Total salaries similar to prior administration
While most “carry over” administrative employees maintained level salaries in Parish President Larry Cochran’s administration, many new hires started with level or lower pay and some with combined duties.
Click here to see a comparative of payolls by administration
“We are looking to provide a high level of service to our residents while being fiscally responsible,” Cochran said.
In January, Cochran came into office making $102,873, the same pay former President V.J. St. Pierre was taking home by end of his administration. Cochran left his longtime position as electrician and network technician with St. Charles Parish Schools after working there more than 23 years and also served on the Parish Council for eight years.
Upon entering office, Cochran said he created an executive staff structure, which he said was implemented “for efficiency as these roles not only apply this administration’s vision for the parish, but also lend support when there are needs by the individual departments.”
According to parish numbers, total payroll is nearly the same in the two administrations.
The previous administration’s total payroll was $15.29 million as of Aug. 7, 2015, according to Chief Financial Officer Grant Dussom. The current administration’s payroll was $15.54 million as of Aug. 5 of this year with a difference of $186,371. Of this increase, some $121,211 was vacation pay paid to appointed personnel who did not return with the current administration, according to Dussom.Consolidated positions
All department directors who served under the St. Pierre administration are making the same salary under Cochran’s administration.
Waterworks Director Robert Brou is among the parish’s highest administrative earners, topping the “carry-over employee” pay at $130,000.
Brou is followed by Chief Financial Officer Grant Dussom at $127,271; Economic Development Director Corey Faucheux, $114,999; GIS Coordinator Luis Martinez, $107,176; Recreation Director Duane Foret, $114,572; Wastewater Director L.J. Brady, $101,032; Community Services Director Joan Diaz, $77,290; Government Buildings Director Phillip Dufrene, $68,534, and WIA Director Tommy Scott, $68,090.Cochran said past performance, experience and tenure were the main factors in deciding salaries.
“Tenure was a large part when retaining appointed employees from previous administrations,” he said. “The parish has employed the director of waterworks for over 26 years during which the department has received numerous accolades.”Key positions and new hires
Cochran said, by consolidating roles and bringing in new people, that he lowered salaries for newly appointed positions.
“I’d like to think our salaries are fair and competitive,” he said. “Government expertise is sometimes coveted in other organizations, and other agencies often look for that in an employee.”
Soon into office, Cochran appointed Billy Raymond to the position of chief executive officer at $99,999 salary, a figure down from Buddy Boe’s $116,292 and his predecessor Timothy Vial’s $127,856 a year. Vial left the job in 2013, replaced by Boe who held it until he was elected councilman on the St. John the Baptist Parish Council.
Cochran also named Robin Delahoussaye as his administrative assistant at $78,000, a figure $2,000 a year less than Anedra Coleman, who held the position in St. Pierre’s administration.
Robert Raymond was named parish attorney at $135,000 a year, replacing attorney Sunny Vial who was paid $97,163 a year. From 2013-15, David Moyer also served with Vial as parish attorney at $70,000 a year.
In April, Clayton “Snookie” Faucheux was appointed director of public works at $130,000, earning slightly more than his predecessor. Sam Scholle held the position at $128,893 until he stepped down to make way for Faucheux, but he remained with Cochran’s administration in a special position. Faucheux earlier served on the St. Charles Parish Council from 2000-08 with Cochran until he resigned in 2013 to accept a job in north Louisiana.
Cochran appointed Darrin Duhe as executive director of procurement and government buildings at $90,000. This position was essentially handled by Bobby Donaldson as chief operating officer at $100,946 under the previous administration.
New faces in existing positions
The parish’s planning and zoning director, Michael Albert, is paid $9,406 less than Kimberly Marousek’s $97,185 salary under the previous administration. Assistant public works director, Steve Truitt, earns the same at $99,342 as his predecessor, Bob Dublan.
Following an extensive hiring process, Joe Ganote was recently named as the parish’s emergency operations director at $91,999 or $12,800 less than Ron Perry who earned $102,801 a year.
RSVP Director Michelle Higgins replaced Fay Caire, earning $24,539 less a year than her predecessor.Jena Troxler replaced Angela Robert as animal control supervisor in the administration change.
Troxler is paid a $83,500 salary compared to Robert’s $74,948, a difference attributed to Troxler being a veterinarian.Rechell Champagne was named risk manager at $78,000, or $21,604 less than Monique Granier who held the title under St. Pierre’s administration.
A grants officer has not yet been named to replace Holly Fonseca, who resigned from the position and served in St. Pierre’s administration at a $105,460 salary. Carla Chiasson is serving as interim grants officer.
