Councilman removed from meeting, claims he

was provoked

By Julia Arenstam Staff Writer

Posted Apr 30, 2018 at 9:16 PM
Updated May 1, 2018 at 10:09 AM
Councilman James Bourgeois was removed from a Lafourche Parish Council
special meeting Monday due to a temporary protective order filed against him by
a fellow councilman.

Bourgeois was served with the protective order as he prepared to attend the
meeting in Mathews.

Councilman Jerry LaFont filed a complaint with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s
Office last week after Bourgeois allegedly threatened to kill him.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said the department is investigating the
matter. No charges have been filed.

The alleged altercation took place after the council met April 24. LaFont said he
recorded the incident on his cell phone. He and the Sheriff’s Office have declined
to release the recording until the investigation is complete. Other parish officials
witnessed the incident.
Bourgeois threatened to sue LaFont during the meeting after he brought up
Bourgeois’ pending criminal charges. Bourgeois is facing charges for filing false
public records and claiming two homestead exemptions.

Previously, Bourgeois did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the
matter, but in a phone interview with the Courier and Daily Comet Monday he
would not confirm or deny the allegations.

However, he admitted to making vulgar and explicit comments toward LaFont.

“He was in my face and he provoked me like no tomorrow,” Bourgeois said.

“Who has their phone on to record if they’re not provoking somebody?”

LaFont said previously that he did not engage in any verbal argument with
Bourgeois except to tell him to “get away.”

“I was very angry, he personally attacked me. We were talking about a lawyer for
Mr. Cantrelle and he personally attacked me,” Bourgeois said.

April 24 was Bourgeois’ and his wife’s birthday, whom he is now estranged from
due to these ongoing legal issues, Bourgeois said, claiming they were caused by
LaFont and other council members

“It doesn’t justify making illegal threats, but it doesn’t justify him (LaFont)
bringing up my personal issues,” he said.

Bourgeois said he would not resign from office but was unsure about seeking
reelection.

He claims that if he hadn’t been removed from the meeting Monday, he would
have been the final vote needed to accept the nomination of Lionel Lagarde Jr. as
parish finance director.

“I was going to vote in favor of the man, but he lost because I wasn’t there,”
Bourgeois said.

The Lafourche Parish Council voted 4-2 on Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle’s
nomination. The matter needed five votes to pass.

Here’s how the council voted:

For: Noonie Autin, Daniel Lorraine, Bo Melvin and Corey Perrillioux.

Against: Jerry Jones and LaFont.

Absent: Bourgeois, Michael Gros and Luci Sposito.

Lagarde has been serving as interim finance director since March, according to
his resume submitted to the council.

The council was scheduled to vote on the nomination last week, but delayed the
vote due to a civil service hearing for Renita Jackson.

Jackson was fired as parish finance manager in January. During her appeal
Wednesday, the parish Civil Service Board ruled that the parish didn’t follow the
proper procedure for her termination and reinstated her.

However, that position is currently filled by former finance director Carrel

Hymel, who resigned from the director’s position in February.

Some council members, including Jones, expressed concerns over the parish’s
budget with two finance managers now in place.

“That case has nothing to do with me,” Lagarde said.

Interim Parish Administrator Tommy Lassaigne said there parish had budgeted
for Lagarde’s salary and the reduction in employee hours to 35 per week would
cover both managing positions.

“The budget is easily resolvable,” Lassaigne said.

After the meeting, Cantrelle said he would solve the problem.

“Mr. Lassaigne clarified there will not be two finance managers, there will only
be one. That’s it,” Cantrelle said.

He declined to elaborate on what he would do to solve the problem.

Perrillioux also read an email sent by the board chairman of the Sugarland
Country Club that alleged Lagarde mismanaged the finances of the club while
serving as board treasurer.
Lagarde denied those allegations, explaining the economic downturn the club
was feeling at the time and that he had heard no similar complaints before
Monday.

“I’m just here to do the job,” Lagarde said. “I’m not taking sides.”

According to the charter, Cantrelle has 60 days to present a new nomination to

the council. Lagarde cannot be nominated for six months.

However, Cantrelle said he’s not confident the council will approve a
nomination, no matter who he presents. The council also rejected his
nomination of Rodney Doucet as parish administrator last week.

