Lafourche Parish shows signs of slow return to normalcy
September 16, 2008Southdown Plantation House/The Terrebonne Museum (Houma)
September 18, 2008Mike Voisin was elected president of the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority board by fellow board members at a meeting of the agency Aug. 26, filling the unexpired term of former president Mark Folse, who resigned in June.
A new election for board president will be held in December. Darrin Guidry had served as interim president.
At the meeting, the board passed a motion supporting a Memorandum of Understanding between TEDA and the South Louisiana Economic Council calling for the council to share business leads with TEDA.
The council, headquartered at Nicholls State University, is a private nonprofit formed in 1984 to promote business development in Terrebonne, St. Mary, Lafourche and Assumption parishes.
Each of the parishes pays $25,000 yearly to be members of the organization, although Terrebonne has not paid dues because of dissatisfaction with the services provided by the group, said TEDA CEO Mike Ferdinand.
“Lafourche, St. Mary and Assumption contract with SLEC for services we already do,” he said. “We’re the only parish having a fully-staffed economic development agency.”
The memorandum describes the council as a lead generator. All leads should be distributed to the economic development agencies of parishes served by the council, the memorandum states.
Information given to one parish cannot be withheld from another, according to the document.
“Leads generated by SLEC are not coming to us,” Voisin said.
The memorandum would be presented by TEDA to the council at a future meeting, although TEDA has not received a reply to a letter sent to the council’s executive director Vic Lafont requesting a meeting between the two groups, Ferdinand said.
At a meeting in July, the TEDA board passed a motion calling for a meeting with the council to discuss TEDA’s membership in the organization.
Voisin said the memorandum is intended possibly to lead to a more formal contract with the council.
He said the council would not share leads unless a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement is signed.