According to Cochran, “When it comes to attracting highly qualified employees and retaining them, we are not only competing with other government entities, but we are also competing with private sector. Some members of our staff could make more in the private sector, but we try to pay them fairly to sustain the parish’s mission.”
Parish’s new executive hierarchy
The parish president created two new administrative titles.The position of executive director of community affairs was announced and Dwayne LaGrange was appointed to fill it at $90,000 salary.
LaGrange was a spokesman for the St. Charles Parish Office.
Cochran also created the combined title of technology and communications, naming Anthony Ayo as director. Ayo was systems analyst with the St. Charles Parish Schools, where Cochran also worked more than 23 years.
Under St. Pierre’s administration, these duties were essentially handled by two people: Information System Specialist Abel Dufrene at $38,465 salary and Information System Specialist Erik Dufrene at a salary of $75,216.
Ayo is paid a salary of $90,000.
“During the transition interviews, I saw a need to combine these roles to provide oversight and support,” Cochran said. “The goal was to consolidate executive oversight based on expertise.
“The executive director of technology and communications has an extensive background in technology with experience and education in communications. The executive director of community affairs was created because we needed to have clear and concise oversight of the departments that interact directly with the community. This structure also helps with budget control and applying a cohesive vision throughout these parish government departments.”
Both administrations had a public information officer. Renee Simpson held the position at $65,834 in St. Pierre’s administration, which was considered an executive position to the parish president.
She was not rehired by Cochran while her assistant, Tristan Babin, was later named to the position. Babin now earns $62,500 and answers to Ayo. Additionally, an assistant to Babin will be named.
Surrounding parishes
Compared to surrounding parishes, Cochran’s $102,873 salary is the lowest monetarily in a parish with 52,617 people.Jefferson Parish President Michael Yenni’s salary is $151,217, but he serves a significantly larger population of 434,767 people.
St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom is paid $143,398 with the lowest parish population of 43,761.Chief administrative officers are also among the highest paid in the parishes.
St. Charles Parish’s Billy Raymond makes $99,999 compared to Jefferson Parish’s Keith Conley at $141,729 and St. John the Baptist’s LaVerne Saulny at $97,335.St.
Charles Parish Public Works Director Clayton Faucheux makes $130,000 a year compared to Jefferson Parish’s Kazem Alikhani’s $187,969 and St. John the Baptist Parish’s Brian Nunes’ $90,901.Parks and Recreation directors are also among the highest administrative earners.
St. Charles Parish’s Duane Foret’s salary is $114,572 compared to Jefferson Parish’s Clinton Gibson at $137,009 and St. John the Baptist’s Kerry Watkins at $72,100.
Jefferson and St. John the Baptist parishes do not have an executive director of community affairs or executive director of technology and communications, although these duties are spread over multiple positions in Jefferson Parish or further consolidated in St. John the Baptist Parish with even fewer people handling them.
For anyone who may have read this article, you may want to also read the passage below. The first two parts are clearing up misleading information; the third part is purely my opinion about my former office and where it falls on the new organizational chart.
As I am mentioned by name, I felt compelled to clear up some misleading information contained in this article. In almost 8 years serving as Public Information Officer, I never realized a full annual salary of $65,834. For all intents and purposes, I ended my employment with St. Charles Parish at $62,999. The number listed in the article was the salary for the Public Information Officer position on Jan. 1, 2016. However, I only worked 6.5 days in 2016 before I was terminated. This same scenario holds true for any of the appointed employees the current parish president elected not to keep. The article doesn’t point out which employees those were quite as explicitly as it did in my case. So as you read and compare the salaries of newly appointed folks (both with and without previous government experience), please keep in mind that the salaries listed for outgoing employees were actually lower during their last full year of employment.
For a little perspective (this is all a matter of public record), I started in 2008 at an annual salary of $40,000 with two years of prior professional experience as a journalist.
The chart also seems to point to the mentioned IT employees — the two Information System Specialists — having been replaced by the Executive Director of Technology and Communications. Those two employees remain. The IT Office is simply now under the purview of a new administrator.
Lastly, in my opinion the Public Information Office is operating under the wrong administrator. By the parish president’s own admission, the reorganization was done based on areas of expertise. If the PI Office cannot operate directly under the Parish President — which is where it exists in most other administrations and corporations and definitely in all emergency response structures — it certainly seems that office should be operating under the supervision of someone who has direct, relevant experience as a PIO.
The word ‘Public’ is in the very title of the Public Information Office. Its main goal is to communicate with the public. Almost everything the PIO does is a direct form of community engagement, and the PIO shapes almost all of the parish’s ‘Community Affairs’ initiatives.