Mayoral Candidates Share Their Vision For The City

admin Friday, April 7, 2017 Comments Off on Mayoral Candidates Share Their Vision For The City
Mayoral Candidates Share Their Vision For The City

Long-time Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach is finally leaving City Hall. The imminent loss and replacement of an individual who’s led the city for so long and with such popular support has fired the imagination of the public, and, apparently, also fired the imagination of those who aspire to local political office.

The result is that no fewer than eight candidates are running for mayor of Lake Charles. There were too many candidates to survey in one issue of Lagniappe, so the magazine will be allowing candidates to express their platforms in a two-part survey that will be concluded in the next (March 16) edition.

In response to topics suggested by Lagniappe, candidates held forth on the issues of greatest concern to local residents at the present. The matter of flooding and drainage was, perhaps, the topic most frequently discussed.

But other matters came up regularly. Candidates offered plans — and sometimes plans of great specificity — for such concerns as Lakefront development, the development of Enterprise Boulevard and North Lake Charles, the downtown entrance to I-10, infrastructure improvement and the burdensome sales tax situation. Other key topics, such as transit overhaul and the city’s response to the developments of the economic boom, came up less often. Readers can determine for themselves which candidates have the best overall view of the complex state of Southwest Louisiana.

Here’s your chance to get informed before you go cast your ballot for the successor of Randy Roach. Here’s hoping these statements give you the information you seek and the inspiration to find a candidate you’ll feel comfortable voting for.

 

NIC HUNTER

I love Lake Charles, and I love service. I want to serve. I enjoy the personal fulfillment of service. I love the people of this wonderful city. We have a beautiful fabric of diversity in Lake Charles, and we must embrace it. This city has shown me support, and I want to repay that debt.

I worked hard to see it become a success. As the years progressed, I made a choice. I decided that instead of expanding my restaurant with multiple locations, I would focus on the one location and get more involved with the community through charity work and eventually politics. Earning my BA in history from McNeese initially sparked my interest in politics.

Today, God and my family come first. Second is my public service. This work gets me excited; it gives me such a sense of fulfillment and joy! Thinking about our ideas for Lake Charles is what prevents me from going to sleep at night and encourages me to wake up early in the morning. Being on the Police Jury has offered me invaluable knowledge and education about the inner workings of government. I have loved the experience; however, I can do so much more for Lake Charles as our mayor.

Infrastructure is our biggest challenge. We must make investments in our drainage, roads and aged sewer lines. When we talk about infrastructure, we must not only think about the necessities for today and tomorrow. We must lift our vision and think about what this city will need five years, ten years, even twenty years down the road. Drainage is a Calcasieu Parish problem, not simply a Lake Charles problem. Water does not know where a drainage district boundary ends or where a city limit begins or ends. We cannot solve this problem by looking at it only as an “inside the city limits” problem. Under our administration, we will commit to an enhanced, full-scale assault on our drainage crisis. Through budgeting priorities, we will dedicate ourselves to capital improvement drainage projects. We will also continue and enhance our partnerships with the parish, state, and drainage boards. We will make better use of green spaces, creating temporary retention areas that only hold water during heavy downpours. The state, city and parish already own a great deal of land. We must make better use of these assets to act as a weapon against our drainage crisis. Most importantly, we shall always rely on science and engineering to pave the way to solving our drainage problem, not conjecture and not political motivations.

Lake Charles can do more with municipal bonds. Waiting to pay cash for projects rather than using our bonding power is akin to “tripping over dollars to save pennies.” Municipal bond rates are at historic lows, and we must take advantage of this climate. We desperately need road, drainage and sewerage upgrades today, not five or ten years from now.

Citizens deserve to feel safe and protected in their community. Under our administration, we will continue investments in upgraded technology and training. Enhanced community outreach is also essential. Citizens need to feel like they and law enforcement are in this together. To further ensure quality law enforcement and fire protection, we must pay them what they deserve. We will not be satisfied with average. Through budget priorities, we will increase pay for both fire protection and law enforcement. Better pay equals better retention. Retention is vital in these departments. Unless our fire department receives the investment it deserves, we risk a downgrade of our city fire rating. We cannot allow this to happen.

