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St. Mary Parish’s new president and council were sworn in at 5:30 p.m. Monday. The first controversy of the new term was rattling the pot lid by 6:15 p.m.
The council, with two members to start the term, turned back an attempt by newly sworn Parish President Sam Jones to replace Chief Administrative Officer Jean Paul Bourg with former Baldwin Alderman Marion J. Newton.
Jones said he needs Newton’s help to straighten out a problem he discovered only earlier in the day Monday: a looming budget deficit of $2.5 million-$2.7 million that could make the parish government run out of money by this spring.
“We need to know we’re not going to run out of money in May,” Jones told the council.
Bourg, who has worked with St. Mary Gravity Drainage District No. 2 in Morgan City and as parish public works director, was appointed CAO eight months ago to replace longtime CAO Henry “Bo” LaGrange, who retired.
Newton told the council that he has experience in the private sector and as an alderman in Baldwin, where he said he helped the town government fix a budget that threatened to fall short of the town’s needs for more than two months.
He said he doesn’t believe personnel cuts will be adequate to deal with the parish shortfall. Other options include seeking state or federal funding and reducing or streamlining some parish services.
Council members questioned whether Newton’s experience stacks up against the time Bourg has already served as CAO, which the parish charter gives considerable control over day-to-day operations and personnel matters.
Councilman Craig Mathews of Jeanerette, who chairs the council’s Finance Committee, was skeptical of what he called Jones’ “insinuation” about the budget shortfall.
“That’s not saying I’m going to accept it as accurate,” Mathews said.
Late last year, the council passed a $39 million budget that relied on funds accumulated from prior year surpluses.
Asked Monday about the shortfall claim, neither Bourg nor Finance Director Paul Governale exactly confirmed or denied Jones’ characterization of the budget situation.
Bourg acknowledged that debt repayment is putting a strain on the budget. He said there is a cash flow problem because money, including property tax receipts, come in at various times of the year.
Governale said the fund balance contains some assets as well as available funds.
Councilwoman Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink of Centerville said she believes Jones deserves to have the CAO he feels he can work with.
Councilman Dean Adams of Morgan City said four consecutive mayors in that city have named new CAOs, “and everything worked out fine.”
Adams also asked, without getting an answer, what happened to $10 million in COVID funding received by the parish over the last few years.
Members opposed to naming Newton CAO won with six no votes to five yes votes.
Voting against Jones’ recommendation of Newton were Mathews, J Ina and Rodney Olander of Franklin, David Hill and Gwendolyn Hidalgo of Bayou Vista, and Patrick Hebert of Berwick.
Voting for the recommendation were Rink, Adams and James “Jimmy” Davis of Morgan City, Mark Duhon of Amelia and Leslie “Les” Rulf of Patterson.
During his campaign for parish president, Jones repeatedly said the parish government had too much bonded debt and that sources inside the government told him the parish was having trouble meeting its payroll.
Then-President David Hanagriff defended the use of bonds to pay for important infrastructure work and denied that the parish couldn’t pay its employees.
Another hitch developed at Monday’s meeting, this one a delay in electing a council chair and vice chair.
The agenda for the meeting said the council would elect its two officers Monday. But legal counsel Eric Duplantis said the charter requires those officers to be elected at the first regular meeting of the new term.
That meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Parish Courthouse in Franklin.
The council’s regular meetings are on second and fourth Wednesdays.
The charter limits the leadership positions to members elected from the three at-large districts that cover the parish apart from the eight traditional geographic districts. The at-large seats are currently held by Rink, Hidalgo and Adams.
For the last year, Hidalgo has chaired the council with Rink as vice chair. Rink and Adams have served as chair in previous years.
Before the contentious budget issue arose, the council chamber was full of friends, relatives and smiles as Jones and the 11 council members took their oaths for the new term.
Hill won his election in District 4 to succeed Scott Ramsey, who didn’t seek re-election. Davis unseated incumbent James Bennett in District 7.
Also winning parish government posts for this term were Chief Deputy Gary Driskell as sheriff; incumbent Coroner Dr. Eric Melancon and incumbent Assessor Jarrod Longman, who were unopposed; and Greg Aucoin, who qualified without opposition to succeed retiring Clerk of Court Cliff Dressel.
Monday was also inauguration day for St. Mary’s three state legislators.
Robert Allain, R-Franklin, won a three-way race to succeed his father, Bret Allain, in state Senate District 21. Bret Allain was term-limited.
Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin, won election for a second term as the representative for House District 50, and Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, qualified without opposition for re-election from District 51.

Mardi Gras festivities have begun in the Tri-City area.
The first ball of the season was held by the Krewe of Hera on Twelfth Night (Jan. 6). The men’s Krewe of Adonis is next on the schedule for Saturday. Six more balls will follow leading up to Fat Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Seven area Mardi Gras parades will be held in the Tri-City area beginning Feb. 9 and ending on Mardi Gras day.
