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Council member proposes charter change to cut council size; residents warn vote could dilute minority representation
Summary
Councilmember Schultz introduced an ordinance to ask voters whether to change the Plaquemines Parish charter to a 7‑member council with new at‑large residency rules. Dozens of residents and several council members debated whether the change would save money or concentrate power and risk diluting minority voting strength.
Council member Schultz introduced an ordinance to call a special election to amend the Plaquemines Parish charter and reduce council membership, proposing a 7‑member structure and a change that would require at‑large members to live in the district they represent while being voted upon by district voters. "Let the people decide," Schultz said, explaining the proposal would be voted on in the October statewide election and — if approved — take effect with the 2030 elections.
The ordinance prompted extensive public comment and debate. A resident who identified himself as Chadwick of Pointe of La Hesse said he was "disappointed" and asked how reducing the council from nine to five or seven would improve representation: "I don't understand how reducing from a 9 member... is gonna help people get better representation." Drexel Narcisse, a resident who gave his name and address, warned the parish could lose district‑level advocacy if at‑large members replaced multiple district seats: "I don't think they're gonna fight as hard as you guys are doing right now for each one of your district." Councilman Edwards said the change "is about power," repeatedly warning that a smaller council could make it easier for four votes to control the body. Edwards said the history of the parish made such changes especially sensitive for minority voters: "This is about power... This is about putting in play so somebody can have the same mind... and he don't need congress or nobody because he got the vote that he need."
Legal counsel and other members described the sequence that would follow if voters approve a charter change: the council must adopt the change first, the voters would then approve it, and the council would later draw district lines, at which point Voting Rights Act considerations could be applied. The council voted to introduce the ordinance for public discussion and Schultz said he will withdraw and reintroduce a clean version at the next meeting so the public can review the final language. The item remains at introduction and will return to the council for formal consideration.
