As St. Charles Parish is getting ready to welcome its new parish president, Larry Cochran, we pause to say thanks to our outgoing president, V. J. St. Pierre, who carried the parish forward in good style during his two terms in office.
He has continued the good service our public officials have offered us in guiding St. Charles in a positive way in the past.
The parish has benefited from public officials who have taken their jobs seriously in building the community in the right ways. There certainly have been disagreements among the officials, but they have in the end focused on what appear to be the best answers.
And that’s the way it should be. Public officials are not supposed to agree on the best ways of operating a parish, but they do need to compromise on choosing the best answers at the time with the possibility of future changes.
Our new parish president has already served the parish as parish council chairman and District 5 council member. On Jan. 10, he will step up to the highest post in the parish and he is familiar with the needs of our residents.
Heading into his new position, he said, “Having served the council for the past eight years, I am familiar with the overall projects and needs of the parish. However, upon taking office I will be meeting with each department to review in detail their operations and discuss the expectations of my administration. As with any new administration, there will be some changes.”
Obviously president-elect Cochran understands the workings of political offices in which changes can be required over time to maintain a continuum of operation efficiency. And that requires a great deal of overseeing the political processes.
Cochran will be joined on the parish council by three incumbents – Julia Fisher-Perrier who won a second term as District 7 councilwoman, Terrell Wilson, D-Hahnville who won a second term as District 1 councilman and Traci Ackerman-Fletcher re-elected to a second term as District 6 councilwoman. Other incumbents returning in different seats are Wendy Benedetto of Destrehan as Division A at-large council member, Paul Hogan of Des Allemands, currently District 4 councilman who will now serve as Division B at-large councilman; William Billy Woodruff of Des Allemands now filling the District 4 seat.
Council newcomers include Mary Keller Clulee of Luling in the District 2 seat, Dick Gibbs of Destrehan in the District 3 seat, and Marilyn Bellock of St. Rose in the District 5 seat.
Our new council seems to be able to tackle the problems that could face our parish. We should all help them do so.
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