We must never be complacent with economic growth. We cannot tie our city to the price of one commodity. This sets up a constant “boom and bust” scenario. Economic diversity is key, and as your mayor, every day I wake up, I will be fighting for more jobs, better paying jobs, for our residents. Specifically, we will focus job creation in the areas of medicine, clean energy, tourism, aeronautics and technology.

We can spark North Lake Charles development by offering the right incentives for investors. The lakefront and the I-10 corridor are absolutely the spark that can create a fire of economic activity in North Lake Charles. Our lakefront deserves development. We are not taking advantage of our beautiful lake. This is a no-brainer! We are losing revenue from I-10 drivers. We have approximately 80,000 cars a day that pass up Lake Charles on I-10. We need to grab that tax revenue! Our plan for lakefront development will follow certain criteria:

• City should maintain ownership of the dirt. This allows investors to get involved with less up-front capital and will allow the city to maintain control of our lakefront for generations to come.

• Begin with a “Phase One” project to turn dirt and allow multiple, local investors to build on our lakefront. We must begin with a “quality” investment rather than focusing on quantity. Quantity will come after quality.

• City shall maintain architectural oversight to make sure the project is cohesive.

• Our lakefront must be food and beverage centric and family friendly.

Development of our lakefront and the I-10 corridor is one way in which we increase revenues without increasing tax rates. Our high sales tax rate hurts citizens and businesses alike. We can find ways to increase revenue without increasing tax rates. We will strive for more tax payers vs. higher tax rates; we will strive for better budgeting priorities vs. higher tax rates. We must attract people to want to live in Lake Charles and spend money in Lake Charles.

I have worked hard my entire life. The restaurant business can be brutal. Similarly, I understand being mayor of Lake Charles will be the toughest challenge yet in my life. I will be a full-time mayor. Mayor Roach has left a great legacy. I consider him a friend and mentor. I ask for your prayers, your support and your votes. This race is not about me; it is about all of you. I will not let you down. Every day I wake up, I will be fighting for you. Give me this opportunity to work for you. There is a new day dawning in Lake Charles, and you will be proud of your next mayor.

 

JOE BANKS

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address these important voter issues.

Our current administration has put a Master Plan together to address these flooding and draining issues that was voted on by the citizens of Lake Charles. It is important for the next mayor to stay true to the plans voted upon by our citizens. However, there should be a back-up strategy just in case those plans prove ineffective. Any good mayor would have other options for such an important issue, as I do.

I believe Lake Charles would benefit from a practice called “Mirror and Match.” This is a method in which we look to other cities that share similar conditions to ours who have successfully reduced flooding and pump back-ups. As mayor, I will collaborate with these city officials accordingly, then give our local engineering firms and/or engineering students at McNeese the chance to shape those plans to fit the current conditions of our city. Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on research that has not been proven to work yet?

Trees and vegetation also act as natural sponges that absorb any run-off water, so let’s keep our city as green as possible! Some of our present neighborhoods could benefit from open ditches being closed. We can temporarily help flooding issues with these simple plans while we work on pushing the long-term plans into action.

All of Lake Charles’ citizens can agree that no one is happy with the conditions of the abandoned property along our lakefront. I do not see why we are waiting for bids by big, outside development companies to create something out of this property. These properties are big enough to have multiple developments or multi-use structures. Imagine having commercial river-walks where several businesses can come together to offer entertainment, dining and shopping. Imagine the increase in tourism that we would see if we had a 3 or 4 star hotel downtown. It would only take our local developers and business owners a matter of months to build something together rather than waiting years for development. It is time for our city to stop talking and start turning out real projects. Having a zoo and/or water complex would benefit the city in many favorable ways.

As mayor, these type of projects are a priority. Lake Charles is the perfect destination for everyone: families, retirees, outdoorsmen, businessmen and entertainers. Let’s continue to grow as a city while keeping in mind a steady pace for population control.

