SLS 17RS-287 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 9
BY SENATORS JOHNS, MORRISH AND JOHN SMITH AND REPRESENTATIVES
ABRAHAM, DANAHAY, DWIGHT, FRANKLIN, GUINN, HILL AND
HENSGENS
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Mayor Randy Roach for his years of public service to
the city of Lake Charles and to the state of Louisiana.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To commend Mayor Randy Roach for his years of public service to the city of Lake Charles
3 and to the state of Louisiana.
4 WHEREAS, Randy Roach was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and graduated from
5 LaGrange High School; and
6 WHEREAS, he earned his undergraduate degree in accounting and his Juris Doctor
7 from Louisiana State University; and
8 WHEREAS, from 1985 to 1987, Mayor Roach served as the assistant city attorney
9 for the city of Lake Charles and represented the city in all phases of the Chennault
10 Consolidation project; and
11 WHEREAS, he drafted and presented federal and state legislation and conducted
12 negotiations with Boeing Aircraft; and
13 WHEREAS, beginning in 1988, Mayor Roach served two terms as a state
14 representative in the Louisiana Legislature representing District 36; and
15 WHEREAS, while in the legislature, he served as a member of the Civil Law and
16 Procedure and Ways and Means committees, and as chairman of the Natural Resources
17 committee and the subcommittee on Coastal Restoration; and
18 WHEREAS, Mayor Roach served on the board of directors of many organizations,
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SLS 17RS-287 ORIGINAL
1 including Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, Samaritan Counseling Center, Louisiana
2 Council on Child Abuse, Southwest Louisiana Mental Health Advisory Board, Southwest
3 Legal Aid Society, Amerisafe, First National Bank, Louisiana Municipal Association, and
4 Southwest Louisiana Red Cross; and
5 WHEREAS, he was first elected mayor of Lake Charles in 2000 to complete the
6 remainder of an unexpired term and has since been reelected to four full terms; and
7 WHEREAS, Mayor Roach is the longest serving mayor of Lake Charles and has
8 worked closely with city and parish governments and other agencies to form partnerships
9 and pool resources to benefit Lake Charles and the entire southwest Louisiana five-parish
10 area; and
11 WHEREAS, he was a strong voice for the creation of the Southwest Louisiana
12 Partnership for Economic Development and worked with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury
13 to create the Lake Charles Ward 3 Recreation Board, resulting in the Multi-sports Complex,
14 Skate Park, and Adventure Cove; and
15 WHEREAS, following Hurricane Katrina, Mayor Roach welcomed more than two
16 thousand evacuees from New Orleans to take refuge in the Lake Charles Civic Center; and
17 WHEREAS, less than one month later, Hurricane Rita ravaged Lake Charles and
18 Mayor Roach and other area leaders quickly assembled the Hurricane Rita task force which
19 immediately began working to repair and rebuild the area; and
20 WHEREAS, under his administration, 1911 Historic City Hall was established as an
21 arts and cultural center, the new Transit Center was opened, major enhancements to the Lake
22 Charles Civic Center were made, and a new Lake Charles City Court building was
23 constructed; and
24 WHEREAS, in addition to annual allocations for road improvement projects for each
25 council district, Mayor Roach began annual allocations for citywide projects such as asphalt
26 overlay, sidewalk repair and construction, roadway striping, sewer line rehabilitation, and
27 lift station repairs, and since 2009, approximately six million dollars has been allocated for
28 drainage improvements; and
29 WHEREAS, current projects under design or construction include a forty-three
30 million dollar wastewater treatment plant, Nelson Road water plant improvements, and the
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SLS 17RS-287 ORIGINAL
1 Wastewater Treatment Plant "A" basin repair program; and
2 WHEREAS, additionally, Millennium Park was rebuilt by volunteers, Veteran
3 Memorial Park was expanded, the First Lt. Douglas Fournet Memorial was added, and Tuten
4 Park, Bark du Lac Dog Park, and Riverside Park and Community Center were opened; and
5 WHEREAS, Mayor Roach was successful in securing two beams from the World
6 Trade Center and with input from local artists and members of the community, the 9/11
7 Memorial was designed and constructed on the lakefront; and
8 WHEREAS, under his leadership, community events such as Mardi Gras of
9 Southwest Louisiana, Downtown at Sundown, Live at the Lakefront, Red White Blue and
10 You, and Light Up the Lake Christmas Festival continue to grow and make Lake Charles a
11 wonderful place to live, raise a family, and a top tourist destination; and
12 WHEREAS, he merits the highest commendation for his exemplary public service
13 and for his outstanding contributions to the state of Louisiana and its citizens; and
14 WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of our communities,
15 and the overall vitality of American society depends, in great measure, upon the dedication
16 of people like Mayor Randy Roach who use their considerable talents and Louisiana's rich
17 resources to promote tourism and increase economic growth for future generations.
18 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
19 commend Mayor Randy Roach for his distinguished public service to the citizens of Lake
20 Charles, does hereby recognize and record for posterity his vital contributions and tireless
21 dedication to the state of Louisiana, and does hereby extend to him best wishes for continued
22 success and happiness in all of his future endeavors.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
24 Mayor Randy Roach.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Nancy Vicknair.
DIGEST
SCR 9 Original 2017 Regular Session Johns
Commends Mayor Randy Roach for his years of public service to the city of Lake Charles
and to the state of Louisiana.
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