We asked Lockport mayor candidates to share their goals and plans. Here's what they said
Four candidates, all with local political experience, are running for Lockport mayor in Tuesday's election.
The candidates are interim Town Councilmen Gary Acosta and Ernest Boudreaux, Lafourche School Board member Barry Plaisance and former Mayor Ed Reinhardt.
Reinhardt, who served as the town’s mayor since 2016, resigned last year amid allegations he sexually harassed an employee. The Town Council appointed former Mayor Paul Champagne to serve as interim mayor until the special election is held.
Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. For sample ballots, polling place addresses and other election information, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office website at GeauxVote.com.
In the mayor's race, one candidate will have to receive more than half the votes cast to win Tuesday. Otherwise, the top two finishers will compete in a Dec. 10 runoff.
Here are the candidates' answers to the Daily Comet and The Courier's campaign questionnaire. Boudreaux did not respond. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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What would be your top three priorities if elected?
Acosta: Clean up the blight and make people responsible for upkeeping their property, bring in new businesses and make all organizations in town united to get all to work for a common goal of helping each other succeed.
Plaisance: 1. Restore our sense of community by partnering with local organizations to host family-friendly events. These events will foster a sense of community and generate revenue for the town. 2. Establish partnerships to support and expand local business with strategies that do not require financial commitment from the town. We will host quarterly meetings among business and industry leaders where we can discuss strategy and best practices. 3. Improve town infrastructure and aesthetics. We will work closely with our local and state delegations to increase funding for such projects and seek grant opportunities.
Reinhardt: The Comeaux-Catherine drainage project, bayouside park and installing culverts between the library and post office. I have the experience of working with other agencies, parish boards and political leaders to try to get the funding we need to continue completing capital projects. I would also apply for state and federal grants. From my experience as a general contractor, I know the ins and outs of getting the work completed at reasonable prices.
Do you think Lockport town government has enough money to provide the services residents want and expect? Would you support a tax if you were convinced the money would go to a necessary public service? Please explain your reasoning.
Acosta: As with many towns, especially after Hurricane Ida, Lockport has lost businesses, and that has affected our tax base. Increasing taxes at this time would likely be unpopular. One service that would need to be funded more is the cost of sewerage. We pay very little, as low as $20 per month, for this service compared to other municipalities in the area. I would back a gradual increase of $1 to $2 monthly for the next five years, which wouldn't put much of a burden on residents. Other possible tax or rate increases would have to be looked at on an individual basis with justification.
Plaisance: No, I do not believe the town has enough money to provide the best services to its citizens. However, I am not in favor of raising taxes just because we could benefit from additional funding. Instead of supporting a tax, we should first consider a review of the finances to determine where we could improve our financial standing and strategies. Additionally, we need to seek outside funding in the form of grants and collaboration with our local, state and federal delegations.
Reinhardt: No, Lockport doesn’t have enough money to provide the services residents want and expect. No, I don’t support a tax. We need to push harder for state and federal grants and adjust the budget where we wouldn’t have to go up on taxes. We also need to try to bring more businesses into town to bring in more revenue.
What are the town's greatest three greatest road needs and what would you do to address them?
Acosta: Our streets are probably the worst in the parish. I was made aware at the September meeting that a parish-wide tax fund has been in effect for some years and somehow we were not included. We are planning to get into this fund as soon as possible to address our road needs. At present, all we can do is count on state money to help.
Plaisance: 1. Repair the sinkhole on the north side of Comeaux Drive. 2. Address the poor road conditions on the south side of La. 1. All of those streets need re-pavement. 3. Secure inclusion on the parish's half-cent road sales tax. This would ensure that Lockport will receive funding for future road projects.
Reinhardt: Under my administration as mayor, most of the road issues were addressed. We resurfaced some of our roads through capital outlay. Other roads and street corners were fixed from grants. We also put some money into our budget to help repair some of our smaller road issues. I would continue applying for grants to address the roads that haven’t been repaired without taxing the residents.
What are the town's three greatest drainage or flood-protection needs and what would you do to address them?
Acosta: We have had drainage issues at West Catherine Street-Comeaux Drive for years. We have been seeking funds for quite a while and hope to have them in the near future. Low areas in the back of town have had drainage issues due to their elevation for years. As for our levees, they are good until hurricanes hit, which is hard to predict how they will stand up the water comes up.
Plaisance: 1. I would work to find funding to complete the Catherine-Comeaux Drainage Project. 2. There is limited culvert and catch basin flow. We would set up an annual cleaning schedule across town to ensure adequate drainage. 3. Town residents pay property taxes, but we receive very little funding in return. I plan to work with Drainage District No. 1 to ensure that we obtain proper funding for projects.
