Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Election Economic Platform topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parish president candidate Mitch Oram pitches economic growth, infrastructure and coastal protection at Port Fushon meeting
Summary
Parish president candidate Mitch Oram told Port Fushon commissioners he would prioritize economic development, infrastructure maintenance and coastal protection, citing recent increases in GESA funds and specific port projects including a $1.2M bridge rehabilitation and a $25M lock conversion allocation.
Mitch Oram, a parish president candidate, addressed the Port Fushon Commission on April 1 to outline his priorities for economic development, infrastructure and coastal protection.
Oram said he is a South Leouch native with offshore experience and a recently earned MBA and described three main pillars for his campaign: certifying sites for economic development to attract industry, investing in infrastructure such as roads and drainage, and protecting the coast through partnerships and targeted funding.
He thanked the commission for existing partnerships and cited steps already taken with the industrial development board to certify sites around the airport for immediate business use. Oram said the parish has seen increased GESA funding — "we've seen $1.6 million over the last three years, the dollar amount that was deposited in our account on Monday was 2.1 million" — and said the parish will continue to partner with organizations including Ducks Unlimited and local industry on coastal projects.
Oram listed several port projects: a $1.2 million rehabilitation of the Cop Blush bridge (funded in part by local road sales tax), refurbishment of the Rose Boat Launch supported by a $150,000 partnership contribution, an RFQ for a safe room on port property funded by Hurricane Zeta hazard mitigation, and an allocation of $25 million toward converting the Lar Rose floodgate into a lock. He said the floodgate/lock project required extensive modeling and federal coordination and that staff had sought help from Congressman Scalis's office to move FEMA review forward.
Oram closed by reiterating his emphasis on strategic planning, site certification and infrastructure investment as means to support port operations and the parish economy.
The commission did not take any action on the remarks, which were recorded in the public comment portion of the meeting. The candidate's funding and project figures were presented verbally and were not independently verified during the meeting.