As mayor of Lake Charles, I want to make sure the citizens have a voice and are empowered. With my experience in the public school system, I believe we need to make our formal education institutes equal and increase the quality of education in every area of the city. Let’s make sure all of our citizens are well-rounded in civic education. What goes on in City Hall needs to be transparent to the community. Citizens should be informed about what we are doing and have access to information that opens up opportunities for them. I want to see the people of Lake Charles succeed in taking ownership in their city. I want to connect the educated, advantaged citizens in Lake Charles with those that are not as fortunate. I will introduce programs that will help encourage our local businesses in the hiring of people from disadvantaged groups, such as veterans. As mayor of Lake Charles, I plan on being a voice for the 1%-ers.

Residential health and safety are essential when talking about the quality of life for our community. Relationships with law enforcement are an important factor in our city. As mayor, I can encourage and remind law enforcement and emergency response departments to treat all citizens like neighbors, like we did, for example, when I hosted the Safe City Summit. Other factors, like constant changes in housing, income levels and other economic levels, also affect the relationship between the police and the people they protect. There should be continued and frequent public forums for citizens and officers to voice their concerns to each other.

As for personal health, I would like to start a Get Fit Lake Charles movement, as I mentioned in previous public appearances, which promotes a healthy lifestyle. Personal health has a lot of connections to the quality of life in Lake Charles. Healthier citizens mean less are abusing drugs. It means less are struggling with depression or low self-esteem. And they are more outgoing and seek different ways to enjoy their city. Personal health may be a key to helping with the rate of crime and with economic growth. As your mayor, I would help City Hall promote a healthy lifestyle for our people.

Finally, the city budget of Lake Charles is public knowledge and available for all of its citizens. However, it is not very comprehensible for the everyday person. This goes along with my plans to empower our citizens. This relates to keeping the people educated and informed on issues which concern the city budget. As a successful small business owner, I run my businesses as effectively and efficiently as possible. Therefore, the budget of the city would reflect those same values in order for us to succeed as a community.

Simply put, I am here to unite our city for change. Thank you for “Banking on Banks!” Thank you for your vote on March 25!

 

ELIGHA GUILLORY

It has been an honor to serve alongside Mayor Randy Roach in his remarkable administration as Assistant City Administrator, and an even greater honor to be considered by so many to serve as the next mayor of Lake Charles.

Having the opportunity to meet the mayor of Oklahoma City, Mick Cornet, at the 2017 Chamber Banquet, I was inspired by this extraordinary leader who helped build a world-class city. I believe we can do the same thing with our comprehensive platform, practical approach and marketable plan.

As home to the new clean-energy capital of the world, I realize that steam is the essential element at the heart of energy industry. STEAM is also the power behind Team E. My STEAM Plan is a catalyst for a greater Lake Charles, and it will focus on our Shoreline, Transportation, Economic Development, Arts and Culture and Municipal Infrastructure.

Shoreline

Our lakefront is the prize jewel of our community and I want to ensure that this is true for all current and future generations. The lakefront belongs to the people of this city, and I envision developments that will keep it that way.

Anchored by a major sports retailing experience, our shoreline must be completed with ample green spaces, bike trails, walking paths, wildlife and water features — all for family-friendly enjoyment. There must be a space designed with each generation in mind. I also envision concert pavilions, community marketplaces and a food truck plaza that will provide revenue generation opportunities for local business owners as well as tax revenue for the city.

This attractive anchor, complemented by the recent and future infrastructure enhancements along the interstate, will lead efforts for new businesses downtown and throughout our area’s corridors.

Transportation

We must engage in a comprehensive enhancement of our transit system. I want to create a program where people will want to ride mass transit. Our citizens’ lives do not end at 6 p.m., and neither should their public transit system. We must expand our operation’s hours and routes to match the lives of our community, providing options for our residents and visitors. The new Transit Center is a shining example of how we must continue to invest in enhancing the lives of our residents.

I will work with regional agencies to create programs that will expand our services in the future to trollies and commuter trains traveling major thoroughfares, and even providing rides to many local refineries. This is a proven solution to traffic congestion in many growing cities.

Economic Development

As the only mayoral candidate who has worked in city government, I offer unique insight into how our government works and how it can be of greater service to you. I will ensure that all of our residents from Goosport to Graywood are the benefactors of strategic investment and excellence in service.

