Louisiana Politics: State's Nov. 6 ballot has parish presidents, too

Candidates for parish presidencies are reaching out to voters with increased engagements in a handful of parishes, including Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana and Plaquemines.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, only 24 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes elect a chief executive. Thirty-nine have either a police jury or parish commission, while Orleans — as the exception to many rules — has a mayor and city council act as the de facto parish government.
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said the presidential role is concentrated almost exclusively south of Interstate 10. That means Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Lafayette, Livingston, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana.

Making moves
It’s a historic election in Pointe Coupee, as voters are selecting their first parish president after abolishing the police jury in a 2016 referendum.
It’s a two-man contest with Rep. Major Thibaut facing off against Mike Cashio, a former parish constable and cattle farmer. Thibaut, who is term limited, expressed his interest in the race early this term, leading one fellow Ways and Means committee member to jokingly refer to him as “Mr. Parish President” during a hearing.
By all indications, Thibaut is the clear favorite. According to campaign finance reports, he has nearly $160,000 on hand, having built a sizable war chest by virtue of being unopposed in his last two races. It is also worth noting that Thibaut’s House district encompasses all of Pointe Coupee, giving him the added advantage of parishwide name recognition.

A Kenny for your thoughts
In West Feliciana, a special election is underway to replace Parish President Kevin Couhig, who announced his resignation earlier this year. Because of timing, this contest has the potential to re-play itself next fall, as the winner will only get a few months in office before having to run for re-election to a full term.
It’s a three-person race, with Rep. Kenny Havard up against current Parish Council President John Thompson and Lauren Field, the executive director of the St. Francisville Area Foundation.
Unlike the race in Pointe Coupee, no clear frontrunner has emerged yet. Havard, like Thibaut, has the name recognition advantage since his House district covers the vast majority of West Feliciana. But also keep an eye on Thompson, who could make waves as a black candidate in a parish with a nearly 45 percent minority population. Don’t sleep on Field either. She is fully embracing her role as the female candidate, in addition to capitalizing on her connections with the parish’s civic organizations.

Perez parish presidency
A race with the confluence of a son seeking his father’s old job, political infighting and a rematch with an foe from a pervious campaign can only mean one thing — it’s election time in Plaquemines Parish.
Politics has been a wild and ambitious game of hardball down in the marshes at the end of the Mississippi River. This is especially true when it comes to who fills Leander and Chalin Perez’s old seat as the chief executive of Louisiana’s largest parish.
Incumbent Parish President Amos Cormier III is seeking a full term in the top spot, having won the special election to succeed his late father in 2016. Cormier will be facing off against Kirk Lepine, the parish councilman who he defeated in a runoff two years ago and Burghart Turner, a former parish councilman who is making his third try for the seat.
All three candidates have parishwide name recognition by virtue waging earlier campaigns for parish president. That being said, it’s safe to assume that Cormier is this race’s frontrunner. He has the power of incumbency in addition to a war chest of nearly $120,000. By comparison, both Lepine and Turner’s reports show them with less than $10,000 in their campaign kitty.
This race has already gotten heated somewhat, with Lepine attacking Cormier over the delay in construction of athletic facilities. In addition, the parish council has also considered contempt charges against Cormier over his office’s slow transition to a new headquarters in Belle Chasse.

Political tidbits
— The governor’s office will be seeing some staff shuffling, as special assistant Micah Cormier moves into a new role as press secretary. Cormier will be taking up the new duties in addition to his current work as JBE’s “body man.” Speechwriter Lauren Leist will likewise be moving into an expanded role in the press shop as the new deputy director of communications.
— The 2019 race for sheriff is already on in St. Tammany Parish. Incumbent Sheriff Randy Smith kicked off his re-election campaign Tuesday night, while Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz formally announced his candidacy Wednesday afternoon.
— Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain traveled to Washington next week to lobby U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for federal assistance for the state’s soybean farmers.

They said it
“They are solely trying to create baloney.”
—Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, on his opponents, at the Press Club
“Here’s some mayo for that baloney.”
—Rep. Rick Edmonds, responding to Ardoin, at the Press Club
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.