Two decades later, Henry's wish to be chief comes true

BERWICK – Not long after JP Henry joined the Berwick Police Department, he told then-Chief James Richard that he wanted to be the chief someday.
That day came Tuesday. The Town Council voted to confirm Henry's appointment to succeed Chief David S. Leonard Sr., who will retire Nov. 22.
Also Tuesday, the council passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to help find funds for sewer system upgrades.
Police chief
Richard, who is now a town councilman, made the motion to appoint Henry, but not before the council had a bit of fun at Henry’s expense.
After Mayor Duval Arthur called for a motion to name Henry chief, long seconds ticked away with not a word from the council.
Then, “it’s been long enough,” Richard said.
Richard then made the motion to appoint Henry, and the council voted 5-0 in favor.
One of the votes came from Councilman Lud Henry, the new appointee’s uncle, who said he checked to make sure the vote wouldn’t violate rules against nepotism.
“It’s an honor on behalf of your dad and the family to say yes,” Lud Henry said.
Henry joined the department in August 2000, hired by Arthur when the future mayor was police chief. Henry worked at the jail and in communications for three years, and then as a patrolman 2003-2019, when he became Leonard’s assistant chief.
Speaking to the council, remembered telling Richard about his desire to be chief.
“For him to make the motion and the mayor to make the appointment was pretty cool,” Henry told the council.
“This has always been my goal,” Henry said after the meeting, “and here we are. I’m honored for sure.”
Resolution
The council voted unanimously to pass a resolution asking state Rep. Vincent St. Blanc and state Sen. Robert Allain “to seek any assistance possible from the State of Louisiana as far as funds, grants or capital outlay to help improve the infrastructure of the Wards 5 & 8 sewerage district benefitting the Town of Berwick, the [city] of Patterson, and the Parish of St. Mary.”
The resolution is another piece of fallout from the Wards 5 and 8 Joint Sewerage Commission’s abrupt announcement this summer that it was raising its rate by $1.50 per 1,000 gallons it treats.
The commission operates sewage collection and treatment facilities for Patterson, Berwick and portions of unincorporated East St. Mary Parish. Customers are billed by the local governments to pay for what the commission charges the governments.
The resolution recognizes that citizens will have to pay for sewage treatment under the 40-year-old agreement creating the commission, and that the commission’s infrastructure needs upgrades, updates and repairs.
But there is concern about what the impact will be on customers as the commission seeks funding for the needed work.
Arthur said after the meeting that the latest invoice from the commission for Berwick came before the town government could collect the higher rates from customers.
The higher rate added $36,000 to the latest monthly invoice.
Also Tuesday:
--Council on Aging Executive Director Beverly Domengeaux gave the council a From the Heart Award. She said Berwick officials don’t just allocate funds to the council. They ask what the council needs.
The council collected $1,450 at last weekend’s Lighthouse Fest, including $250 from a raffle.
“It goes a long way to help get people off the waiting list and get meals,” Domengeaux said.
--Arc of St. Mary/Center of Hope Director Kristal Hebert thanked Berwick police for being aware of the needs of developmentally disabled people in the town.
Her agency in Centerville trains and employs the developmentally disabled. Among its 23 clients are five from Berwick, Hebert said.