By CHRISSY SMITH
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister led an inaugural South Louisiana Parish President’s meeting last week in Mandeville.
Brister and 14 other parish presidents from many South Louisiana parishes met last week to conduct a regional, coalition-building, idea exchange to discuss many of the pressing and critical issues that the state is facing.
“This meeting is the first of its kind. We have important issues to deal with in our parishes and we want a seat at the table when the governor brings up important topics that will affect us,” Brister said. “We all agreed that there are issues the state has to deal with. It’s important that we are part of the conversation.”
She and others said they want to be able to offer input into any solutions state officials might consider to close an immediate $750 million hole in the state budget and a projected $1.9 billion shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Newly-elected Governor John Bel Edwards has proposed adding a penny to the state’s existing sales tax and increasing cigarette, business utility, inventory, phone and other taxes to help address the financial crisis.
Those in attendance at the South Louisiana Parish President’s meeting were Brister; Guy Cormier, St. Martin Parish President; Robby Miller, Tangipahoa Parish President; J. Mitchell Ourso, Jr., Iberville Parish; Natalie Robottom, St. John Parish; Riley Berthelot, Jr., West Baton Rouge Parish; Kenny Matassa, Ascension Parish President; Richard “Ned” Thomas, Jr., Washington Parish President; Michael S. Yenni, Jefferson Parish President; Kevin Couhig, West Feliciana Parish President; Guy McInnis, St. Bernard Parish President; Jimmy Cantrelle, Lafourche Parish President; Amos Cormier, Jr., Plaquemines Parish President; Ken Dawson, CAO, Ascension Parish; and Henry C. ‘Bo’ LaGrange, CAO St. Mary Parish.
St. Martin Parish President Guy Cormier said there are major issues that lie ahead for Edwards.
“We know there are going to be some trying times. We already know we are going to have to deal with a $1.9 billion deficit for next year’s budget. These issues are going to affect us all, and we are the closet people to each community that it’s going to effect,” Cormier said.
J. Mitchell Ourso, Jr., Iberville parish president, said the governor has a tough job ahead of him, and “we just want him to hear our plight.”
Brister said she and the other parish presidents are going to put a packet together and bring it to the governor by the time the legislative session begins, which is February 14.
“We want to show the governor and legislators that we support them and are behind them. We want them to let us be at the table, and listen to us because we might have some good ideas that can help,” Brister said.
