Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish Council chair, was recently named “2004 Business Woman of the Year” by the West St. Tammany Business and Professional Women. Pat served as Chairman of Bush/Cheney ’04 in Louisiana and headed the Louisiana Republican Party for four years.

You have been very active politically for years. What motivates you?

I learned years ago that our lives are totally impacted by elected officials and their decisions. I was one who voted, but then complained. I decided to get involved to make sure that those elected would be more responsive. The most important part of this activism is being certain that candidates you support are honorable and will keep their word.

What future trends do you see for the northshore, politically speaking?

The northshore will have a number of new state legislators in the next few years. I am not a believer in term limits; I think we are going to see that a huge turnover will not serve us well. I also foresee more turnover in the parish government.

One of our most pressing issues is the huge growth in population and the resulting problems, such as traffic woes, drainage, etc. What is the council doing to address these problems?

Since we changed to our charter form of government five years ago, we have had to play catch-up because of our rapid growth. One of the most important actions is the passing of impact fees on new construction—just this week. This allows us to continue our drainage projects, particularly in the hardest-hit areas. We have developed comprehensive drainage modeling, which helps us to get more accurate information on what is needed in specific areas. We have passed very restrictive building codes, insuring that we look at those areas with drainage in mind.

Unfortunately, most of our highways are state highways, not parish roads. We have worked with our legislative delegation and the Governor, trying to get them to recognize the seriousness of our problems. Because this has been an election year in which St. Tammany played a large part, we have received a lot of attention from our elected officials at all levels. I think that will very likely continue.

What was your biggest challenge during the’04 campaign?

Countering the misinformation that was constantly being distributed. Not only did we have to answer erroneous charges, but we had to reassure our base that we were doing that.

What was your worst moment during the campaign?

When the exit polls showed President Bush losing early on election day. The national office said not to pay attention to them, but I thought they might just be trying to keep us enthused. By 8 p.m., actual returns started coming in, showing the discrepancy.

The best?

There were three! First, I was up all election night watching the count. At 4:30 a.m., I got a call saying the President had been re-elected. Then, his acceptance speech was certainly a best moment. Another was when he asked me to run his campaign in Louisiana. I was speechless. I think I answered him, but I’m not sure. Fortunately, a photographer took a picture at that moment, so I can look at the photo and re-live it.
 
What or who inspires you?

Those who are willing to give their lives for our freedom. I can only imagine what courage it takes to raise your right hand and swear to protect and defend this wonderful country, knowing it may cost your life. I will always be in awe of our soldiers, our policemen and so many others. My sincere desire is to always remember those who have given their lives for our freedom and to honor those who are willing to do so.

Copyright 2004, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.