Joe McPherson appointed to serve on England Authority

Joe McPherson is joining the England Authority, an entity his legislation helped create more than two decades ago when he was a state senator.

McPherson, a Woodworth resident, was appointed by Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy to serve as a city representative on the England Authority, which oversees operations of England Airpark.

“I was asked if I would be willing to serve, and I thought it was a great opportunity to contribute to what I feel passionate about, and that’s the excellent development within the community,” McPherson said.

His first meeting as a member of the England Authority will come Wednesday when the authority meets at noon in a special session.

McPherson served six terms as District 29 senator, from 1984 to 1996 and from 2000 to 2012. His cousin, Jay Luneau of Alexandria, is the current senator for the district.

England Airpark was created in 1992 at the site of England Air Force Base, which closed in December of that year. It has been hailed nationally as a prime example of how to reuse a closed military base.

McPherson authored legislation creating England Airpark, but he is quick to give credit to Jim Meyer, considered the driving force behind establishing the airpark, and others for their vision in the endeavor.

Creation of England Airpark “was probably the greatest example of the community really coming together facing the challenge,” McPherson said.

The Alexandria City Council voted 5-2 to approve Roy’s appointment of McPherson to the England Authority, which is officially known as the England Economic and Industrial Development Board of Commissioners.

Councilmen Ed Larvadain III and Jules Green voted against the appointment.

Larvadain said McPherson would be a “wise choice” except that he does not live in the city of Alexandria. He said city appointees should be city residents.

Joe Fuller told council members that McPherson “is a real nice guy, a good senator, you can work with him — but he lives in Woodworth.”

Fuller, a former Rapides Parish police juror who is running against council President Lee Rubin for an at-large council seat on Nov. 8, said an Alexandrian should be appointed to represent the city on the England Authority.

Councilman Harry Silver, on the other hand, said, “Central Louisiana is Central Louisiana.” Not being a resident of Alexandria shouldn’t prevent appointment of a person to a board if he or she can do a good job, he said.

Roy said there is precedence for appointing non-Alexandrians to represent the city on boards.

He also said McPherson’s track record as a senator showed that he worked hard on behalf of Alexandria’s interests.

Councilman Chuck Fowler said McPherson “has served Alexandria well for a long time. I support him, and I think he’ll do a wonderful job for the England Authority and the city of Alexandria.”

McPherson said the legislation creating England Airpark did not place residence restrictions on board members.

“A lot of good thought went into the formulation of that legislation, and it wasn’t by accident — it was deliberate — that the membership was not parochial. In other words, you didn’t have to live within the confines of an electoral district or a boundary of a political subdivision,” McPherson said.

He said he appreciates the mayor appointing him and the council approving the appointment. As for the approval not being unanimous, he said he understands “there’s always a little bit of parochialism” in such matters, but he’s looking ahead and welcomes the chance to serve the community.

England Airpark is home to Alexandria International Airport, a military staging base, a staging facility for deportation of immigration detainees, the Learning Center for Rapides Parish, an industrial development “megasite,” a hotel, a restaurant, residences, a golf course, businesses and agencies.

The England Authority has done well over the years in managing the airpark and is “still mindful of the original purpose, to spur economic development,” McPherson said.

“That was a tremendous asset that was turned over to the community, and we were obligated to be good stewards and to use it wisely, and that it would be the driving and pre-eminent opportunity for economic development just because of the magnitude of the gift, the resources, the assets,” McPherson said.

He said England Airpark continues to play a critical role in economic development.

“It’s really the major tool that we have in our economic development tool kit,” McPherson said.

Because of term limits, McPherson couldn’t seek re-election to the Senate in the 2011 state elections.

Asked if he’s considering another run at elective office, McPherson said, “No. I think I was blessed to have that opportunity to serve really most of my adult life in that capacity, and I do want to continue to contribute where I can. And this is a good natural fit, I think, at this particular point in time, and I welcome the opportunity to serve and see if I can make a meaningful contribution.”