It is important that as our vision for this city becomes a reality that the dreams of our citizens do too. By enhancing the city’s Small Business Opportunity Program, we will help to enhance the entrepreneurial spirit here that drives economies around the world. To do this, we must dissolve barriers and streamline our permitting and licensing processes. My administration will digitize many of our services and increase electronic efficiencies for our business community.

As we prosper, we must not forget the responsibilities of prosperity. We must address concerns such as homelessness, recidivism and the need for youth mentorship. From my experience in community services, I know that these challenges can be addressed through strategic relationships with non-profit organizations throughout our city.

Arts And Culture

Everything we do must enhance our quality of life. I will lead the effort to create a community that we all will be proud to call home — a place we love. Lake Charles is home to some of the best restaurants, museums, tourist attractions, art galleries and shops. I want to assist our arts community with cultural and economic districts and provide creative space to showcase talent.

Just imagine the character and culture of downtown flowing throughout the entire Ryan Street and Enterprise Boulevard thoroughfares as well as culture-based, family-friendly experiences for all ages throughout this city.

I envision arenas and sports centers, amphitheaters and festival areas. Lake Charles will be a place that people will want to visit, want to live in and want to retire in. As ambassador, I will work tirelessly to promote our great city, first to our residents and then to the world.

Municipal Infrastructure

The greatest asset to our city’s infrastructure is our employees. Our investment must begin here. We will continue to foster positive and beneficial working relationships with our city employees in order to meet the demands of a growing city. We will ensure public safety personnel are well trained, equipped and supported to provide a secure community.

Water doesn’t stop at the city limits, so we must utilize a regional strategy that first addresses drainage obstruction and enlightens the public on the damage that trash and vegetation have on drainage.  Secondly, we must incorporate retention ponds or detention areas into our future developments that are both beautiful and innovative.

We will also put into place a strategic plan to identify problematic drainage and sewer lines, and replace them where needed. We will look at roads that commonly flood and seek permanent solutions.

We will also examine ways to grow our boundaries through new strategic and balanced developments while ensuring that we will maintain the most cost-efficient way of expanding and increasing our city’s population and services.

Over the past 150 years, our city has been the beneficiary of major energy, entertainment and healthcare investments. It is time to make an investment in ourselves. This STEAM Plan will use creative and comprehensive financial solutions that correspond with the specific ideas and projects. Financial models that have been proven elsewhere will be identified and considered, such as Tax Incremental Financing, Enterprise Zones, New Market Tax Credits and Municipal Bonds.

It’s time to begin moving forward to build a greater Lake Charles. On E-Day, March 25, vote E, #12, Eligha Guillory Jr. for mayor, and let’s move Lake Charles full STEAM ahead.

 

CHRIS LANDRY

Drainage

Drainage will be a major priority of my administration.  There isn’t a city in South Louisiana that doesn’t have drainage problems … it’s inherent in our geographical location and there’s not enough money anywhere to completely solve these problems. However, we can begin to alleviate some of them and prevent more serious problems as we continue to grow our cities. To accomplish this, it is imperative that all municipalities in the parish work together with the same goals.

The city’s drainage system is part of a larger network or watershed. We are all aware that floodwaters ignore lines or boundaries on a map. With one master plan we can coordinate efforts with the Parish and Drainage Districts to achieve a common goal of an efficient and well performing drainage system. The master plan will both identify and prioritize capital drainage improvement projects to provide the greatest effect on the watershed for every tax dollar expended.

• To keep our drainage problems from worsening, the city must adopt new development ordinances related to drainage that protect the watershed from possible negative effects of new developments.

• We must identify and prioritize all drainage improvement projects and include regional detention areas in our plan. While these development ordinances will protect our citizens from the negative effects of new developments, regional detention is the only way to actually turn the clock back and improve our current drainage problems.  It is vitally important that while developing these projects, we make sure they don’t simply “kick the can or problem down the road” by solving the drainage problem in one area only to have a negative effect downstream.

• It is very important that the plan includes the expansion of daily efforts to keep the existing system free of debris and yard waste. As mayor, I will work closely with the Drainage Districts to ensure the cleaning of existing laterals, canals and drainage rights of way. However, it is important to realize that maintenance alone will not solve our drainage problems.

