Voters seat parish councils

Newcomers faired well in Lafourche and Terrebonne parish council races Saturday.

In Lafourche Parish, “Matt” Matherne, a previous two-term council member, took 55 percent of the votes for the District 5 council seat, while incumbent Mark Atzenhoffer had 45 percent.

“I served from ’96 to ’99 and 12 years prior to that, so I am bringing the old way of thinking back to the council as well as the new way,” he said.

In office, Matherne wants to finish road-paving projects. He is also looking to improve the drainage system in the parish.

District 7 incumbent L. Phillip Gouaux returns to the council for another four years.

“I want to continue to work for the people as I have in the past,” he said.

Gouaux attributes his win to his accomplishments on the parish council. “The people see the progress, and I assume that that’s their main reason for keeping me around,” he said.

He will continue working with the levee systems between Lockport and Larose, the Hamilton Street to Intracoastal drainage issues and the Lockport Library issues.

Democrat Rodney Doucet mustered up 58 percent of the runoff votes to defeat Republican “Kris” Gadget to claim the District 8 council vacancy on the Lafourche Parish Council.

In Terrebonne Parish, there were five seats up for grabs on the parish council – Districts 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9.

Billy Hebert came out with 59 percent of the votes, while his opponent, Floyd Bergeron, took home 41 percent to claim the District 3 council seat.

District 4 Incumbent Teri Cavalier will remain on the parish council for another term. Cavalier defeated Clayton J. Voisin Jr. 51 percent to 49 percent.

“I am very pleased with the results. It was a very hard race,” she said. “We had to overcome a well-greased machine that wanted to take our district and I am very happy with the voters and with the support I had during the campaign.”

She attributes her win to a lot of prayers and support from the community.

She will continue her quest for a better Bayou Gardens area, drainage in Schriever and safety enhancements such as sidewalks and crossing guards in the Gray area.

John Pizzolatto took 57 percent of the runoff votes to defeat Otis Logue for the District 5 council seat. He said he is very pleased with the win.

“I thank all my family and my friends for believing in my ability,” he said.

Pizzolatto attributes the victory to his notability in the parish and to running a good, strong campaign.

In office, he said he will work for the benefit of his district. This includes demolishing the American Legion swimming pool and opening the East Park Fire Station.

Democrat “Joey” Cehan defeated District 8 incumbent Peter Rhodes, 58 percent to 42 percent.

District 9 incumbent Pete Lambert will remain on the council for four years. Lambert defeated Danny Henry taking 51 percent of the runoff votes while Henry netted 49 percent.

“My opponent is a previous council member, so I knew it was going to be a tough race. I knew that the race would be decided by a small margin of votes from the beginning,” he said. “I am happy for myself and the people in my district.”

Lambert attributes his victory to the voter turnout. “It’s hard to get people out to vote when you don’t have that many things on the ballot. My campaign staff worked hard making sure that everyone in the district was going to go vote,” he said.

Lambert said he is going to continue his efforts with pump stations and levees in his district, the barrier islands and the Morganza-to-the-Gulf project.