David Ditch

The Daily Iberian asked each candidate for Iberia Parish President five questions. Below are the answers as written by candidate David Ditch:

Q: How would you characterize the parish president office’s working relationship with the Iberia Parish Council? If it could be better, how would you improve it?

A: The current relationship between the Parish President’s office and the council is largely non-existent. The divide is a deep one, created by years of mistrust, outside influence and political infighting.

I am confident “bold leadership” will rectify this issue. It will take a Parish President who will not only act in the administrative leadership role as prescribed by the charter, but will also act in the supporting role to the council acknowledging all constituencies represented and their unique needs.

Improving the future of Iberia will take a strong President/Council relationship driven not by a desire for power, rather a desire to transform the future for our residents. A future where we will leave a brighter tomorrow for all. If we can create a new paradigm in local government, one in which decisions are made for the future rather than for a vote, the relationships will take care of themselves.

Q: What would be your first priority if elected and what first few steps would you take to address it?

A: My first priority would be to transform the local government’s culture in addressing business and constituent issues. We are in a competitive market, a market in which we are competing each and every day with neighboring parish’s for business, and more importantly your kids and grandkids.

We must create a pro-business and pro-people culture within local government that is driven by the question of “what can we do for you” rather than the demand of “what you must do for us”. We must build a culture of customer service. We must create an Iberia where people and businesses want to call home.

Local government needs to hire the best and brightest people to not only promote our parish, but leverage upon existing pro-growth incentives to compete with neighboring parishes. It will take strong leadership and someone who has created jobs in the service sector to transform this culture. I am confident my past as a job creator lays a blueprint for just that.

Q: Cities like Broussard and Youngsville have become economic hubs and Lafayette Parish is exemplary in growth while population in Iberia has been stagnant. What specific things can parish government do to attract new residents and businesses to Iberia?

A: As referenced above it is no secret we have not utilized existing pro-growth incentives to compete with neighboring parishes, however it will take more than that to get us on the road to growth.

Business development will be the key to stopping the tide of out-migration in our parish. In order to increase our population we must increase our job base. We must partner with our local, state and congressional leaders to maximize our growth opportunities. We must prioritize our tax dollars locally to better fund economic development.

I believe the office of parish president must be the tip of the sphere in this process. Business development is a role I thrive in and a role which I think should be the number one priority of my administration.

Q: Debris and recycling pickup in the parish has been a sore spot for many residents. What can parish government do to address the issue?

A: The answer to this issue is a simple one, accountability. The current contract as written calls for fines and penalties to be enforced due to non-compliance. In order to enforce this aspect of the contract, deficiencies must be documented. If the fines and corrective action do not improve service, I commit to renegotiating or rebidding the contract. Garbage and debris collection is a basic function of local government and should be done effectively and timely. We must rebrand our parish and efficient debris collection must be a priority as this issue has plagued our parish for too long.

Q: If consolidating services with other local governments in Iberia Parish could be beneficial, what sorts of services should be consolidated and how would you go about achieving it?

A: There are many factors that must be considered when discussing consolidation of services, not least of which is the cause for and saving from each consolidation. It is no secret that there are municipalities within our parish that are facing financial hurdles that may require the reduction of services to residents. I think Iberia Parish Government can be instrumental in driving inter-governmental agreements and cooperative endeavors between governmental agencies to better leverage our tax dollars.

Consolidation, while often viewed as a four letter word, should be best described as cooperation. In a time of limited budgets and growing needs assets such as equipment, capital and manpower should be used in the most efficient manner possible regardless of governmental boundaries. The Parish should take the lead in these discussion and as your next Parish President I intend to lead this effort to create a cooperative local government in which dollars are spent and issues addressed as to need rather than location or political organization. I intend to work with leaders of each municipality to eliminate waste and duplication of services.