[StBernard] Election recommendations for St. Bernard Parish's Oct. 2 ballot: An editorial

[Westley Annis]

Election recommendations for St. Bernard Parish's Oct. 2 ballot: An
editorial
Published: Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 6:18 AM 
 Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune 
 
The Times-Picayune makes the following recommendations for the Oct. 2
ballot.

4th Circuit Court of Appeal
Daniel Dysart

Mr. Dysart has a long background of legal, political and civic service in
St. Bernard Parish. He is a former two-term member of the St. Bernard Parish
Council and currently serves on the St. Bernard Parish Home Mortgage
Authority and the board that oversees the parish's Hospital Service
District. As a lawyer, Mr. Dysart has represented big companies as well as
individuals and has handled a wide range of cases.

School Board 
3rd District
No recommendation 

7th District
Diana Dysart

Ms. Dysart is a longtime board member who has helped see the school district
through Hurricane Katrina. She is a former educator. As a board member she
has pushed a number of initiatives, including a program that enabled parish
high school students to take college level courses - for college credit -
through Nunez Community College; the academic games program and the ACT prep
course provided by the school district. She merits another term in office.

Parish Charter Amendment
To amend section 4-05(b) of the charter to read as follows: "The director of
public works at the time of appointment shall be a professional engineer and
have at least a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or structural
engineering from an accredited college or university, and be a registered
engineer in the State of Louisiana. The director shall have a minimum of
five (5) years experience in public works in the areas of water, sewerage,
drainage and streets.''
Yes

This is a slight change in the charter's wording, with the requirements
shifting from "have at least a bachelor's degree in civil engineering" to
"have at least a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or structural
engineering."

Parish Charter Amendment
To amend section 4-07 of the charter to change the name of the department
head to read "fire chief'' and also change the qualifications of the
department head to coincide with current state requirements.
Yes

This amendment will simplify the language for this provision and put the
parish in line with the state's civil service qualifications for fire chief.
The charter, as written, lists multiple education and on-the-job
requirements for the position. The proposed change would simply read, "The
fire chief shall meet all the current requirements as set forth by the state
of Louisiana."

Parish Charter Amendment
To amend Article IV, section 4-10(c) of the charter to modify the personnel
board.
Yes

This amendment would change who appoints members of the personnel board and
involve parish civic leaders in the process. Instead of one member appointed
from the general public by the council, it would become two. Also, one would
be appointed by the council from a list of three names submitted from the
chancellor of Nunez Community College instead of the University of New
Orleans, as it is now. One would be appointed from a list of three names
submitted by the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce instead of the president of
Xavier University. One would be appointed from a list of three names
submitted by the St. Bernard Economic Development Commission rather than the
presidents of Tulane and Loyola universities, as it was written before. 

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