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December 17, 2003 Council bids farewell to two members By Blake M. Petit With the newly-elected parish council being sworn in at the beginning of January, Monday night’s meeting was the last for two members, District 3’s Darnell “Dee” Abadie, and District 4’s Terry Authement. Although it is customary for the council to recognize outgoing members at their final meeting, Abadie submitted a letter to the council respectfully declining the recognition. Abadie lost a bid for the parish presidency against incumbent Albert Laque last month. Authement, who was term limited out of his current office and failed in a bid for councilman-at-large against incumbent Clayton “Snookie” Faucheux, was honored with a plaque and a surprise visit by his family to the meeting. After a tearful speech by his daughter, an emotional Authement made a statement praising the parish, parish employees, council staff and his fellow council members. “I have really enjoyed serving St. Charles Parish,” he said. “I think we’re lucky that we live in a parish like this.” Authement also spoke well of his successor, Derryl Wayne Walls, who will be sworn in with the new council. “We need good government. I think he’s the guy for it,” Authement said. As one of his final acts as a council member, Authement sponsored a bill that will place a moratorium on the issuance of permits for mobile homes along Wisner Street, Cadow Street and Travis Street in Paradis until June 30 of next year. Authement said the matter was brought to him by residents of the streets in question, and that he checked beforehand to be certain there would be no conflicts such as one that arose from a similar measure earlier this year in which a woman had been advised not to seek a permit before checking other options only to return later and find a moratorium in place. The council responded by lifting the moratorium and allowing her to apply. There is one applicant for a moblie home in the area in question, said Earl Matherne with the public works department, but because the application was submitted prior to the placing of the moratorium, it will be processed. Mark East, a resident of Wisner Street, circulated a petition which 90 percent of the residents of the three streets signed in favor of the moratorium, including many mobile home residents. East said the request was to help keep the neighborhood “a little piece of heaven, a great place to raise your kids,” which he said is one of the reasons he located there. The measure passed 7-1, with Councilman Desmond Hilaire voting against it and Councilman Brian Fabre absent from the meeting. Blake M. Petit can be reached at BlakeP@heraldguide.com or at 758-2795, ext. 215.
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