With St. Charles Parish President V.J. St. Pierre terming out having served two terms consecutively in office, four candidates announced they were running for the position in the Oct. 24 election primary.
Larry Cochran, D-St. Rose, qualified for the race along with John Cornwell, D-Luling, Terry Authement, R-Boutte, and Carolyn K. Schexnaydre, R-Destrehan. Cochran is currently District IV councilman and Schexnaydre serves as council at-large Division A representative.
Three of the four candidates – Cochran, Authement and Schexnaydre – are or have served on the council.Cochran is District 5 councilman, as well as serves as council president. Schexnaydre is Division A at-large councilwoman and Authement earlier served on the council. Cornwell brings experience as a high-level member of the Rotary of St. Charles Parish.
All four candidates said hurricane protection is their top issue for the parish, as well as the need to improve drainage. All four said they would carry on efforts to build and improve levees in the parish.
Terry Authement
Authement, a Republican from Boutte, spent 12 years on the parish council as the 4th District and at-large Division B representative before leaving office in 2011.
Authement, a retired supervisor from the Monsanto plant in Luling, said his business experience qualifies him as a strong candidate, having managed large projects and a large budget.
“During my time in office, I authored numerous pieces of legislation, but we also expanded recreational facilities in District 4 by negotiating with Texaco with the park in Des Allemands upping the acreage from 10 to 26 acres and then got the park donated to the parish,” he said of some of his achievements in office. “We purchased the property in Bayou Gauche and have since implemented the equipment and a walking path in Green Acres.”
If elected as parish president, he said he would make parish government more user-friendly, as well as promote it operating more as a team with information shared between the departments. He also would focus on controlling flood insurance rates.
“I’m not a micro-manager, I like to empower people to greatness and I would like to have a professional facilitator to ensure I’m part of the team to drive more results with all parties to figure out how to bring all these things together,” Authement said.
Asked about the parish’s future and how to facilitate it, he pointed to residential growth driven by industry’s willingness to invest in the community.
“Without investment, the area economy becomes stagnant,” Authement said. “We need a strong workforce and place for them to live so they can handle the job. We need to recognize and be on the forefront of identifying what we need to do as a community to manage that growth, as well as bring in experts to do it right. The comprehensive land use plan should be used with the growth.”
Larry Cochran
Cochran, a Democrat from St. Rose, has served eight years on the parish council, including two terms as vice chairman and two terms as chairman. He also chaired the Council Contract/Finance and Administrative Committee, sat on the Planning and Zoning Commission four years and been a member of the River Region Caucus for seven years.
“During this time, I have established relationships with elected officials not only from our region but both state and federal officials that are in position to help St. Charles Parish in addressing its needs,” he said.Cochran said his leadership qualifies him as the better candidate for the office.
“Quality of life is key,” Cochran said. “Affordability of our residents to live and raise a family in the parish is crucial so I will always utilize a conservative approach to overall government spending. I will work to encourage and support a local economy that is diversified and balanced with good paying jobs and opportunities for our youth so they will always want to call St. Charles Parish home.”
Cochran also proposes to expand the parish recreation program to include more family activities, expand the St. Rose park and provide a public boat launch on the West Bank. He would also work with the state Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to build an interchange at U.S. Highway 90 and I-310, as well as a new state highway from Highway 90 to River Road east of Barton Avenue in Luling.
“I will streamline the parish permit and licensing process for citizens and businesses,” he said. “I will conduct an evaluation of our wastewater infrastructure to address the most critical areas of need on a priority basis.”
On the parish’s projected growth, Cochran said the area will gain about 10,000 residents by 2030 and he intends to use the parish’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan to guide this expansion.
“It will be the guiding document of my administration on growth,” he said. “I will focus on being the ‘best’ not necessarily the ‘biggest.’ Again, quality of life must be a primary concern. We have a unique ‘small town’ feel and I don’t want to lose it.”
John Cornwell
Cornwell, a Democrat with 40 years in law enforcement with the State Police and St. Charles Sheriff’s Office before retiring, said he uniquely possesses the blend of education, experience and community involvement.
“I am not going to reinvent the wheel here,” he said. “I aspire to be a transformational leader.”
Cornwell is also district governor of the Rotary Club of St.Charles Parish and its former president. He is also a board member of the United Way of St. Charles.
If elected, Cornwell would focus on flood protection and drainage, as well as maintaining a vibrant economy.
“We need to stick to our St. Charles Parish 2030 Comprehensive Plan with amendments as needed,” he said. “Projections are for our population to grow by only 10,000 households by 2030.”
Cornwell would leverage the parish’s location natural resources and quality of life to be more competitive in attracting industrial parks and light manufacturing, while maintaining the area’s culture and rural identity.
Carolyn Schexnaydre
In 2007, Schexnaydre was elected as at-large Division A council member. She has chaired the council’s legislative committee, where she learned about the parish’s charter, as well as taken classes on ethics and on drinking water quality and safety. She sits on the Retired Senior Volunteer Program’s board.
“As a council member at-large, I have worked to save millions of tax dollars on contracts, such as $1.2 million on the garbage contract,” she said. “Voting on issues that made our laws equal for all residents. I worked with the department heads and administration to understand their needs.”
If elected, Schexnaydre would focus on drainage issues and lowering taxes.
“We need to see that all projects started are continued and plan for new projects to make sure no houses ever flood again,” she said. “I think this can be accomplished as we have made big strides in the last eight years by completing large drainage issues and having a maintenance schedule of cleaning all canals and ditches across this parish. On taxes, I feel we as a government can cut back on waste and inefficiencies in all departments.”
The Destrehan resident also said she is not controlled by outside interests, as well as offers the ability to listen to residents’ concerns and find answers to their questions. She offers an open door to residents in person, by phone and email.
“I am not scared to ask the hard questions,” Schexnaydre said, adding, she will listen to employee concerns and try to work out issues on the job.
On driving the parish’s growth, she proposes to bring in more industry and businesses, as well as ensure the parish’s infrastructure and sewer systems are not overburdened. Schexnaydre said she also would provide more education and training for jobs, fill jobs with more local people and attract more small businesses.
“Bringing in more small businesses can change the entire fabric of a community by investing in vacant offices and industrial spaces,” she said.
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