By MELISSA PEACOCK

LAPLACE – Randall Triche is interested in keeping the District 7 St. John the Baptist Parish School Board seat in the family.

The District 7 seat was left vacant in July when Triche’s father Clarence Triche resigned from his post. But young Triche’s assent to the seat may not be an easy one. Some School Board members are protesting his application to serve until Triche can prove that he lives in District 7.

An applicant has to live in the district for a year and be a resident of Louisiana for 2 years to be eligible. The candidate must also be nominated by the board, elected by board vote and sworn in by an attorney – all in just a matter of days.

School Board documentation shows Randall Triche residing at his father’s old home in LaPlace. The elder Triche recently moved from the home to a residence in another district to care for his handicapped daughter. Board members do not know how long Randall Triche has lived in the district or at the LaPlace address.

District 9 Board member Lowell Bacas was first elected as a replacement to fill a vacancy. Bacas remembers his nomination as a simple, but hurried process.

“I knew the seat was open,” Bacas said. “I talked to the superintendent, announced that I was interested in serving and was nominated and elected. It was a very quick procedure.”

In fact, the board has only 10 days after the vacancy becomes official to find, nominate and elect a replacement. After a short delay Clarence Triche’s resignation was made official Aug. 2. If no one is selected by the deadline, Gov. Mike Foster will appoint a representative to serve until elections are held.

Randall Triche is no newcomer to School Board elections. He ran in previous elections for the District 11 seat and twice for the District 8 seat.

Other than residency, there are no extraneous qualifications for the position.

“I think what I would look to find is someone preferably with children in the school, with school-aged children or experienced in business or education,” said Russ Wise, District 8. “But then again, that would leave out some darn good people.”

Interested applicants living in the district should contact Superintendent Michael Coburn or School Board President Gerald Keller. A special session of the School Board will be held Thursday and a vote on the issue is expected.

L’Observateur attempted to contact Randall Triche for this story but he did not return calls.