Sta f Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or

julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @gingerale214.
Terrebonne Parish has unique recreation system
By Julia Arenstam Staff Writer
Posted Aug 2, 2018 at 10:06 PM
Updated Aug 2, 2018 at 10:54 PM
In the past 10 years, Terrebonne Parish residents and taxpayers have paid almost $100 million toward recreation
facilities and programs. Yet many taxpayers don’t understand the system they’re putting so much money into.

Recreation reform has been a controversial topic in the parish as some governmental and independent agencies
analyze a system that has remained largely unchanged for over 20 years.


Terrebonne Parish Recreation
How do the factors of recreation intertwine?

Terrebonne Parish Council

The Parish Council has the power to

abolish, change or oversee the
Recreation Districts
recreation districts and their boards.
It recently placed two of the districts
The parish is divided into 11 recreation
under strict financial oversight.
districts. Each is controlled by a board
appointed by the Parish Council.
They oversee recreation facilities like parks,
gyms and baseball fields.

Private recreation
teams
Private recreation teams, or travel teams,
also use the districts; recreation facilities Terrebonne Parish
when not in use by TPR. Sometimes a Recreation Department
recreation district will charge them a
rental fee that is negotiated between the
TPR is a division of parish government.
district and the team.
It operates on a $2 million budget and
reports to the parish administration.
The department is responsible for
organizing recreation programs,
including hiring coaches, scorekeepers
and other volunteers.
Terrebonne Parish schools

Some public schools in Terrebonne

Parish also use the districts' facilities,
especially when they are on the same
or nearby property.
Other times they are rented out in lieu
of building their own costly facilities.

Each recreation district has a different property tax that is the main source of
revenue.
TPR also collects money through a parishwide recreation tax.
About $12 million is collected each year for recreation.

 Share made with

 Terrebonne Recreation
Infogram

Community districts

Terrebonne has a unique system for establishing recreational programs for its residents and visitors. Eleven
recreation districts are responsible for maintaining parks, gyms and sports fields throughout the parish.

Each district is under the authority of a board, which reports to the Parish Council and parish administration.
Board members are appointed by the council, which also holds the authority to change, dissolve and oversee them.

The board has the authority to hire staff and authorize day-to-day operations. The districts earn most of their
revenue through property tax collections, but each one has a different rate. Other money is collected through state
revenue sharing or other fees collected from concessions, field rentals or summer camps.

According to annual audit reports, an estimated $12 million was spent on recreation in 2017. Annual revenues for
each district range from $160,000 to over $3 million, with the largest being District 2-3 and the smallest District
3A.

“Those dollars are for people to determine what they see in their community and what people would like to have,”
Recreation District 4 Chairman Kirby Verret said. “It makes the districts more accountable to constituents.”

There is also a parishwide recreation tax that pays for the Terrebonne Parish Recreation Department, which
operates on a nearly $2 million annual budget.

TPR is separate from the recreation districts, reporting directly to the parish administration. It is responsible for
organizing recreation programs but does not operate any facilities outside of its office in Houma.

Parish President Gordy Dove has also established a Parish Wide Recreation Advisory Board that meets monthly
with representatives of each district. Verret is board chairman.

“With districts taking care of communities, then TPR being able to coordinate programs, it brings a real good way
for everyone to work in every community according to the needs of the community,” Verret said.

City vs. bayou communities

Each recreation district has a different number of properties it is responsible for maintaining. Facilities are built
based on the communities’ needs and money.

“The city areas are much different than bayou communities. Being able to promote the individual communities
does mean a lot,” Verret said.

By far, Recreation District 11 in Houma has more than any other district with over 20 properties. Several other
districts only have one or two properties to maintain. Those include Districts 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9. A few others have
three or four properties -- Districts 4, 7 and 10.

Of the 11 areas, board sizes range from five to nine members. Recreation District 2-3 is the largest board, recently
expanding from five to nine members. Recreation District 11, which has the most properties, has seven board
members.

The two districts with only one property each, 5 and 6, have seven-member boards while the districts with two
properties, 3, 8 and 9, have five-member boards.

Each recreation district is also represented by at least one council district, but the boundaries for council and
recreation do not align.
Some recreation districts are represented by as many as five council members. District 11 has the highest number of
council representatives, coming in at five with council districts 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8. Yet, Montegut’s Recreation District
9 is represented by one council member.

