October 2023

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
We Are Better Together
I am excited to write to you in
this month’s LMR, and I look
forward to the opportunity of
not only joining you in person
as I travel the state, but also
speaking to you each month
in the pages of this magazine.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to
let you know how things are
going, and to get your feedback
on what you may further
need. I want to take this time
to congratulate the Communications
Team of John, Anita,
and Charlotte for getting the
LMA into the Louisiana Press
Association. That’s a feather in
the cap for any writer passionate
about their craft, and we
couldn’t have a more passionate
team leading our charge.
We’ve seen a lot of media coverage
surrounding the wildfires
across our state, so our
cover story this month highlights
the official wildfire season.
Experts in their respective
fields were spoken to in an
effort to better assist our municipalities
with preparation
planning. Louisiana’s wildfire
season runs for a total of 30
weeks, and we haven’t paid
much attention in the past.
But, if as the years go by, we
continue to see an increase in
their number, we are going to
have to step up our game of
understanding not only their
impacts, but also how to lessen
them.
A year ago, we joined with the
Police Jury Association of Louisiana
in the formation of an
organization geared to assisting
our Louisiana municipalities
in acquiring grant funding
to better assist their communities.
LITACorp was founded,
and with Leslie Durham at
the helm, it’s already making
an impact. LITACorp’s Alex
Holland was interviewed this
month, and she shines a light
on how to ensure compliance
is being maintained. If one
thing is out of synch, or it’s not
following the correct protocol,
the holdups that can cause
in terms of acquiring funding
can seem insurmountable. So,
making sure you’re in compliance
is key.
LAMP continues to assist our
LMA members, and we took
the time to recognize them
this month. Pooling assets is
an excellent way to see a positive
ripple effect across multiplicities,
and we look forward
to continuing the partnership
with Theo Sanders and his
team.
It’s still sinking in on my end
that I am now your president.
It’s an absolute honor, and one
I won’t ever take lightly. There
are so many things we can
do together to combat issues
plaguing Louisiana, and it’s an
exciting time to be gathering
those ideas and putting them
into practice. We have several
opportunities for grant fund-
Derrick Johnson, Sr.
LMA President
Cheneyville
ing, which means that projects
many of us have had to
put on hold may now come
alive. That’s an enormous positive
in this state, especially
when it comes to keeping our
citizenry here to see what they
can make better in the future.
I want to be there for this
membership, and I welcome
any feedback. I want to find
out what you need to make
your time in office the most efficient
and as effective as it can
be. Are there tools or resources
we don’t offer that would
allow you to better do that? If
so, tell me. All of us at the LMA
want to encourage and promote
success across the board,
so if there’s a way to assist with
that, we want to know.
We are better together; in
fact, we’re at our best. When
Louisiana is at its best, we’re
a state to be admired and
looked up to. It’s in the way
we handle a crisis and come
together for the betterment
of all. It’s in the way we gather
and celebrate in the good
times and gather and comfort
in the bad. Louisiana is our
home, and together we will
continue to show the world
just what our home is capable
of. We are #LMAStrong.
LMR | OCTOBER 2023 Page 5