The Gubernatorial Primary is October 14, and early voting is already underway.
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We've sent out questions to all of the candidates in some of Acadiana's hottest races, and we're posting the questions and each candidate's responses online so our viewers can get some information about the people who are asking for their vote.
We sent the questions to each candidate using the email address they provided to the Secretary of State when they qualified for the race. If we didn't hear back by the deadline we provided, we called them using the telephone number they provided to the Secretary of State when they qualified for the race.
If we receive any responses after this story is posted, we will update it when we do.
The St. Martin Parish President office is open after current President Chester Cedars decided to retire after decades of service as an Assistant District Attorney and two terms as parish president. Running for the spot are "Pete" Delcambre, Kevin J. Kately and Dean LeBlanc.
Here are the questions (in italics) we asked, followed by the full response received from each candidate.
"PETE" DELCAMBRE
We reached out to Delcambre, but, to date, have not received a response.
KEVIN KATELY
Please give us a brief summary of your qualifications for this position.
I'm a 3rd term Mayor.
Have the most experience and most qualified for the position of Parish President.
I'm running a government office now.
Why do you want to be Parish President?
Give the Parish back to the people. Give the people a voice. I'm best
qualified because I know how to run a municipality.
What do you believe is the single biggest challenge facing St. Martin Parish?
Biggest challenge would be getting the people's support and a voice.
Getting grants/ capital outlay money to be able to improve the Parish as a
whole.
St. Martin Parish, as well as the municipalities, has some serious infrastructure needs. (eg Roads, Water) What is your specific plan to address them?
Plan is to find where the money can come from and distribute it equally
throughout the parish with help from the community. With my experience in running a government office, I am familiar with some of the process so that we can get more money for improvements.
Would you try to implement any changes if elected? If so, what would they be?
The changes if elected would be more visible in the public's eye and
listen to their concerns. Making sure everyone is treated equally and fair
when it comes to improvements within the Parish.
St. Martin Parish has been sued by Lafayette, and has sued Lafayette, over the spoil banks removal that happened a couple years ago. What is your position on this issue?
My position is we will fight to make sure it was done correctly and
continue to fight if necessary. Once I'm in, I will look into this more.
Cypress Island and surrounding areas have been hurt enough and we want to make sure we stay on top of the issue and fight for what's right.
MY MAIN GOAL IS TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH AND GIVE THEM A VOICE.
"PROGRESS NEVER power"
DEAN LEBLANC
Please give us a brief summary of your qualifications for this position.
- 17 years of service in parish government
- Now serving second term as District 8 Parish Council Member
- Served as Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the parish council
- Served 9 years on the St. Martin Parish Planning and Zoning Commission
- Served 19 years as Board of Director of the Henderson-Nina Water System 1996-2015 and was instrumental in helping to achieve many major improvements, resulting in receiving the South LA Water System of the year award.
- Supported the replacement of the Butte LaRose pontoon bridge using GOMESA funds.
- Supported the use of ARPA funding for water infrastructure improvements and GUMBO funding for expansion of broadband infrastructure to unserved areas of St.
Martin Parish. - Supporting all ongoing major drainage projects and those in the planning stages.
Why do you want to be Parish President?
With the decision by Parish President Chester Cedars to not seek re-election, I felt impelled to seek the position of Parish President to continue building on the positive
progress St. Martin Parish Government has accomplished over the past few years. My 17 years of service with St. Martin Parish Government makes me the most qualified candidate in this race.
What do you believe is the single biggest challenge facing St. Martin Parish?
Economic development and tourism will be a priority in my administration. We do a great job of getting the most out of our current budget but, we’re not generating enough tax dollars to keep up with our road maintenance needs. My goal is not to increase taxes but to increase the tax base. It will be a huge challenge because economic development is not a quick fix and will require a collaborative effort between local, State and to some extent, Federal government.
St. Martin Parish, as well as the municipalities, has some serious infrastructure needs. (eg Roads, Water) What is your specific plan to address them?
I will continue to maximize the use of our sales tax collections dedicated for Roads and Bridges while working together with our State Representatives, State Senators and
Governor to address the needed funding for our local State Highways. The ARPA and Gumbo money is currently helping with Water and Broadband infrastructure improvements and I will continue to enhance this progress even more with future projects.
Would you try to implement any changes if elected? If so, what would they be?
The present council along with the leadership of the Parish President has done an excellent job of moving our Parish forward. My goal as Parish President will be to focus on the incredible technologies available to us to create an environment that will
enhance our future goals to maximize economic development. I truly believe that we can increase our tax base while not increasing taxes for our citizens.
St. Martin Parish has been sued by Lafayette, and has sued Lafayette, over the spoil banks removal that happened a couple years ago. What is your position on this issue?
As a sitting Parish Councilman representing District 8 and Vice Chair of the council, I’m not at liberty to directly comment about the ongoing litigation, but I do support the steps taken thus far by the council and Parish President Cedars and will use every available tool to fight for the remediation of this issue.
