Candidate makes his case, athletes honored by council

The St. Mary Parish Council gathered for their second meeting of the month yesterday and aside from congratulating local athletes and meeting a new candidate for the District 3 Congressional Seat, most of the work was in regards to rezoning measures.
Congressional Candidate Gus Rantz said he was glad to be on hand to tell the council and the audience in attendance why he wants to go to Washington D.C. and represent the third district. Considering the rancor on the hill these days, Rantz posed the obvious question he said was on the minds of his friends and family.
“Now, why on earth would you want to do that?” Rantz said. “Why would I want to fight that battle everyday? I’ll tell you why. Because I’m fed up with our federal government. But I still love and believe in this country and its people.”
Rantz continued to describe his modest upbringing and the financial hardship his family endured during his childhood and how it taught him the value of hard work, education and “dreaming big.” Rantz said, with those values in mind, he was able to escape poverty and prosper as a businessman.
“I was able to go to college,” Rantz said. “I went to law school, started a family and started a business. My business started small. Today, I employ over 2,000 amazing men and women across this country.”
Rantz said one of the things he wants to work on, if elected, was to get the federal government out of the way when it comes to fostering business development in the U.S.
“Unfortunately, the toughest part of my job was, and is, navigating the ever-changing red-tape and bureaucracy from our own federal government,” Rantz said. “I believe successful businesses don’t succeed because of a government policy or permit. They take a lot of hard work and a great team and some common sense. We need to bring government closer to home. We need real leadership and accountability. We need a representative that has stood in our shoes. That’s why I’m running for office.”
In his address to the council, St. Mary Parish President David Hanagriff spoke about Hurricane Preparedness Week which was last week and the various meetings he attended that were intended to update parish officials and community members on storm readiness issues.
“The predictions say there could be an increase in the number of storms and intensity,” Hanagriff said. “We are going to hope for the best and plan for the worst.”
The council also congratulated the Central Catholic High School Eagles on their victory at the Class 1A State Championship Baseball Tournament.
Other business included the introduction of two rezoning ordinances as well as a specific use permit ordinance. There were two ordinances adopted regarding levying a tax of 5.72 mills to support the St. Mary Parish Public Library and one levying 7.24 mills to help “defray the expenses of the Criminal Justice System of the Parish of St. Mary.” There was also an ordinance adopted re-naming the Bunche Branch Library.
The council also passed two resolutions recognizing outstanding athletic achievement amongst parish athletes. The first congratulated the Eagles on their championship display on the baseball diamond. The second recognized Hanson Memorial High School student Noel Baker for her ability to throw things really far on the track and field arena. Baker won the championship trophy in Class 1A track and field in the javelin. It was her second championship outing in the javelin.
In old business, the council was thanked by organizers of the annual Bayou Teche Black Bear Festival for the council’s support of the event.
In new business, the council received financial statements from the St. Mary Parish Housing Program, the St. Mary Parish Sales and Tax Use Department, the Water and Sewer Commission No. 5 and the St. Mary Parish Communications District.