By LEONARD GRAY Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – St. Charles Parish President Albert Laque and seven of the nine parish council members returned to a new term of office Monday during inaugural ceremonies.

Councilman-at-Large Lance Marino was unanimously selected to repeat as council chairman, while District One Councilman Desmond Hilaire was selected to repeat as vice-chairman during a brief organizational meeting after the inauguration.

The morning began with 10 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church by the Rev. Bernard Francis in front of the courthouse.

Master of ceremonies was the Rev. Henry LeBoyd of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, who introduced the parish council members and those to administer their oaths of office.

The swearing-in began with Laque being sworn in by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edward A. Dufresne Jr.

The council took their oaths as follows: Justice of the Peace John Marino Jr. for Councilman-at-Large Lance Marino, the Rev. Bernard Francis for Councilman-at-Large Clayton Faucheux, 29th Judicial District Judge Emile St. Pierre for District One Councilman Desmond Hilaire, U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon for District Two Councilman Brian Fabre, retired Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice Harry Lemmon for District Three Councilman G. “Ram” Ramchandran, Justice of the Peace L.J. Frickey for District Four Councilman Derryl Walls, Constable Stephen Black for District Five Councilwoman April Black, retired 29th Judicial District Judge Ruche Marino for District Six Councilman Dickie Duhe and

Justice Lemmon also for District Seven Councilman Barry Minnich.

Featured guest speaker Congressman Billy Tauzin was unable to attend, and Dufresne provided impromptu remarks.

Dufresne recalled his long history of public service alongside Laque, both of whom first came to public office in 1964 – Dufresne as clerk of court and Laque as a police juror.

Dufresne said when he and Laque first came to public service, St. Charles Parish had some 20,000 population, the sheriff’s office has 20 employees with a $200,000 budget and the police jury had an annual budget of $400,000.

He also cited a number of accomplishments of Laque’s tenure as parish president, including establishment of a top-flight Department of Economic Development, support of a nationally-recognized Department of Parks and Recreation and the progress on the hurricane protection levees.

Dufresne advised, in reference to a Laque campaign slogan – Experience Counts – “Experience does count, but let’s use it wisely.”

In Laque’s inaugural address, he praised the local school system, sheriff’s office and economic development department, and added, “They have raised the bar and will continue to do so.”

Laque also pledged the construction of a multipurpose civic center, to be located on property already made available by Dufresne, where “graduates can walk across a stage in St. Charles Parish instead of in Jefferson.”

He reinterated his opposition to expansion of Louis Armstrong International Airport into the parish and the potentially crippling effect the proposed Interstate 49 link through the parish could do to local businesses. “We will not allow that to happen,” Laque declared. “You can count on that.”

Laque concluded by saying, “A government is only as good as its people and their participation,” and added, “A divided government is a failed government.”