Congratulations to our new district attorney in St. John Parish, Tom Daley,

Daley won the election for D.A. on Saturday, defeating Kerry Brown in the race to see who would take over the position that had been held for 24 years by John Crum.

This race, unlike the elections last fall with major positions like parish president and sheriff up for grabs, was incredibly quiet.

And you know what else it was? Very clean.

Besides congratulating Tom Daley on winning the race, I want to congratulate both the candidates for running a first-class campaign. We had plenty of ads from both candidates in our paper, and none of them ever got down to any low level of mud-slinging.

How refreshing.

I’m a big boy and I know that politics just brings with it some tough campaigning at times. And I’m not going to sit here and say that I don’t ever think a candidate shouldn’t make a charge at another one.

But even when that happens, those charges can stick to facts, even if you are attacking your opponent.

But in the D.A.’s race, I thought both candidates ran their campaigns with integrity. So good job to both of you.

I think we are all going to watch with interest to see what Mr. Daley brings to the position since there has been public criticism of the prosecuting end of our parish law enforcement arena. In a nutshell, I think people are sick and tired of seeing a lot of career criminals land back on the street. And I think the fair way to analyze that is to say there is blame to go around from the different aspects of putting someone behind bars.

Daley is in a prime position to do something about it. And I do believe the D.A.’s seat needs someone like Daley, who is a proven leader, to rally all areas of law enforcement together.

Daley has a five point plan to attack the problem of what he calls “the revolving door,” and I for one will be watching to see results of what will happen.

I wanted to add one more comment about Kerry Brown, who ran a very strong campaign to Daley.

Many observers didn’t think Brown had a great chance to even be close when this campaign began. It wasn’t that Kerry wasn’t qualified enough to be a good D.A., but the simple fact that Tom Daley had years of experience in this area was the reason most people saw him as the heavy favorite.

In the end he upheld that ranking, but the final numbers showing Kerry getting 44 percent of the vote showed that his message, and his personality as a potential D.A., were very appealing to a lot of people.

So congratuations to Mr. Brown for a solid campaign, run in a most professional manner.

I don’t know if Kerry plans any other political involvement in the future, but the past campaign was a great starting point for him to get noticed. And I could see him easily winning in some future races should he decide to try again.

But once more, congratulations to both candidates for a well-run campaign.

What Does Your Body Language Mean?   

Let’s decode your body language right now. Here are some common body actions people do unconsciously, and what they could be announcing to the world – whether you mean it or not. These come from body language expert Patti A. Wood and AOL .com.

There’s the leg cross. Crossing your legs is literally a sign that you’re closing yourself off from a person – emotionally and physically. That’s why it’s the last thing you want to see on a date! In a job interview, crossing your legs appears overly assertive and egotistical.

The arm cross. Like the leg cross, folding your arms in front of your chest is a way of putting a literal barrier between yourself and other people. It’s usually a sign of disapproval. 

The Arm Grip. Think of this as a partial arm cross – with one arm at your side, and the other across your chest. Our body language expert says this is a leftover gesture from our childhood, when we used to hold a parent’s hand to feel safe. 

Fidgeting. Most people fidget when the two sides of their brain aren’t being occupied equally. For example: In a business meeting, your left brain may be tuned in to logical information from the boss, but your right brain is craving creative stimulation. So, you start tapping your finger, or bouncing your leg. 

Touching your face. Frequently touching your forehead, nose and cheek during a conversation is usually a sign of lying! Experts say when we lie, we release histamine which makes us itchy.

Kevin Chiri is Publisher of L’Observateur and can be reached at (985) 652-9545 or at kchiri@bellsouth.net