By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

HAHNVILLE – The expected runoff for the new parish president in St. Charles Parish got halted this week, as Clayton “Snookie” Faucheux announced he would step aside, and allow primary leader V.J. St. Pierre, Jr. to win the position.

Faucheux, an eight year parish councilman who was considered among the leaders on the council, said he realized it was clear the people in St. Charles Parish wanted a change, and decided to step aside so St. Pierre could take over without going through another election.

“I sat down with my advisors on Monday, and we looked at the numbers, and knew that they just weren’t going to be there to change the outcome in our favor,” Faucheux said.

St. Pierre, a former Marine and Vietnam veteran who had become a successful businessman in St. Charles, was a newcomer to the political scene. But it was clear he had strong backing from the electorate as he got 46 percent of the vote in the primary, with Faucheux a distant second with 29 percent. An even bigger sign that people wanted a change was in third place finisher Chris Tregre, a former parish president in St. Charles, who finished third with only 25 percent of the vote.

“That’s the thing,” Faucheux said. “It’s obvious that since Katrina, people want a change from the top down.”

“V.J. is a good businessman and it is clear the people wanted him,” he added. “We both ran such a clean campaign with class and integrity, I figured there was no reason to push for a second election and what might have come with it.”

St. Pierre ran on a platform of using his business experience to get things done more efficiently in the parish government. He cited his experience dealing with federal and state contracts and mandates, as well as many insurance, zoning and personnel matters.

He said he wants to work with the state department of highways to revitalize the Earhart extension to I-310, and to get federal funds for a new road by the Davis Pond from River Road to Highway 90.

“I want this job because the people of St. Charles have given me a lifetime of support. They provided me with support and prayers while in Vietnam. They helped my business grow and prosper. I believe it’s my time to give back to St Charles what it’s given to me,” he said.

Faucheux, who will not return to his council at-large seat, said he will return to his full time job at Motiva, but certainly not count out the possibility of more politics.

“I feel like I have been a leader on the council. I led the way to help our hurricane protection plan and I spent a lot of time at the federal level trying to get us support for that project,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of passion and knowledge in government and I will always keep my options open about running for something again. I’ll just say that Snookie’s not going away.”