Ball patrons are reminded that tableaus begin promptly and everyone should be seated prior to the krewe’s stated start time. Some krewes lock entry doors up to 15 minutes before the start of the event, therefore early arrival is recommended.
Krewe of Adonis
The men’s Krewe of Adonis will host it tableau at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. Floor seating is invitation only.
Balcony viewing is available to the public. Making a farewell appearance will be King and Queen Adonis XLVIII Terry and Tanya Quatkemeyer.
Adonis will hold the area’s first nighttime parade at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 in Morgan City. The procession will start at the corner of Brashear Avenue and Second Street and proceed down Second to Onstead Street, Sixth Street, Marguerite Street, Ninth Street (La. 70), Brashear Avenue, Victor II Boulevard and ending at the audi-torium on Myrtle Street.
Krewe of Nike
The children’s Krewe of Nike will present its ball at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at the auditorium. All viewing is invitation only.
Bidding adieu will be King and Queen Nike LI Parker Borroughs and Elizabeth Patterson.
Members of the krewe will parade behind the Krewe of Galatea procession that begins at 2 p.m. Feb. 11 in Morgan City.
Krewe of Galatea
The women’s mystic Krewe of Galatea will hold its tableau at 8 p.m. Jan. 27 at the auditorium. Viewing is by invitation only.
Queen and King Galatea LIV Mrs. Damon Bergeron and David Burton will make a farewell appearance.
Galatea will present its annual parade at 2 p.m. Feb. 11 in Morgan City. The procession will organize on Second Street under the U.S. 90 Grizzaffi Bridge and proceed to Onstead Street, Sixth Street, Marguerite Street, Ninth Street, Clothilde Street, Victor II Boule-vard and ending at the auditorium on Myrtle Street.
Krewe of Dionysus
The Krewe of Dionysus will host its coronation at 8 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the Berwick Civic Complex. Floor seating is invitation only.
Public viewing is available in the balcony.
A farewell appearance will be made by King and Queen Dionysus XLIV Jason Romero and Alex Romero.
Dionysus’ parade in Berwick will begin at 2 p.m. Feb. 10.
The procession will line up on Gilmore Drive and turn on John Street, Robichaux Street, Mount Street, Gilmore Drive, right on La. 182, Tournament Boulevard, Fairview Drive then to Pattie Drive, where it will disband at Berwick Junior High School.
Krewe of Hannibal
The Krewe of Hannibal will celebrate with a ball at 8 p.m. Feb. 3 at the auditorium. This is an invitation-only event.
Bidding adieu will be royalty XLIII — King Hannibal Kendrick Garner and Queen Cleopatra Trang Ho.
Krewe members will parade behind the Krewe of Galatea procession at 2 p.m. Feb. 11 in Morgan City.
Krewe of Amani
The Krewe of Amani’s coronation is 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Patterson Area Civic Center. This is an invitation-only event.
Making a farewell ap-pearance will be King and Queen Amani XXIV Donald “Brick” Triggs Sr. and Veronica Brooks.
Amani will hold its Lundi Gras parade at 2 p.m. Feb. 12 in Patterson. Officials say the tentative route is for the procession to line up at Patterson High School and proceed down La. 182 (Main Street) and end at the Place Norman Shopping Center.
Krewe of Hephaestus
The oldest area krewe, the Krewe of Hephaestus, will hold its carnival court at 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the auditorium. Floor seating is invitation only.
Free public viewing is available from the balcony.
Taking to the stage for a final appearance will be King and Queen Hephaestus LXIII Eric Melancon and Anna Armato.
Krewe members will parade at 2 p.m. Fat Tuesday in Morgan City. The procession will organize on Sixth and Sycamore streets and proceed down Sixth Street to Marguerite Street, Ninth Street, Clothilde Street, and Victor II Boulevard, ending at the auditorium on Myrtle Street.
Parade Summaries
—Krewe of Adonis: Friday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., Morgan City.
—Krewe of Dionysus: Saturday, Feb. 10, 2 p.m., Berwick.
—Krewe of Galatea: Sunday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m., Morgan City.
—Krewe of Amani: Monday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m., Patterson.
—Krewe of Hera: Monday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m., Morgan City.
—Krewe of Hephaes-tus: Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2 p.m., Morgan City.

We hardly take note of it these days, but Jan. 8, the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, was once a day of widespread celebration in Louisiana, rivaling even the Fourth of July.
The Battle of New Orleans, fought Jan. 8, 1815, was the last major fight in the War of 1812. Andrew Jackson led a ragtag band of Americans that included Acadians, Attakapas Indians, members of Jean Lafitte’s pirate gang, riflemen from Tennessee and Kentucky, and a handful of regular soldiers that took on — and defeated — some of the best trained and equipped British soldiers who were trying to take control of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The 8th was a federal holiday in the United States from 1828, the year that Jackson became president, until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, and was widely celebrated in Louisiana, especially in New Orleans, where the festivities seem to have been a cross between Mardi Gras and the Fourth of July. That cross may have come about because the Glorious Eighth falls just two days after the Feast of the Epiphany, which is the opening day of the Carnival season.