Transportation/ Infrastructure

Because of the economic growth spurt we are experiencing, I will recommend that we adjust the current Capital Improvement Plan to look well into the future … using intervals of 3, 5, 10 and 20 years. We must be aggressive and proactive in providing the necessary drainage, roads, sewerage and water infrastructure for current and future growth.

The city’s Master Transportation Plan cannot remain as a stand-alone plan and be truly successful. It must be an integral part of a true regional plan. Currently there are three different plans that are updated each year and they often conflict with one another. One is done by IMCAL, the second done by the parish and the third is done by the city. Citizens of Lake Charles, other municipalities and rural areas of the parish travel in and out of our city limits. Our road system must be viable, allowing traffic to flow in an efficient manner and also in good repair regardless of who has ownership of the roads in any particular area.

My administration will continue to work with the Parish School Board to solve the traffic problems that we are experiencing around our schools. I am also committed to completing the service roads around I-10 and I-210.

Because of the state’s financial problems, there are a number of projects on state routes that are inside the city limits that have been delayed or not even begun. While this isn’t the city’s responsibility, it is certainly the city’s problem. We have the necessary funds, and I will propose the city put up the state’s match money in order to immediately acquire federal transportation grants to complete these much needed projects and repairs.

Lakefront/ Downtown Development

There is no question that Mayor Roach has been instrumental in the revitalization of downtown and the Lakefront. I fully intend to continue to build on this foundation. We are more than the cornerstone of Southwest Louisiana … we are the western gateway to our state. What a wonderful opportunity to show our visitors the true meaning of Southern hospitality.

With a strong and vibrant downtown improving the quality of life for our citizens, we exemplify progressive thinking and a can-do attitude. The “gateway” will encourage growth and development in our city. It encourages new industry, and it leaves visitors with a good feeling about this area.

Working together, we can set goals, clean up blighted areas, encourage more mixed-use facilities and develop the Lakefront in the best possible way. In addition, I am committed to making a decision within 45 days of taking office on the two Lakefront proposals that were submitted to the city in 2015.

Redevelopment Of North Lake Charles

There are a number of programs my administration will implement to address the issue of improving this area of our community.

1) I plan to work diligently to complete 1-10 service roads. This will allow commercial development to occur and we can begin to tap into those 50,000-plus consumers per day that are currently just passing through our city.

2) Complete the Enterprise Blvd. to Fitzenreiter Road project. This will not only help with traffic congestion, but most importantly, will increase the traffic count on Enterprise Blvd. so businesses can develop.

3) My administration will concentrate on enforcing property standards and litter control in North Lake Charles and throughout the city.

4) We will be aggressively improving and expanding the adjudicated property program so we can get these properties back into commerce in a timely manner.  I plan on handling this program in-house instead of using an out of town “for profit” company. We need people running that program that have the city’s best interests in mind.

5) If needed, we can also create an Enterprise Zone or a Tiff District to further stimulate development in this area of the city.

The issues that we are facing in redeveloping this area of our community are not unique to Lake Charles. These same problems exist in almost every city in America. I believe the ideas listed above are just a beginning to achieving our goals. I plan on reaching out to other cities that have been successful in their redevelopment efforts so we can maximize our efforts.

Quality Of Life

It is very important that we have the proper infrastructure in place to support our growing community. Being stuck in traffic for extended periods of time, not having fully functioning city services, etc., all effect our quality of life. My administration will continue investing in solutions to these issues as well as city parks, recreational areas, downtown and lakefront developments and bike and walking paths throughout our community.

It’s a known fact we lost many mature trees to Hurricane Rita with no concerted effort to replace them. I plan to involve Lake Charles in the Tree City USA program. This program is part of the Arbor Day foundation and currently has over 3,400 communities enrolled. The foundation was established in 1976 and works through public, private and corporate partnerships. It has been very successful in other cities.

While I believe all of these things are important and worth the investment, we must also make sure our community is healthy and safe, has adequate affordable housing, excellent schools and child care and good job opportunities.  Cities that have a reputation of a “really nice place” didn’t get there by accident.  It takes a lot of hard work and planning to make that impression on a visitor. I have a plan to reach our potential and make that same impression upon visitors that spend time in Lake Charles.

