Fillingame
BAY ST. LOUIS — Incoming Mayor Les Fillingame won’t be sworn in until July 2, but he’s already working on a transition plan that includes increased communications with the City Council and local media, as well as possible personnel changes at City Hall.
“It’s not going to be a massive, overnight overhaul,” the new major said of administrative and personnel changes, but some will be occurring. Staff shifting in the city administration will consist of “restructuring for maximum effectiveness.”
Fillingame’s inauguration will be at 6 p.m. July 2, on the front steps of City Hall. Most City Council members will be sworn in for their new terms at the same time. Ward 5 Councilman Joey Boudin chose to hold his swearing-in separately.
Fillingame won the June general election to replace retiring Mayor Eddie Favre, who held office for 20 years. Fillingame already was a City Hall insider, having worked as disaster recovery coordinator since Hurricane Katrina.
One of Fillingame’s ideas is to overhaul the format of City Council workshops, which are held two Monday evenings per month, the night before the regular Tuesday council meetings. Some councilmen have said the workshops are only practice runs.
Fillingame said this week that he would like to transform the workshops from being a warm-up meeting to a combined gathering of council members and his top staff. Department heads could use the opportunity to keep council members better informed of City Hall programs and issues, and keep local media better informed.
“During the course of the workshops, we can have the administrative staff there,” he said. “A whole secondary byproduct of the workshops will be to create better communication with the media.”
City Council President Bobby Compretta said Friday that while he didn’t have details on Fillingame’s plan, he would welcome better communication with City Hall. Council meetings have frequently been marked by acrimony between the elected council and the administration.
Fillingame and Compretta worked together years ago in the private sector, as co-managers of a grocery store. “I know that Les plans better communication with the whole council,” Compretta said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he will work hard and communicate better.”
Fillingame said he will unveil some of his proposals for the administration to council members at the next workshop, scheduled for July 6. “I will let them know what each individual’s responsibility will be going forward” at City Hall, he said.
