his main goal as a councilman was to see a levee completed on the West Bank and he is disappointed that he won’t see it through. However, he said he was advised by doctors to resign.

 

“I just want to stay around my family. Stress isn’t good for what I’ve got and the doctors said to get out,” Tastet said. “As much as I love the council, it was a decision I had to make for myself and my family.”

 

Tastet said he will help the council choose his replacement and that he would like to have 10 to 15 people to pick from.

 

According to the St. Charles Parish Home Rule Charter, the council will have 30 days to fill Tastet’s seat with a temporary appointment. The appointment must be passed by a majority vote of the remaining council members.

 

Because the unexpired portion of Tastet’s term is more than one year, a special election will be called by the Parish Council in the spring. The person who wins the election will serve on the council through January 2016.

 

The temporary appointee will serve in office until the person elected to fill the vacancy assumes office.