I intend to create a committee of volunteers to investigate the establishment of a series of community gardens here in Lake Charles. The goals of the committee will be to establish a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) garden within our community, organic gardening, community building, horticulture therapy gardening and donations of fresh vegetables to those in need of food. The gardens will produce high quality, chemical free, naturally grown fruits and vegetables and provide educational and inspirational experiences to the youth and adults of our city. Volunteers of all ages will be welcome — Scout groups, youth groups, high school and college service clubs, church groups, retirees, community service workers and “wanna-be” gardeners. Members of my staff have met with community activists in other communities that have successful community gardens, and this is entirely doable for Lake Charles! We have area parks that are safely lighted, have water and are centrally located in residential areas that would be perfect for neighborhood gardens.

City Budget

Everyone will agree Lake Charles is on the cusp of the greatest economic boom in the history of Southwest Louisiana … a boom unmatched anywhere in Louisiana.  We are also on the precipice of fiscal destruction if we don’t make the right financial decisions and exercise our fiduciary responsibility so the taxpayers who are paying the bills are protected.

If we are to be successful in our efforts to maintain our growth, there must be a reasonable balance between our vision of the future and its execution.  We must match tasks with competent qualified people … and most importantly we must match projects with available monies. We simply can’t pay as we go.

As your mayor, my plan for Lake Charles, and its implementation, will serve as a critical guide to strategy development and execution. All commercial development and infrastructure for new industry will be thoroughly evaluated, costs determined and timelines established to assure completion within budgetary compliance.

First and foremost, the City of Lake Charles and the Police Jury must work together to convert shared needs into practical solutions. We must consider innovative and long-lasting approaches to eliminate duplication of services and multiple expenditures of monies for the same end result.

Achieving the goals in my platform is going to be costly. It is vitally important that your next mayor be fiscally responsible. There must be a careful balance between prioritizing and funding these projects and our ability to pay the bill. In these tough economic times, no one wants any increase in taxes, including myself. We have to be aggressive in addressing the needs of our community while also being fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of Lake Charles. We have to examine new and innovative out of the box financial solutions.

For example, my financial advisors and I have studied the current city budget and have determined we can immediately save $1,500,000 per year by refinancing some of the city’s current debt. We can also increase the city’s credit rating, thereby reducing future borrowing costs. We can use these savings to fund an additional $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 in capital improvements without any increases in taxes or any increase demands on cash flow. Today’s economic crisis necessitates a proactive approach to solving our problems. We must utilize our creative ability and establish priorities to achieve our goals.

 

GARY MONBELLY

Before I touch on these topics, I just want to make sure everyone understands that my reason for running is the cost of living. However, I do see these concerns as valid.

Let’s start with drainage, road and sewer infrastructure.

I see this as a long problem that will take time and money to fix. So we should not be worried about this. It will get fixed, but it’s going to take years to do so.

We can do small things to help with the floods by stopping debris from blocking the drains, or we can also implement rain towers. Rain towers would catch rain water and release it slowly. However, this would only be used for heavy rain seasons.

One of my keys to fighting the cost of living is proper economical development. So, no matter whether it’s the Lakefront or North Lake Charles, I plan on building a proper foundation from making sure the Lakefront can handle the traffic it would get to tax friendly zones, zip code hiring and incentives for North Lake Charles.

Now, as for the quality of life and the city budget, they are the main things I am worried about.

My hobbies are watching small local government and research and development. What I’ve found is that Lake Charles is in debt, and the cost for food, housing, and goods and services has gotten out of control.

In Lake Charles, the average monthly housing cost is $1,029. In Baton Rouge it’s $975. Lake Charles has a 10.75 tax (Lake Charles 2.50%, CPPJ 3.25%, LA 5%) and no one has a plan to reduce it. We also have a combined total budget of $154 million, but we spend $163 million. That puts us $9 million in DEBT.

I plan on reducing and redistributing taxes. I know it’s going to take some work. But its also going take a forward thinker with new ideas, and that’s me.

By way of proper tax distribution, proper economical development, conditional taxing and education reform, I believe I can get this done.

