The St. Tammany News

Articles originally published in The St. Tammany News

Considering Term Limits In Parish Government

Considering Term Limits In Parish Government

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Our View

St. Tammany News

The Parish Council would do well to heed the warning of two citizens groups and give more thought to a plan that could impose term limits on the parish president and council members.

Councilman Henry Billiot of Mandeville is pushing for a charter change that would allow voters to either impose term limits for all council members or eliminate the current term-limit ordinance for the parish president. The concept could be approved by the council as early as next week, putting it on the Oct. 20 ballot.

Billiot said he is neither an opponent nor proponent of term limits. His motivation, it seems, stems from his desire that the rules should be the same for the parish president, who now is bound by term limits, and Parish Council members, who are not.

It's never a bad idea to let the voters decide, but in this case his solution of letting the voters decide isn't as simple as it seems. Several citizens groups, for example, oppose the idea because they say the wording on the proposed ballot is confusing and doesn't clearly state that a "no" [sic - should read "yes"] vote would give current Parish President Kevin Davis, who now is limited to three terms, an opportunity to serve two additional terms.

At the very least, representatives of Tammany Together and Smart Growth St. Tammany want to see some revisions in the proposed ballot before it comes before voters. Frankly, we don't see a need to rush this one through, either, not when the implications of this vote are so great.

Unfortunately, the 14 members of the council are in a tough spot. "Term limits" is a popular rallying cry for the public, who mistakenly think that anyone else can do the job better than the incumbent. So, if the council members refuse to put Billiot's proposal on the ballot for voters to decide whether they should be term-limited, they're going to appear like they're trying to protect their own jobs.

Although it can be argued that too many incumbents hang around too long in office, it also can be said that voters already have the final say in who they want to represent them. If someone isn't doing the job at the local level, it won't be long before the voters recognize it and remove him or her from office. At least, that's generally true in St. Tammany Parish. By the same token, performance should be rewarded, which is why it's wise to give careful consideration before buying into the concept that term limits is the perfect solution to what's wrong in government.

Tammany Together Merges Homeowners Across The Parish

Tammany Together Merges Homeowners Across The Parish

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

By Chad Hebert
St. Tammany News

A group of residents representing east and west areas of the parish stood together in unison Monday morning to announce the formation of a united front when it comes to the future of the parish.

Their mission: to identify, educate and influence important decisions that will affect St. Tammany's future.

The group stood in front of the media to announce the formation of Tammany Together, a parish-wide coalition of individual residents and homeowner groups aimed at presenting a louder voice when it comes to important parish issues. Thus far, the group's interim board of directors consists of members who already are very active in their communities.

Interim president Rick Wilke said in the 12-plus years he's lived in St. Tammany he has seen a lot of people get involved with different facets of the community. But when smaller communities or groups speak for or against a local issue, it carries a smaller, less-effective voice.

"It doesn't quite carry the weight of a larger group," he said.

That's where Tammany Together comes in. The organization is aimed at providing a similar vehicle with a larger, unified voice.

Board member Bill McHugh echoed Wilke's remarks and said it is an incredible task for one small organization to tackle bigger issues.

Wilke compared Tammany Together's projected effect to that of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. At one time, the lake was a mess, but smaller groups were rather ineffective when it came to proposing change. But the LPBF created a united front that created a larger voice to get the lake cleaned up.

Board member Paulette Barras said she feels empowered because of Tammany Together and was flattered when asked to meet with the group. She commended the inaugural group for their dedication.

"They are workers," she said. "They work for the entire parish. This is a tremendous endeavor."

Sandra Slifer, president of the League of Women Voters and interim secretary of Tammany Together, said the organization will listen to its members and research issues before taking action. Tammany Together is already taking a group of issues under consideration.

The interim board consists of nine members: Barras, L.R. "Pug" Lorren (interim vice president), Elizabeth Manshel (interim treasurer), Dr. John Martin, McHugh, Jeannine Meeds, Slifer, P.J. Stakelum III and Wilke. However, there are still six vacant seats on the board.

The final seats on the board will be filled at a general membership meeting scheduled for July 16 at a location yet to be determined.

A public introduction of Tammany Together is slated for 6:30 p.m. May 17 in the Parish Council Chambers on Koop Drive in Mandeville.

Membership information, as well as current issues being discussed, is available at www.TammanyTogether.org.

Parish Councilman Henry Billiot said he now has a better vehicle to keep informed of issues throughout the parish, not just his own district.

"I'll have a better opportunity to see what people want," he said.