Gachassin to vie for IPC District 5 seat

Lifelong New Iberia resident Warren Gachassin Jr. announced he will run for the District 5 seat on the Iberia Parish Council in this fall’s election.

Gachassin, 27, works at Southwest Pipe in Broussard and was formerly active in a handful of boards and committees as a student at Southwest Community College and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He graduated from New Iberia Senior High School in 2007.

“Government was created by the people for the people,” he said in his candidacy announcement. “The most important item I am running on is reconnecting the people to their government. As a public servant, it will be my duty to inform residents in my district of ongoing legislation that affects them.”

Past board memberships for Gachassin include the Louisiana Community and Technical College Board of Supervisors, Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance Board, Louisiana Tuition Trust Authority Board, Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents (on which he served as chairman) and Council of Student Body Presidents Legislative and Academic Affairs.

Gachassin said if elected, the most important task for the Parish Council should be to find ways to incentivize business to form and stay in Iberia Parish.

“I will be a fighter for investments in infrastructure and intergovernmental agreements to reduce duplicate services,” he said. “I want a parish government that offers incentives for business to establish, expand or create jobs that grow our tax base. This election is not about me. It is about the future of Iberia Parish. With our available resources, we should never have to compete with neighboring parishes.”

District 5 includes south New Iberia around Center Street, Lewis Street and Admiral Doyle Drive and stretches west of U.S. 90 between Louisiana 14 and Avery Island Road.

Qualifying for the election is Sept. 8-10 and election day is Oct. 24.