The Opelousas Courier’s call for celebration in 1853 was full of patriotic fervor: “Once more we come to celebrate the ever memorable day, when the she-wolf of the Old World was driven out of our land by the hunters of the South-West. This day, 38 years ago, England was taught that Orleans, with her broad glistening belt of sand, and bales of cotton was more terrible than rock-built cities.”
  A few years earlier, according to the St. Landry Whig, the Opelousas celebration of the victory, included “a grand ball; indigenous poetry; [a] patriotic choir; courtships, flirtations, and contemplated marriages; Creole beauties and gay cavaliers,” all of which were “no unusual thing” for the community.”
Of course, the biggest celebrations were in New Orleans.
On the 25th anniversary of the battle, the Picayune recalled it as “an event which shall sparkle upon the page of history in all future time. … [a story] which, to all Americans must present the mingled interest of the romantic, the chivalric, the terrible and the brave.”
A decade later, the New Orleans Crescent reported that the celebration seemed to be not quite what it once was: “In times gone by, it was a great day among us; and eve yet the annual return, though not marked by all the splendor of display that greeted it a few years ago, stirs up proud, patriotic, and glorious remembrances to the minds of true-hearted Americans.”
That battle for the Mississippi is the one that made the history books and became cause for celebration, but people across south Louisiana worried during the War of 1812 that the British might make a feint toward New Orleans and try a back door into Louisiana.
The Courier in an obituary for Isaac Griffith of Bayou Chicot, printed on March 5, 1853, notes that “he served under Col. John Thompson, when the militia of [St. Landry] Parish were ordered to Berwick’s Bay, to oppose the disembarking of the British at the mouth of the Teche.”
Small contingents of south Louisiana militiamen were also sent to the mouths of the Vermilion, Mermentau, and Calcasieu, but that is all ancient history.
If you ask anyone today why Jan. 8 should be celebrated, they will either have no clue, or recall that it is important because it’s Elvis Presley’s birthday. He was born Jan. 8, 1935.
Maybe if we adopted an Elvis song as the battle’s anthem, we can lump them together and start a whole new celebration. Oh Happy Day? Don’t Be Cruel? Or how about King Creole?
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589

Louisiana lawmakers will head to Baton Rouge for a special session on Monday to redraw the state's congressional and Supreme Court districts and consider other election matters.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the special session for Jan. 15 just hours after officially taking office, issuing a 14-item proclamation that includes consideration of a closed primary and revisions to campaign finance laws and fees for candidates.
"The courts have mandated that the state of Louisiana redraw our congressional districts," Landry said in a statement. "Redistricting is a state legislative function. That is why today, I followed the court order and made the call to convene the Legislature of Louisiana into a special session on redistricting."
The proclamation gives lawmakers until Jan. 23 to redraw congressional districts and create a second majority Black district following a November decision by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
That decision upheld a ruling from Baton Rouge-based U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick that agreed with arguments from civil rights groups that the congressional map used in November violates the Voting Rights Act. That map includes a majority of white voters in five out of six of the state's congressional districts. The state's Black residents account for roughly a third of the population.
Democrats have argued the current map dilutes Black voting power, while Republicans contend the Black population is not geographically compact enough to craft a second Black majority district.
The courts imposed a deadline of Jan. 30 for lawmakers to rework the map to include a second Black-majority district. If that happens, plaintiffs can either accept the map or allow the court to determine if it complies with the Voting Rights Act. If lawmakers don't produce a new map, a trial would ensure that could result in a new map crafted by the court without the influence of the Legislature.
Political observers suggest Monroe Republican U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow's 5th District, a safe Republican seat, could shift to favor Democrats under a new map.
Lawmakers approved the current congressional map in February 2022, and Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the legislation on March 9, 2022. Lawmakers then voted 27-11 along party lines in the Senate, and 72-32 with support from one Democrat in the House, on March 30, 2022 to override Edwards' veto. That vote marked just the third time since 1973 that the Legislature had successfully voted to override a gubernatorial veto.
Lawmakers next week will also consider new districts for the Louisiana Supreme Court following a request from justices in December that noted districts have went unchanged for 25 years. Justices want lawmakers to add a second majority-Black district among seven seats on the high court, a change Landry reportedly supports.
Other items in Landry's proclamation task lawmakers with considering campaign qualifying fees for presidential and congressional elections, as well as "the creation of a party primary system for elections."
Louisiana is the only state with a "jungle primary" that includes all candidates regardless of party, with the top two moving to the general election if one does not secure a majority of votes. The other states including California, Nebraska, Washington, and Alaska use a similar system that does not allow candidates to win outright in the primary.
The party primary system would restrict primaries by party, with the top Republican and Democratic candidates squaring off in the general election.