“There are simply too many divisions and disparity between districts with finances and facilities. Some run well
while others always seem to be mired in financial issues or controversy,” recreation reform advocate Hank Babin
said.

Time for change?

“The recreation boards, most of them existed all the way back into late ’50s and early ’60s,” Verret said.

When the parish dissolved the police jury system and consolidated the city of Houma with the Terrebonne Parish
government in 1984, the recreation system largely remained unchanged, said Verret, who has served in recreation
since the mid-’90s.

According to the parish charter, many of the recreation districts’ boundaries align with those of the former police
jury districts. For example, Recreation District 3A’s boundaries include the territory of former police jury District
D, and was last modified in 1979. Recreation District 4 covers all former territory of policy jury Ward No. 4, last
amended in 1959. Recreation districts 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 follow a similar pattern.

Some districts have expanded recently, however.

District 2-3 took on the Bayou Country Sports Park just a few years ago when development of the so-called “Field
of Dreams” began.

“I understand there’s always someone that wants to see a change, but many times you don’t need to change if it’s
working,” Verret said.

In Comparison

Terrebonne is the second-largest parish in the state and has a large number of districts.

Tangipahoa Parish, which includes the city of Hammond, has only three or four districts. As one Recreation
District 2-3 board member said, comparing Houma and Hammond is “apples to apples.”

Nearby St. Tammany Parish has 12 recreation districts for its various municipalities.

East Baton Rouge Parish’s recreation system was recently named a finalist for the 2018 National Gold Medal
Awards in Parks and Recreation. The system’s budget for 2018 topped $95 million and operates more than 180
parks and facilities.

“Less districts means more money to invest in facilities and less money for each district to pay their own director,
lawyer, accountant, etc. It can create more synergy for an area,” Babin said.

A New Era

“This era we’re in, people have learned who they should talk to,” Verret said. “They’re learning more about
functions of the board and the responsibilities they hold.”

The advisory board has been successful in opening the lines of communication not only between the parish
administration and the districts, but between the districts themselves, he said.

“I think where we are now, it’s the best time to fine tune and improve,” Verret said.

The parish is also searching for a new TPR director and is implementing policy changes, not only for TPR
employees, but also for district employees.
New concussion protocol training has been scheduled, a TPR website has been created for online registration and
other resources, and officials are interacting more with the public to garner feedback.

A map of each recreation district is available at the TPR website, www.tprec.org, where residents can learn more
about their district and who to contact for information.

“The whole ‘system’ has taken in $100 million in the last 10 years. Do the citizens of Terrebonne really feel they
have an adequate system for $100 million of investment?” Babin said.

Sta f Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at
@gingerale214.
Analysis: How voters will determine Lafourche School Board’s size
By Julia Arenstam Staff Writer
Posted Jul 23, 2018 at 7:43 PM
Updated Jul 24, 2018 at 5:34 PM

It will be a key issue in this fall’s elections.

Lafourche Parish School Board Candidates

Which school board candidates support a reduction from 15 to nine members? 

District Candidate Elected? For Against Undecided

1 Christine "Tina" Naquin Babin X
Donald Johnson* X
Pamela McCann X

Frank Pasqua X

2 Brooke Huddleston* X

3 Alfred "Al" Carter X

Cheryl Thomas x

4 Marian Fertitta* X

5 Mary Breaud* X

6 Dennis Guillot X

7 Valerie Bourgeois X-for reduction in board pay

Terrolyn "Terri" Mitchell X

8 Lawrence Autin X
Tyler Dufrene X
Barry Uzee X

9 Cally Hebert Bonvillian X

Julie Breaux* X-for reduction in board pay

Randy Schouest X

10 Barry Plaisance X

11 Clyde "Joey" Duplantis III* X

12 Robby Gisclair X
Ann Bouvier Sanamo* X-for reduction in board pay

13 Al Archer* X

14 Ray C. Bernard* X
 y

15 Calvin Duet* X
Troy Dufrene X

Uncontested candidates in Districts 2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 15 will serve a four-year term. 

(*) Denotes incumbents

 Share

Lafourche School Board

Infogram

Most of the candidates who have either won or are seeking seats on the Lafourche Parish School Board support
reducing its number of members.

Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether the new board has the eight-vote majority necessary to decide the issue.
Unless some candidates clarify or change their positions beforehand, that uncertainty will remain until after the
Nov. 6 election.

The board has considered the issue for more than two years, voting several times against reducing its size from 15
members to nine. Some blamed voters’ defeat of a 1-cent sales tax for workers’ salaries last year, at least in part, on
the board’s resistance to reducing its size.

Proponents say the action would save taxpayers about $58,000 in a year in salaries, align districts with those of the
Parish Council and make it more likely board members will consider the needs of the parish as a whole rather than
those of smaller, isolated areas. Opponents counter that rural districts would lose representation and question
whether there is a problem with the board’s current size. Alternatives have suggested a reduction in salary, rather
than a reduction in numbers.

The board last considered the issue July 11, rejecting a proposal to reduce its size in a 7-7 vote. Here’s how members
voted:

For: Ray Bernard, Mary Breaud, Dennis Chiasson, Marian Fertitta, Brooke Huddleston, Gregg Stall and Raymond
Toups.

Against: Al Archer, Richmond Boyd, Julie Breaux, Calvin Duet, Clyde Duplantis, Gary Foret and Ann Sanamo.

Donald Johnson, who is awaiting state approval to serve as interim District 1 member after Louis Thibodaux’s
death, couldn’t vote on the measure.

In an interview Monday, Johnson said he remains undecided, adding that he wants to know specifically how board
members would be impacted.

“What’s the plan after that?” Johnson said. “Someone needs to tell me all of this before I say yay or nay.”

The board has the authority to put the issue on the agenda before the election, but with Johnson undecided, the
outcome is uncertain.

Before the reduction could take effect, the state Legislature would have to change a law to allow it. In April, a
legislative committee put such a measure on hold indefinitely. State Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, said opposition
from some board members was a main reason his bill was scuttled.
Here’s a look at how the decision could play out after the new board is seated Jan. 1, based on campaign
announcements, social media posts and interviews with the candidates.

6 VOTES IN FAVOR

After signups ended Friday, six of the current 15 members will serve another four-year term: Huddleston, Fertitta,
Breaud, Duplantis, Archer and Bernard. Of those, only Archer and Duplantis oppose the reduction.

In addition, two newcomers will serve after no one signed up to run against them: Dennis Guillot and Barry
Plaisance of Lockport, both of whom support the reduction.

So of the eight already confirmed board members, the vote is 6-2 in favor of reduction.

“It seems to work for our Parish Council, so I don’t see why it couldn’t work for the School Board,” Plaisance said.

Supporters would still need two more votes to reduce the board’s size. Opponents, meanwhile, would need to
secure six of the open seats to maintain their majority.

NO DONE DEAL

Whether that will happen is up to voters. Some new candidates said they remain undecided. Others haven’t
committed publicly and could not be reached Monday. In some districts, voters will choose between candidates for
or against.

“I’m inclined to say it would be better to reduce, but I want to get a feel of what people in my district think,” said
District 1 candidate Pamela McCann, who remains undecided. “Being a former educator, if they’re cutting teachers
or programs, then a good executive decision would be to show that you’re willing to cut yourself too.”

Current board members Breaux, Sanamo and Duet have all voted against the reduction and face election
challengers.

In District 9, Breaux faces Cally Hebert Bonvillain and Randy Schouest, both of whom expressed support for the
reduction. However, Breaux said she would support a reduction in salaries that equate to more savings than a
reduction in board size.

“We would still have representation to our students, they need us to fight for them,” Breaux said.

In District 12, Sanamo is challenged by Robby Gisclair of Cut Off, who favors reduction.

Sanamo said Tuesday that although she does not favor reducing the size of the board, she has taken steps to reduce
its pay. In November last year, she proposed a 50 percent reduction in board member’s salary. That motion was
delayed indefinitely.

Sanamo said she plans to bring up the proposal again at the next board meeting.

Despite others’ claims that the reduction is no longer about money, but about public perception, Sanamo says it still
boils down to a money issue.

In District 15, Troy Dufrene of Golden Meadow supports the reduction and is the sole candidate running against
Duet.

If those three incumbents win, it would bring the total number of board members against reduction to five. They
would still need three more to maintain at least an eight-member majority, with races in districts 1, 3, 7 and 8 left
to go.