Reinhardt: The North Lafourche Levee Board raising the levee from 5 feet to 9 feet definitely helps for major storms. I would address Comeaux-Catherine project, which includes new drainage culverts and other work that would definitely help both sides of Crescent. We also have to dig ditches, clean culverts and replace small and damaged culverts. I would address the ditch between the library and post office with culverts and catch basins. This can be done by reaching out to other contractors who could give us prices the town can afford. Other parts of town ditches would need to be rerouted to different areas to keep water off our streets and yards. I would also work with the parish to make sure we are on the same page for heavy rains.
What special skills, schooling, training or experiences best qualify you for mayor?
Acosta: I have been in leadership roles most of my life. I have run offshore crews around the world, working in Brazil, the North Sea, the Middle East and Mexico. I was a construction supervisor for Shell Offshore and owned two inspection companies. I am also a Vietnam combat veteran.
Plaisance: My education provided me with opportunities to grow in critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. I learned valuable lessons in managing people, resources and projects as an operations manager in the shipyard. Lastly, I have learned effective time management and budgeting strategies to efficiently run my small business.
Reinhardt: I was in the position of mayor for five years and a former general contractor. I have worked with people, other agencies and political leaders to move Lockport forward. I have proven myself through the work we have done under my leadership and administration. I am constantly traveling the streets of this town to see how we can make it better. I take the time to listen to the residents to get feedback on what we can do and how we can improve. I take their concerns seriously.
List two endeavors in which you have demonstrated leadership in the community.
Acosta: Commander of American Legion Post 83, 2010-2021. Commander Disabled American Veterans Bayou Chapter 9, 2020 to present.
Plaisance: As chairman and a member of the Lafourche Game and Fish Commission (2017-2018), we worked with the North Lafourche Levee District and Nicholls State University on a dredging project in the Camp Canal. That project helped improve vegetation and promote the return of wildlife in Lake Fields. As a member of the Lafourche School Board (2019-present), I served as past chairman of the Insurance Committee, I am the current chairman of the Land and Facilities Committee and have also been a member of the Finance Committee. Over the past four years, we have overseen the efforts to build the new Thibodaux Middle School and are working to make Ida repairs on every campus across the parish. We have also made adjustments to insurance policies that saved the system significant amounts of money, and we have been able to keep employee insurance premiums from increasing. One of the board's greatest accomplishments has been to increase revenue to resume services for students and provide additional pay for employees.
Reinhardt: For Ida, I did everything in my power to help our citizens. I worked around the clock for 16 days to provide hot meals, gas for generators, water, food and supplies. I organized for FEMA and the Red Cross to come to our Town Hall to help residents apply for recovery assistance. Under my administration, we allowed Central Lafourche High School seniors to travel the streets of the town to be recognized for their efforts in school and for graduating. They weren’t able to get the recognition they deserve due to COVID-19. This will be a yearly event for our seniors. I coached recreational softball in Lockport for 20 years.
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About the candidates
Gary Acosta
Age: 72.
Native of: Lockport.
Resident of: Lockport.
Party: Independent.
Current occupation: Retired.
Work history: Retired from Shell Oil, owned Seabreeze Inspection Services.
Previous public offices: Current Lockport town councilman, elected 2020.
Education: Central Lafourche High School graduate.
Church: Holy Savior Catholic in Lockport.
Contact: (985) 688-8637, gjacosta@bellsouth.net.
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Barry Plaisance
Age: 42.
Native of: Lockport.
Resident of: Lockport.
Party: Republican.
Current occupation: Self-employed, owner and operator of Yard Man Lawn Services, 2019 to present.
Work history: History teacher and baseball and football coach at Brandon High School, 2003-2006; HS&E manager at Bollinger and Allied shipyards, 2006-12; operations manager at Allied Shipyard, 2012-17.
Previous public offices: Lafourche Parish School Board District 10, elected in 2019 and serving presently; Lafourche Parish Game and Fish Commission, appointed, 2017-18.
Education: Bachelor of science degree in sports administration, Belhaven College. Graduate of Central Lafourche High School.
Church: Cross Church of Houma.
Contact: (985) 805-1969, plaisance.barry@gmail.com.
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Ed Reinhardt
Age: 72.
Native of: Lockport.
Resident of: Lockport.
Party: Republican.
Current occupation: Retired.
Work history: General contractor.
Previous public offices: Lockport mayor from 2016 through Nov. 15, 2021.
Church: Community Fellowship Church, Lockport.
Contact: (985) 213-1178, edwardreinhardt885@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Daily Comet: Lockport mayor candidates share their goals, qualifications
