Washington Parish President Thomas completing 16-year career

Richard “Ned” Thomas is completing a 16-year career as Washington Parish President in January

“I’ll be 70 years old and it is time for somebody else to step in,” Thomas said that when asked why he decided to retire, he stated, “I just want somebody who wants to work hard and move this parish forward. I know that’s cliche. I also want my people to be taken care of. When I first came to work here, the Parish Government had a $92 fund balance after I donated $14,000 from my payroll to keep the Parish running. Now, we have a healthy fund balance of over one million dollars even though our parish residents pay the fifth lowest property taxes in the state.” Therefore, the Parish is in good financial standing.

Thomas said the parish still needs new things like a new jail and new schools.

He said he is working on a $45 million event center to be located in Franklinton and requesting state and federal funding for this. Thomas said that our State and Federal Legislators have been asked to help with this project.

Thomas talked about what got him into politics. “I really never liked politics,” Thomas said. “I had a good friend I was helping, Dr. Jerry Thomas. My father was a Washington Parish School Board member when he passed away and had been elected with no opposition. I was asked to complete his term until a new election was held six months later. After that, I ran for the office against another opponent and won the position and served on the School Board for ten years of which seven and a half years I was as the President of School Board.”

Before he got into politics, Thomas and two