If only two of the three incumbents win, reduction opponents would need to take all four of the remaining districts
to maintain an 8-7 majority.
If one or fewer incumbents win, the vote would shift in favor of reduction. Even if they won all of those seats,
reduction opponents would lack a majority -- the vote would be 9-6 in favor of reduction.

OTHER DISTRICTS

The remaining four districts lack incumbents, and most of the candidates say they support or lean toward
reduction.

In District 3, Al Carter supports the reduction, but his opponent, Cheryl Thomas, did not return requests for
comment Monday.

In District 7, at least one candidate opposes reduction, Valerie Bourgeois. However, in a Facebook post Sunday,
Bourgeois said she would support reducing total salaries to be equal with that of a nine-member board.

“I am in favor of keeping the size of the board at 15 but reducing the cost to what a nine-member board would cost
so that every student in our three unique areas is fairly represented,” she said.

Her opponent, Terrolyn “Terri” Mitchell, said she would support a reduction in board size.

THE FINAL TALLY

If voters elect pro-reduction candidates in every district in which one confirmed supporter is running, the board
would have a 12-3 majority in favor of reduction.

If confirmed anti-reduction candidates win in every district, they would comprise six votes on the board. To form a
majority, they would need to look to the four districts that have candidates who are undecided or who have not
committed publicly. At least two of them would have to oppose reduction, which would leave the board with an 8-
7 margin against.

In the end, the final outcome will depend on who voters elect in each of the districts Nov. 6. In races with three or
more candidates, one must receive more than half the vote to win outright, otherwise the top two finishers will
compete in a Dec. 8 runoff.

-- Sta f Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at
@gingerale214.
Eagles ocking to the bayous
By Julia Arenstam Staff Writer
Posted Nov 5, 2017 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 1, 2018 at 8:34 PM

In a thick Cajun accent, Billy Gaston yells “Over hereah ... come on over hereah
you,” to a pair of nesting bald eagles along the banks of Bayou Black.

On a cool, windy day in October, Gaston set out with his usual swamp tour, his
boat filled with tourists from Missouri, France and the Netherlands.

At the first sighting of an alligator, passengers were quick to point out the scaly
creature found in Bayou Black all year. But as the boat traveled further south, the
shadow of a bald eagle could be seen flying over the muddy waters.

Many people don’t get a chance to see the nation’s bird up close, let alone witness
it swooping down to let its claws drag in the cool water.

The winter migration season for bald eagles began last month as the birds seek a
warmer climate along the bayous of Louisiana.

Bayou Black is home to a number of eagles Gaston calls by name as he makes his
daily tour of Bayou Black with Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours and Adventures.

In 1972, the birds were an endangered species, with only three recorded nests in
Louisiana, Gaston said.

Today, there are over 300 active nests in the state, including 120 in Terrebonne
Parish, he added.

Because eagles mate for life, they return to the same nest every year to birth
another batch of eaglets. Their nests are made from bits of the large cypress and
willow trees that line the banks. Spanish moss and other fibers are added to
protect their young from the elements.
Many of the nests in Bayou Black withstood the recent storms that brought high
winds through the area, while at least one appeared to have fallen from its perch
in a cypress tree.

Some of the nests along Bayou Black have been there for decades. One in
particular is at least five-feet wide and large enough for a human to lay down in.

As Gaston’s boat slowly makes its way through the canals, it’s easy to spot the
stark white heads of the eagles against the grey-green mass of trees.

With the hub of eagle activity, many photographers flock to south Louisiana this
time of year to capture a rare glimpse of the national bird.

Wildlife photographer C.C. Lockwood has made such trips to the area and is
leading an eagle photo workshop in February.

Gaston takes crews of photographers and filmmakers on two-hour guided tours

through the swamps several times a year.

There are as many as eight nests in one canal, and with two birds to a next, the
numbers quickly rise.

The migration season lasts until May. A female lays between one and three eggs
during this period, Gaston said.

Not all of them survive, though. If the eaglets don’t learn to fly by the time their
parents are ready to migrate back north, they die.

Even eagles mate for life, this is the only time of year the mom and dad are
together.

Information about Gaston’s tours is available at cajunmanadventures.com.

Sta f Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or

julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @gingerale214.