Bringing jobs to Concordia Parish &045; and making sure parish infrastructure and finances are in good shape &045; are what candidates for Police Jury District 4, Place A said they would concentrate on if elected.

Jerry Beatty

Jerry Beatty said that, if elected to the Police Jury, he would lead efforts to make sure the parish uses its resources to the fullest to generate more revenue.

An example, he said, are the parish’s recreational lakes, Lake Concordia and Lake St. John.

&uot;We’re not doing anything with them,&uot; Beatty said. &uot;I’d like to see us build a state park campsite that could bring visitors.&uot;

Beatty said he would also support a road tax &uot;if it’s the only way to get (improvements) done.&uot;

As far as drainage problems are concerned, Beatty said he would seek assistance on such projects from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Also, to help attract businesses to the parish, Beatty said he would work to find ways to get overgrown lots cleaned up and abandoned structures torn down.

&uot;That could help us get some businesses in here,&uot; he said.

To help make sure the jury is spending the funds it already has in the most efficient way, Beatty said he would work to get a complete audit done of jury finances in addition to the one done every year.

&uot;That would help us find where the budget can be trimmed,&uot; Beatty said.

Cathy Darden

Cathy Darden said she and other Concordia Parish police jurors have worked to obtain grants to make extensive improvements to the parish’s infrastructure.

She cited the Vidalia Canal drainage project and grants the jury, with the help of state lawmakers, has been able to for road projects, despite the fact that the parish has no road tax.

&uot;We’ve obtained millions of dollars in sewer grants, and we have a plan Š so that in the future, the whole parish will be on a sewer system. That’s important when a business

is looking at locating in the area,&uot; Darden said. Part of the project is under way.

Darden said she works closely with parish Economic Development Director Teresa Dennis to help attract industries to the parish.

The jury has overlaid the parish airport’s runway and is working to get a gas pump that can be activated by credit card. A well-equipped airport can help land industries, she said. &uot;The airport is vital to job creation in the future,&uot; Darden said.

Darden, a member of the jury’s finance committee, said she would scrutinize jury expenditures and help make sure funds were available to buy good equipment to keep maintenance costs down.

Candidate Deberah &uot;Debbie&uot; Ezell could not be reached for comment.