ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / January 12, 2000

EDGARD – The very first St. John Parish Council meeting of the 21stcentury was upbeat and quick and set the tone for Nickie Monica’s new administration.

The meeting, which followed the inauguration of Parish President Monica and members of the Parish Council at the Edgard courthouse was mostly an organizational and housekeeping affair and was over in a record 30 minutes.

The first order of business was the selection of officers. Council memberSteve Lee nominated Duaine Duffy as council president, and new Councilman Cleveland Farlough as vice-president. Allen St. Pierreseconded the nomination, and the council voted unanimously to keep Duffy as president and elect Farlough as the council vice-president.

Next, Monica addressed the council on the succession of office. He said hehad appointed Reserve native Chris Guidry as his chief administrative officer. Guidry has recently been on congressional staffs in WashingtonD.C. and worked with the Louisiana Legislature.Monica said he is keeping Bertram Madere as director of Public Safety and Civil Defense and appointing Jeff Clement as his chief financial officer.

Monica said Clement, a native of LaPlace. is a certified public accountantand has been working in Baton Rouge with the largest accounting firm in Louisiana for the past 10 years.

The new council approved Monica’s appointments with a unanimous vote.

The council also approved the council meeting schedule, leaving it unchanged. The council will still meet every second and fourth Tuesday ofeach month at 6:30 p.m., and it will meet in Edgard six times a year.Monica then addressed the council again on the confirmation of new directors.

Other than re-appointing Joy Cannon as his executive assistant, Monica told the council that until he had filled all the directors spots he wants to assume interim duties of public works and the department of utilities.

Monica told the council that “public health and public safety are of paramount importance.”With Madere as head of public safety and Monica as interim director of utilities, Monica said he feels public safety and health can be assured.

Monica moved that public health, safety and utilities be kept up the parish for an interim of 90 days, with the parish president keeping the council appraised of what is going on.

After the meeting Monica said, “I’m pretty sure I will have all the director spots filled in 90 days.”The council unanimously passed Monica’s motion.

In other housekeeping matters, the council also voted to allow Monica, Guidry and Clement to sign parish checks.

Monica also asked the council to make Jan. 22 Jack Snowdy Day in honor ofthe man whose “hard work helped to bring the concept of a parish cultural and civic center to reality.”The council approved the request unanimously.

One bid was approved during the meeting, and that was for $1,204,964,000 to Smith Tank and Steel Inc. for water tank improvements in Ruddock.As his final act of the day, Monica gave all parish employees the rest of the day off.

The St. John Parish Council will get to work at its next meeting Jan. 25.

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