Cheramie, Richard, Thibodaux vie for assessor job

Following the passing of longtime Lafourche Parish Assessor Michael Martin in March, the parish will hold an election Nov. 4 to decide a new assessor.

Three candidates qualified including Jonathan “Jo-Jo” Cheramie, Jerome “Dee” Richard and Wendy Thibodaux.

Thibodaux, deputy assessor since 2006, has run the assessor’s office since Martin’s death.

The elected assessor will assume the position Nov. 7, just three days after the election.

Jonathan “Jo-Jo” Cheramie

A south Lafourche native, Cheramie served in the United States Navy during Operation Desert Storm after graduating from South Lafourche High School.

He then attended Nicholls State University earning a criminal justice degree as well as a business degree. While at Nicholls, Cheramie joined the Louisiana National Guard.

He currently works in sales, and Cheramie said his 20 years of experience working in and running offices previously makes him highly qualified for the position.

“It is running an office making sure stuff gets done so the fact that people state I’m not qualified it just really gets to me,” Cheramie said. “ … I’m in the sales profession right now where customer service is a major emphasis, which this assessor job, the parish residents are your customers. So all my customer service background and training would really help in this position.”

Above all, Cheramie said his biggest goal in the election is to help Lafourche Parish and bring fairness.

“I almost ran two years ago against Mr Martin who was the previous assessor, but it’s just hard to unseat an incumbent in the assessor position, so what happened to Mr. Martin it just presented the opportunity for me to run for the position. I’ve always wanted to help the parish,” he said.

Jerome “Dee” Richard

The District 55 state representative is willing to forego his position in Baton Rouge for one much closer to home.

Richard said as assessor he would serve the parish in a greater capacity even though he admits some would look it at as a step backwards.

“I don’t look at it like that. I look at it as serving the whole parish versus half the parish. Although it’s not a state-level position, it is an important job of course and I’m the only one in the race that’s been elected. I’m the only one that’s been accountable by voters,” Richard said. “I enjoy [serving in the House] but it’s a time for me to not just come home but to be full time and to be able to serve my fellow parishioners full time. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s just a chance that I don’t want to pass up.”

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee for four years, Richard said he witnessed Louisiana assessors do their work from a statewide perspective.

Richard asserted that the assessor should be viewed a public servant role.

“I feel the job of the assessor, he or she assesses property, and of course that’s what he or she does, but the staff does that. And to me the job of the assessor is to be a public servant, and that’s why if you noticed the qualifications are what they are. They are 21 years of age and two years of residency in the state and the parish of which you live in,” he explained.

Richard said that tells him that you do not have to be experienced in the assessor’s staff to be qualified for the position.

“I believe what I bring to the table is that I’ve been elected by the folks. I know what it’s like to have the trust put in me by them on election night when they elect you and I also know how what it means to be accountable to the voters and I’ve done that. I am the one that’s been accountable to folks. I enjoy that. I think it’s what I’m good at and that’s what that job entails,” he said.

Richard has been elected as the State representative of District 55 two times, serving since being elected in 2007. He is eligible to run for one more term in the 2015 election. Richard has previously served on the Lafourche School Board as well as the Thibodaux City Council.

“The other candidates have both been documented calling me a career politician which out of the three of them I have to be called that because neither one of them has been elected, and that’s not putting them down, but I consider myself a public servant,” Richard said. “I’ve been elected a few times because I’ve done the right things. I’ve done the job so people have put me back in office when I’ve asked them to.”

Wendy Thibodaux

The candidate presenting the most experience is the person who has run the assessor’s office since Martin’s passing in March – Thibodaux.

Thibodaux has 17 years of assessor’s office experience and served as Lafourche Parish’s deputy assessor since 2006.

She is certified through the International Association of Assessing Officers and has been certified four times as a Louisiana Deputy Assessor.

The Louisiana Assessors’ Association endorsed Thibodaux earlier this year.

“I am the best person for Lafourche Parish assessor because I am the only candidate that has any assessor’s office experience,” Thibodaux said. “ … I have been educated and trained specifically for the assessor’s office. All of my education and training has been specifically for this job.”

With the population of Lafourche Parish growing, Thibodaux said the assessor’s office has been modernizing itself, and she would like to continue doing so.

“We have put our annual tax roll on the on our Website (www.lpao.net) free to the public in its entirety. We did that last summer… The last seven years I’ve been working on a digital mapping program for the office, and that just came online in June,” Thibodaux said.

Additionally, Thibodaux would like to see every employee of the office achieve certification status. She and three other employees are currently certified, she said.

“I want to continue having the same open door policy that the Lafourche Parish Assessor‘s Office is so proud of. I want to continue having my experience work for the people of Lafourche Parish. I love what I do. I just want to continue doing it,” Thibodaux said.