Billy Nungesser hopes to see Plaquemines thrive in next term

Susan Poag,The Times-Picayune archiveBilly Nungesser 

Nungesser spoke to the monthly meeting of the Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry in Belle Chasse and outlined his plan for how the parish can grow over his last term as president. Nungesser, who was reelected in October with more than 70 percent of the vote, said he saw his overwhelming victory as a mandate to make some long-needed improvements in how the parish operates and to protect the citizens' interests at the state and federal level. He said he plans to put pressure on local, state and federal officials to address the issue of coastal restoration, which he says must be dealt with if the parish wants a viable future.

"Without the coastal restoration in Plaquemines Parish and the entire Gulf Coast region, nothing else really matters," said Nungesser, who cannot run for another term.

Nungesser said he's still seeking federal funds -- he hopes as a result of the fines and penalties from the oil spill -- to construct a series of berms and islands in the Gulf of Mexico to help with storm-surge reduction.

As proof that the parish is moving in the right direction, Nungesser pointed to the scheduled deepening of Baptiste Collette Pass, the improvements to the Entergy infrastructure in the southern end of the parish and the switch to paid firefighters.

Nungesser, who became a national figure because of his impassioned pleas for parish residents in the wake of the oil spill, said he is pressuring BP to create a training facility for "green" manufacturing in Plaquemines as a way to develop goodwill and help the parish recover some of the jobs lost because of the oil spill. He said he's already seen signs that the oil company plans to end its Vessels of Opportunity program shortly after the Christmas holidays, and the parish's workers need new industry to survive.

BP has an energy-efficiency division, and Nungesser said the parish's location offers an opportunity to take advantage of wind and water power. With a commitment from BP, the parish could position itself as an industry leader in green energy, just as it is already the state leader in seafood and oil and gas production, he said.

"How about we give some (green energy) to the commercial fishermen so that when they open their Entergy bills for the next 20 years they're thanking you instead of cursing you?" Nungesser said he told BP officials.

On the local level, Nungesser said he's pleased to see changes on the Parish Council, and announced that he'll be campaigning for council candidates Jeff Edgecombe and Percy Griffin because he believes they agree with him on how to run the parish.

Nungesser, who accused some council members of political pandering, lamented the fact that his relationship with the council has been plagued by "nastiness." Council members have accused Nungesser of being high-handed and secretive, while he's claimed that they are being fiscally irresponsible. Nungesser said Plaquemines needs to trim its budget and concentrate on projects that benefit the parish as a whole, not individual council districts.

"We need to start planning for a rainy day, we need to be fiscally responsible," he said. "I'm real excited about the new council; we have a lot of great opportunities."

Nungesser said he hopes to move forward with several changes to the parish's charter, including reducing the number of council members. He also wants the council to consider a proposal to allow the YMCA to take over the parish's entire recreation department.