 

DANA CARL JACKSON

The biggest issue our city will face in the next four years is our infrastructure, which is our foundation. While we have been blessed with tremendous growth, managing that growth must be the top priority for the next mayor. Our infrastructure can be broken down into four categories: water, sewer, drainage and roads. Each division is critical and will require experienced leadership to guide the projects to completion and keep Lake Charles moving forward.

To stay ahead of this unprecedented growth, we must continue to expand the city’s water system. To do this means developing a master plan to not only identify projects needed to support forward thinking, but identifying the available funding sources to keep the burden off the back of our city’s taxpayers. I am in favor of low interest loan programs through the state and will work diligently with the bond commission and our state delegation to get this done.

Our sewer systems are aging. It’s a fact. We must first rehabilitate what we can of the aging infrastructure and then we need to begin the expansion process. Like our water system, this too would require a strong master plan and the cooperation of our city and state officials to identify and secure the necessary funding sources to make it a reality.

No matter where I go, the biggest consistent issue is drainage. There isn’t anyone in our city that hasn’t been affected by the water back-ups that are present in every area. However, this isn’t something the city can solve on its own. The parish is responsible for drainage in Calcasieu, including the City of Lake Charles. While the Police Jury has yet to put forth an effective plan to deal with the ever-increasing problem, I am confident that working together, we will create an immediate solution to what is becoming a large and looming problem for our citizens.

Finally, roads must be addressed.  A streets master plan will identify top priorities and the costs associated with getting new roads built. With growth comes traffic, so foresight is mandatory to attempt to get ahead of ways to efficiently move people around. This kind of effort will be integral to not only sustaining the people we have here, but handling the increased population that will come with the new businesses that we want to attract.

These plans take experience and knowledge and I am the candidate that can and will accomplish this. In June of 2016, I sponsored an ordinance which authorizes the creation of twenty (20) year master plans for drainage and roadway infrastructure and to update the water distribution and waste water master plans (Ordinance 273-16). These master plans will be working documents which will be continually updated and will allow the city to get ahead of growth with infrastructure improvements while also planning for proper funding of these projects.

These are necessary for the expected economic growth, existing problems and planning for the future. To be successful, these efforts will require the cooperation of all applicable political subdivisions, including but not limited to the City of Lake Charles, surrounding cities, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and Gravity Drainage Districts. It is absolutely necessary to have cooperation in planning and use of existing funds to maximize the benefit of our efforts. These needs do not respect political boundaries. If the City of Lake Charles currently had the best drainage system in the world, it still would not work if the drainage systems were inadequate or if flow was obstructed near, at or inside our boundaries.

By Resolution No. 110-16, we have asked to begin this process not with new taxes, but by using the taxes currently being collected by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury from within the city limits, none of which are being dedicated solely to the City of Lake Charles.

The drainage problem is a real crisis in our community. I have started my actions to address this crisis while an active City Council member regardless of the outcome of the election.

Infrastructure isn’t pretty, but nothing can stand without a strong foundation. These items are not the typical issues/goals that are bantered around to gain support in a mayoral election. However,  these issues  must be addressed to maximize the current economic opportunities for the City of Lake Charles. If water, sewer, drainage and roads are in order, everything will fall into place. Our city cannot waste time training a brand new administration and staff members. With a lengthy delay, the window of opportunity for the plan I have laid out could close.

In addition, the status of the lakefront could potentially change before the new mayor takes office. My vision is to retain the natural beauty of the waterfront for our citizens, allowing development of the land behind the waterfront with new restaurants, shopping and a hotel. These opportunities would pull drivers off of the interstate to spend money here. The first plan is to sell only the Pinnacle property; however, the result will be more land than we had at the beginning!

 

MARSHALL SIMIEN, JR.

I’d like to crank up the social, economic and cultural engine that is the City of Lake Charles. Economically, our Lakefront and I-10 Corridor must be harvested. Not only would development along that area generate much needed revenue to pay for city-wide infrastructure improvements such as drainage, sewer, roads and employee pay raises, but it would also directly address the appearance of blight that permeates the I-10 Corridor passing through our Lake City. During my tenure on the Lake Charles City Council, we invested in a new Ryan Street exit ramp, continuous service roads and newly constructed turnarounds at Enterprise Boulevard and Kirkman Street. It is now time to get a return on that investment. Responsible development of this underutilized commercial asset and transportation corridor could conservatively pump over $2.1 billion per year of new money into our economy’s private sector. Sales tax revenues from Lakefront/I-10 development would exceed $120 million per year from just that area alone. To give you an idea of the scope of the sales tax revenue generated, that amount is nearly three times the current $48 million in sales tax revenues projected from the entire city in this year’s city budget.

