Near the Fourth of July each year, St. John the Baptist Parish Government puts on two events for community benefit and appreciation.

The first is a Veterans Luncheon, routinely held at REGALA Gymnasium. Organizers joke the itinerary calls for action to begin at 11 a.m.; yet eager attendees start arriving at 9 a.m.

During the luncheon, parish leaders pay homage to local service men and women through a video tribute. The tribute is also featured on the St. John the Baptist Parish website and Government Access Channel.

The fun continues during St. John’s annual fireworks celebration presented over the Mississippi River with viewing stations at St. Peter Catholic Church in Reserve and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edgard.

The spectacle is captured during live broadcast that evening on the Government Access Channel.

Those events are put on for public benefit under a “quality of life” banner. No admission is charged, and someone simply viewing a project assessment bottom line would see them as a total financial loss. Yet, there is little to no public call from local residents or elected leaders to cancel these events.

The same must be considered when talking about the yearly Andouille Festival. It’s not designed to fill St. John’s coffers, but serve as an economic driver and community showcase.

“Louisiana is known for its festivals,” Parish President Natalie Robottom says. “Who would think of canceling the parish’s namesake (event)? We are the Andouille Capital of the World. Almost every parish has a parish festival. This is ours.”

There is an item on Tuesday’s Parish Council meeting calling for a vote on the festival’s cancelation.

Yet, there have not been any Council members calling for an outright cancelation of the event. However, there is a growing contingent of elected voices that want to drastically change the management of the yearly spectacle that lost in the neighborhood of $200,000 in 2018.

First term Councilman Thomas Malik said he is opposed to getting rid of the festival.

“I think analyzing how we do business and making it better is the way to go,” Malik told me this week. “Doing the same thing year after year after year with similar results doesn’t make any sense.”

The answer here, as with many things, comes somewhere in between.

For the event to continue at any where near the scale residents have become used to, it must remain in parish hands. Although dedicated, there does not appear to be a parish nonprofit agency capable of producing the upfront money necessary to operate such a massive event.

With that being said, parish organizers must set and stick to a strict operating budget. They seemed caught off guard by the tens of thousands of dollars spent in employee payroll to cover staffing at the 2018 festival.

That should have never happened in the first place and certainly cannot be repeated.

Many community insiders are also suggesting local residents keep in mind that public discussion on 2019 Andouille Festival planning is cloaked in political leanings.

At least four Parish Council members are seriously mulling 2019 election runs for the vacated parish president’s office.

Unofficial campaigning began months ago, as would be candidates are testing the waters of political response and needed support.

My advice to those considering a run for our parish’s most prominent office: Start learning the job now.

Ten years of experience is going to walk out the door when Robottom exits the office this election cycle. Now might be a good time to shadow her operation if you seek to improve upon it tomorrow.

Who knows — you might be the one planning St. John’s 2020 Andouille Festival.

Stephen Hemelt is publisher and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.