by Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. Charles residents have a tough decision ahead of them in April. Three candidates will compete to fill the vacant 2nd District seat on the St. Charles Parish Council in the upcoming parish race: Republican candidates Mary Keller Clulee and William “Billy” Woodruff; and Democratic candidate Vanessa Alexander Johnson.
Woodruff is a sportsman who enjoys fishing and hunting. The widowed father of three said he knows many of the ills that plague St. Charles as a whole because of his former employment with the parish’s public works department.
“I’ve worked for the parish for 28 years, and I pretty much know what areas we need help. I’ve worked through every major weather event. I’ve been through the worst of times with them and the best of times with them, and I think I can make a difference as far as knowing what we need from the workers’ standpoint,” he said. “I think that since I worked both sides of the river and all over the parish, I’m familiar with the problems throughout the parish, not just my district.”
Woodruff mentioned he would address drainage problems in the district and discussed his support for the west bank protection levee. The 61-year-old also said a public boat launch on the west bank could draw revenue-generators such as the Bass Master Classic, a fishing competition, to the community.
“I know how the drainage system works and the way it’s supposed to work. Anything that’s not the way it’s supposed to be, I bet I could help correct it and make some improvements,” he said. “Right now, if we get a big tidal surge, we’d have no protection from it. A lot people think that kind of problem is 40 miles away, but it’s in our backyard. They don’t realize with the profiles how close it is.”
“If we had a nice-sized public boat launch we might be able to get one of the Bass Master Classics back here in the parish. That would be a half million dollars worth of revenue for the parish,” he added.
Mary Keller Clulee, also 61, is a life-long resident of St. Charles Parish. Cluelee enjoys walking her dogs, cooking and most importantly, volunteering. Clulee believes in community service because of the work her parents did in her community.
“My dad had always volunteered throughout the parish, my mom and my stepmom. I think it’s important that somebody take their time and volunteer. You’re not doing it for the money,” she said. “I have the time and the patience to give to my community. I don’t have kids at home. I don’t have a job I have to get up and go to, so I have the time to dedicate to public office.”
Cluelee also considers herself well informed about various issues within the parish. She volunteers regularly at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, Holy Family Catholic Church and St. Charles Parish Hospital.
“I attend the public meetings — I was co-chair of the 2030 Land Use Committee. I attended all of the Corp of Engineers meetings that were held for the western tie-in.”
Vanessa Alexander Johnson, 54, is a retired 911 operator for St. Charles Parish. She worked for the parish for 30 years.
Johnson is also an accomplished writer — she is a freelance newspaper column writer and has also published five novels independently. She spends her time writing or substitute teaching at Boutte Christian Academy and Immaculate Conception School in Marrero.
“I’ve always been the type to help people as you know, (with) 911 … that’s what I’ve done. It’s in my nature to help people. When the position became available, I thought, ‘Why not?’ I could help more people,” she said. “I do have a vested interest in my parish even though I’m retired. My son recently moved back to the parish, and my two grandkids live in the parish. My daughter is only 14.”
Johnson feels that her past with the parish has prepared her to deal with any problems the community faces. She also has several key issues she wishes to address, such as the hurricane protection levee, neighborhood revitalization and attracting more businesses to the parish.
“As I said, I’m retired so I have a lot of time to spend toward their needs and the parish as a whole. I’m used to dealing with people and problems,” she said. “There are a lot of things that I’m concerned with. I don’t think we have enough things for our teenagers to keep them involved. I know there are projects that they are working on that I would like to continue with to see come to fruition — the hurricane protection levee and drainage issues.”
The he election will take place on April 6 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 23 through 30 is the early voting period for the upcoming election, with the exception of Good Friday and Sunday.
Early voting hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Registrar of Voters Office at 15045 River Road in Hahnville.