Infrastructure-wise, we need to make our roadways more efficient to not only keep up with increasing traffic congestion, but to also facilitate growth well into the future. For instance, we must continue extending Enterprise Boulevard to connect with the MLK/Hwy 171 corridor. That would not only open up our beautiful Calcasieu Riverfront to much needed development which would support and strengthen the historical North Lake Charles community, but it would serve as a direct traffic feed into our I-10 Corridor and downtown area. This would also revitalize the Moeling Street and Opelousas Street business corridors. The Enterprise extension would also provide a second north-south route through Lake Charles (along with Hwy 14/Hwy 171) and serve as a much needed additional route for hurricane evacuations. Eventually, these areas can be branded and marketed as our City’s Lakefront and Riverside. I will ask our citizens to activate the Lakefront TIF (tax incremental financing) that was put in place in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita to incentivize development in that area. I will also get together with our legislative delegation to place another TIF along the I-10 corridor, including Enterprise Zones, etc., to further incentivize its redevelopment. By way of reference, we put in TIFs to incentivize retail and commercial development at the Power Center and Prien Lake Mall.  Both have proven to be hugely successful.

Economically and infrastructure-wise, the growth, development and prosperity in the northern area of our city will allow us to expand our economy tremendously and pay for much needed infrastructure improvements throughout Lake Charles. This directly benefits South Lake Charles, because growth in revenues can be leveraged to finance infrastructure improvements throughout the City. Country Club Road, Sallier Street, Ihles Road, Prien Lake Road, Lake Street, Nelson Road and the Contraband Bayou Bridge must be expanded, enhanced and completed, just to name a few. I propose to utilize our city’s excellent bond rating to finance immediate infrastructure improvements throughout the city, which will allow us to catch up and get ahead of our transportation challenges. We can then continue to grow together.

Sewer and drainage solutions are also a must. Drainage is simply moving water from one place to another before it causes damage. Our city needs to develop municipal holding ponds to take in and hold huge amounts of water during heavy rain events in order to allow our municipal systems to catch up. We will also need to use the cameras we already have to inspect our entire city’s drainage and sewer systems. We can then assess where there may be blockages and remove them, repair and replace systems that may be damaged, collapsed, obsolete or inadequate to accommodate growth.

Lake Charles is STRONG! Our city is an 8-cylinder engine. However, as discussed earlier, economically we are operating on about 4 cylinders right now. I just want to crank it up and see what we can do! Our city is growing and we need to figure out what we want it to be as it grows up. To do that, we need full and meaningful participation by everyone — young, old, female, male, black, white, families, empty nesters, workers, retirees, millennials and baby boomers. Through participation, we will all be accountable for building the Lake City we want. We can figure out together what we want for our city and then let’s go get it! My children want our city to be fun and exciting. Our Lakefront is our front porch. It should draw your attention, be exciting and entertain. Let’s go get the Bass Pro Shops, Dave & Busters, Topgolfs of the world and bring them here for our entertainment and quality of life. These nationally recognized brands will surely pull travelers and visitors into our city. We must also make sure our local businesses are included in these developments and given every opportunity to grow, thrive and be successful. Along with our local friendliness, warmth, gaming and festivals, Lake Charles will become a destination for fun. We need a first-class major-flag convention hotel on our Lakefront as a cornerstone anchor to complement our Hurricane Museum, Lakefront Boardwalk development and burgeoning hospitality and tourism industry.  We can put a police substation in the Lakefront and downtown area to make sure everyone living and visiting with us has a safe and memorable experience.

Finally, we need programs and facilities to enhance youth activities, education and socialization. Let’s facilitate youth activities such as festivals, sporting events, arts and cultural programs that will engage and develop our youth into fine young adults. We can mentor our children and prepare them to assume the roles of family, business and community leaders in their great Lake City.

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