St. Pierre giving the people what they want

After the recent elections, it became obvious that parish residents wanted change.

And that change is exactly what they're going to get.

Parish President V.J. St. Pierre singled the end of an era and gave rebirth to another by completely reorganizing the parish's government structure. Using a model that more closely represents one you would find at a big business, St. Pierre picked four department heads and gave them their duties. They are now completely accountable for not only their actions, but the actions of the employees beneath them.

Those four heads, John "Rusty" Walker, Tim Vial, Tab Troxler and Lorrie Toups, will sift through issues and questions from the staff underneath them, bringing only the important measures to St. Pierre. This should not only allow the department heads a more authoritative position to work from, but it could also eliminate confusion by guaranteeing that all of the appointees in St. Pierre's administration are on the same page.

In keeping with the theme of change, St. Pierre has also decided to renovate the third floor of the courthouse, in an effort to consolidate his support staff, and start giving reports at every council meeting.

By keeping his staff close by, St. Pierre will know where his advisers are at all times. This will make things easier not just for St. Pierre, but for parish residents, who can now go to one location to find out important governmental information. St. Pierre's reports will also please residents by allowing them to gain a little insight into what the parish president thinks are the biggest issues facing the parish and how he decides to handle them.

If St. Pierre is initiating changes like this after less than a month in office, we are excited to see what else he has in store for the parish in the coming year. We can be sure of one thing, whatever he decides to do will be done in a new way.