Sheriff, president candidates meet in NAACP forum

Staff Report
Voters got a look at candidates for parish president and sheriff at a St. Mary NAACP forum Tuesday at the Patterson Area Civic Center.
The incumbents in both positions, Parish President David Hanagriff and Sheriff Blaise Smith, are leaving office in January.
Timothy “Tim” LeBlanc of Franklin is taking on former state Rep. Sam Jones, also of Franklin, in the race for parish president.
Running for sheriff are Gary Driskell of Morgan City; Jason Granger and Kenny P. Scelfo Sr., both of Franklin; and Cody J. Thibodaux of Patterson.
The primary will be Oct. 14. Early voting runs Sept. 30-Oct. 7, excluding Sunday. If a runoff is necessary for parish president, it will be Nov. 18.
Parish president
LeBlanc and Jones, with very different backgrounds, have come to at least one common conclusion: The parish government needs change.
LeBlanc, a political newcomer, studied electronics at Young Memorial and worked in the energy industry for 23 years. That experience, in budgeting, project management and team-building, leads him to focus on reaching out to municipalities and potential employers looking at coming to St. Mary, he said.
“I think it’s important to get on the same page,” LeBlanc said. “There’s too much discrepancy. There should be one mind, one focus going forward.”
And that’s the key for growing St. Mary’s economy, he said.
Jones’ life experience includes more than 40 years split almost equally between service as Franklin’s mayor and as a state representative. During his time in Baton Rouge, he said, he helped bring $950 million in state funding to St. Mary.
Jones wants to serve one four-year term as parish president, and during that term turn the post into a full-time job.
He also found fault with the parish government’s finances, saying the parish has borrowed to the limit.
LeBlanc’s goals for the office are “integrity, transparency and resolve,” he said.
He talked about being fair to every community, educating people about government policies, serving as a spokesperson for economic development, offering quality service efficiently and bringing “excitement and new energy to the St. Mary Parish office.”
He promised to develop a list of businesses that might come to St. Mary and reach out to the leaders.
He named St. Mary’s population loss before the last census, the loss of business and education as his priorities.
But Jones argued that a part-time parish president can’t tackle all those things. A part-time president can only appoint a chief administrative officer and drop by occasionally to sign checks, he said.
“That’s not leadership,” Jones said.
As a state official, Jones came to the parish with state grant opportunities, only to find that the parish didn’t have the money for its matching portion, he said.
“You have to know how to take it,” Jones said. “You have to know how to match it. You have to be committed. You have to know how to do it.”
Sheriff
The four candidates for sheriff also come into the race with different life experiences.
Driskell has worked for the SMPSO for the 33 years since he left the Army. He’s currently the chief deputy.
Driskell talked about an office that has turned a $500,000 shortfall a few years ago into a budget that’s $1.3 million in the black, enough to build a new sheriff’s office, he said.
To combat turnover, the office has created recruitment bonuses and college tuition assistance. A proactive approach to combat gun violence resulted in decreases in homicides, burglaries, battery and armed robbery in areas patrolled by the Sheriff’s Office, he said.
Deputies also receive training in dealing with people who suffer from mental health problems, a key issue for all the candidates.
“I love what I do,” Driskell said. “I love being a public servant. I love helping people.”
Scelfo, who has worked in the energy industry, also served 16 years on the Franklin City Council and 18 as a reserve police officer.
He focused on the need to be frugal and took issue with the Sheriff’s Office building plans.
“Why would we spend money on buildings when we already have buildings?” Scelfo said.
He said the office needs to spend money wisely and put more money into deputy pay, putting more officers on the road.
“My job [as sheriff] is to protect them so they can protect the public,” Scelfo.
He also believes a get-tough policy is the key to fighting violent crime.
“I feel people should live their lives in joy, not in fear,” Scelfo said. “We have several places where people are living in fear. I want to get that turned around.”
Scelfo stressed the need for everyone to be treated equally.
Thibodaux has worked in law enforcement for 16 years. He talked about a need for more honesty among public officials.
He said he has worked under two sheriffs who pledged to put more deputies on the road.
“No one has delivered that …,” Thibodaux said.
“I feel a new administration would bring a great deal of better leadership and knowledge than any previous administration,” Thibodaux said.
The biggest issue for St. Mary Parish is “little to no integrity in our elected officials. … If I say I’m going to do something, I’ll do it.”
Granger, who works for a fuel company, is a self-described working man, a veteran who could point to no law enforcement experience.
But his experience has involved sending dozens of trucks to take fuel to facilities such as hospitals during storms, he said.
And Granger made it clear he wants to improve the plight of crime victims.
The problem is communication between law enforcement and victims, he said. People who have been hurt by crime should be able to find out if their attackers are getting out of jail.
“There’s a break in the line right there,” Granger said. “They need to get … more as a victim. They shouldn’t be swept under the rug.”
The Sheriff’s Office needs better pay, more training in mental health and improved morale, he said.