Candidates outline divergent plans for taxes, recovery and coastal projects at Lefouch Parish forum

A candidate forum for Lefouch Parish President on an evening moderated by Margarite Knight drew a full house and focused on taxes, post-Ida recovery, drainage and coastal policy as the three candidates sketched sharply different approaches to rebuilding and economic growth.

Elliot Day, who opened by citing "33 years of public service" and experience responding to "over 40 hurricane and severe weather events, the Gulf oil spill," said his priorities include a three- to five-year parish plan, consolidating facilities and investing in parish workers so local government can be more proactive about recovery and services. "Everything I've started, I brought to the top," Day said in his opening remarks.

Tom Lang framed his candidacy around academic and management credentials, telling voters he holds degrees from LSU, Texas A&M and Florida State and has 40 years as a contractor and prior service as an elected councilman and council chair. Lang called for administrative consolidation, targeted tax incentives for high-paying jobs and using bonds — not cash flow — for large road projects.

Mitch Ozra highlighted his service as parish administrator since 2020 and two decades in the oil-and-gas sector. He emphasized fiscal discipline (paying down long-term parish debt), pursuing grants and engineering for drainage projects and continuing coordination with state and federal partners to secure coastal and resilience funding.

On taxes, speakers disagreed over recent restructuring and local fees and over the future of the business-inventory tax on equipment. Candidates described tradeoffs: eliminating the inventory tax could free capital for hiring but would reduce parish revenue that now supports services. One candidate noted a $16.50 fee tied to recent changes and questioned the transparency of that move; others urged consolidation of millages across dozens of taxing districts to lower overall rates while protecting essential services.

Regarding Hurricane Ida recovery, the candidates converged on two central challenges: widespread residential blight, especially in the southern parish, and damaged courthouse facilities. Ozra described the courthouse as 150 years old and subject to FEMA and historic-preservation constraints that complicate repairs; Day said the parish must stop waiting on external assistance and work proactively, citing limited functioning courtrooms as a critical operational shortfall.

Drainage repeatedly surfaced as a near-term fixable problem. Ozra described an implemented maintenance program and recent grant awards, including a $5 million statewide flood grant; Day urged a formal summit of the multiple autonomous drainage agencies and a comprehensive drainage plan update (a FEMA-requested plan estimated at $1.2–1.5 million).

Coastal funding and relations with the oil-and-gas industry split the candidates. Ozra and others said continuing coalitions with state and federal representatives and port officials — and pursuing funds under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) and other federal programs — are key to long-term restoration. Some candidates urged collaboration with industry to secure jobs and investment; others said industry must take responsibility for past coastal damage and be held to restoration commitments.

On carbon capture, positions diverged: Lang said he opposed underground injection and worried about safety and property impacts; Ozra argued that with proper engineering and safeguards carbon storage could be done safely and help local industry compete in markets that pay premiums for low-carbon products; Day said community consent should guide decisions, noting local opposition in Bayou Buff.

The candidates also offered proposals on workforce development (aligning Fletcher, Nickel State University and local schools with business needs), lowering insurance costs (to spur housing and development), and using a hypothetical unrestricted $10 million either for roads, worker compensation/pensions, or consolidating outdated parish buildings.

The forum closed with reminders about early voting (May 2–9) and the May 16 election date. The candidates' differing prescriptions — Day on planning and workforce, Lang on administrative consolidation and incentives, and Ozra on grant-chasing and continuity — give voters clear policy contrasts as they decide who will lead Lefouch Parish through recovery and coastal challenges.

The article is based on candidate remarks and moderator introductions at the forum; where speakers referenced grants, millage totals or dollar figures, the transcript statements are reported as claimed by the candidates or the moderator.