Morgan City Council candidates make their case at Chamber forum

Morgan City voters got a look Monday at the five candidates for City Council in the Nov. 3 election, including two longtime incumbents and three people hoping to win elective office for the first time.
They appeared at a St. Mary Chamber forum at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.
In District 3, incumbent Ron Bias is being challenged by Marcelle B. Hoskins and Julia “Blaze” Johnson. In District 5, Louis Tamporello Jr. is running for reelection against Jason Thomas Viator.
The other three incumbent councilmen, Mark Stephens, Tim Hymel and Steve Domangue, qualified without opposition.
They’ve signed up to guide Morgan City at a challenging time. The COVID-19 pandemic has added an economic burden to a parish already struggling because of the 6-year-old slump in energy prices. The 2020 Census is likely to show shrinking populations in municipalities across the parish.
Here are some highlights:
District 3
—Bias is nearing the end of his fourth term. Like the other candidates, he stressed the need for economic development.
“Basically we would need an overhaul of the whole city of Morgan City,” Bias said. “Can we do that? I don’t know.”
Bias came back repeatedly to the need for a larger tax base.
“Be mindful, I’m not saying raise taxes,” Bias said. “I’m saying grow taxes. …
“We need a bigger and better tax base. If we could solve that, a lot of these issues would fall in line.”
Bias said it’s important to communicate with local business people to see what their needs are. He said his work in the oil and gas industry as well as with the NAACP has made him able to talk with people “from the street level up to the Department of Justice.”
—Hoskins, who has served on the planning and zoning authority, stressed her ability to communicate.
She said she talks regularly with local residents, and “they want more here. They’re wanting places for people to go.”
Teens and families don’t have many places to go, she said.
“We’re lacking in all areas right now,” Hoskins said. “The blight in my area is devastating.”
The communication should extend to business people to see what their needs are, she said, including the need for affordable buildings.
She believes the city should begin to see to drainage needs during the winter so the city is ready for hurricane season.
Hoskins is a shop-local booster, and a booster generally, she said.
“Even after I leave the building,” Hoskins said, “I’m talking about Morgan City.”
—Johnson stressed the need to think outside the box.
She talked about a “perk” system that might provide incentives for shopping locally.
“I’d try something new, and a reward system always works …,” Johnson said.
“We have to make it more appealing to business. But we can’t let big chains step on the toes of local businesses.”
Asked about the qualities that would make her a good representative, Johnson said, “I like to challenge myself and others. … You have to know what you’re talking about. You have to be a fact-checker.”
District 5
—Tamporello, like Bias, is nearing the end of this fourth term.
Asked about the city’s biggest needs, he pointed to infrastructure, economic development and city revenue challenges.
“The biggest issue facing us right now is lack of revenue,” Tamporello said. “With money you can solve a lot of issues.”
In working with the council and other public service capacities, “I’ve learned how to negotiate with people to solve issues that come up in everyday life. …”
He said it’s important to keep in touch with the mayor and the city department heads to talk about problems with infrastructure, and to work with the mayor to obtain funding to fix the problems.
“I feel like I’m doing a good job,” Tamporello said. “I’ve learned it’s important to listen and to follow up. That’s the most important thing, following up.”
—Viator said it’s important to remember Morgan City’s advantages, its access to the water, a railroad, a nearby airport and a major highway.
“I think people have forgotten what Morgan City is all about,” said Viator, a high school teacher and soccer coach.
“The economy has been a big issue here for quite some time,” he said. “Families that have lived here forever are leaving.”
Local business needs support in the time of COVID-19, he said. “The best way to support local business here in Morgan City is to shop locally,” Viator said.
And “if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we have to start diversifying.”
He also pointed to the condition of local streets, which he said are in need of funding for repairs.