Kenneth A. Zulli, Sr.
Photo by The St.Bernard Parish Post
[EDITORIAL]
By Kenneth A. Zulli, Sr., Publisher and Operational Manager
Ten years ago we set out to give the residents of St. Bernard Parish a new community newspaper. While there were newspapers in St. Bernard and surrounding parishes that covered St. Bernard, we thought an alternative to the same old was needed.
Our goal was always to exist alongside the others, not as a strict competitor. We have always done “our own thing” in spite of social and political pressures. That’s why we exist in the first place — as an alternative.
Our business — like many of the businesses in St. Bernard — has had its ups and downs. And we are very grateful to our advertisers and readers who have supported us through this first decade.
I grew up in this parish and I know how its residents conduct themselves, their fierce loyalty to everything St. Bernard, and their decency toward one another, even to strangers. There is no place quite like St. Bernard. That’s the way I hope it always stays.
Another quality of our parish is its ability to fight through setbacks like the recent pandemic, Hurricane Ida, and the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. St. Bernard just keeps on fighting.
And getting better.
Superintendent Doris Voitier and her staff have done a remarkable job in bringing the public school system in St. Bernard back from the grave following Hurricane Katrina. With the help of the school board, this education system allows parish residents to be secure in the knowledge that their kids have the educational tools they need to pursue the careers they want to go after.
And our private and parochial schools are strong, as well.
When we began publishing, St. Bernard Parish didn’t have a hospital. Residents had to go to New Orleans or Slidell for hospital care. But now we have the St. Bernard Parish Hospital. There have been many instances where patients would have died had they had to go to New Orleans or Slidell for emergency help. Not because those other hospitals couldn’t care for them, but because there was no time to travel to those other facilities. And to think politics almost kept the hospital from becoming a reality.
Meanwhile, St. Bernard Government is trying to bring new blood into the parish. Sold on St. Bernard is a parish government sponsored program that provides home builders with access to lots to develop neighborhoods. The combination of design standards and committed people have come together to achieve a regionally competitive housing stock in St. Bernard Parish.
Sure, changes for the better are always needed, but the basic qualities of our residents are something we don’t ever want to change.
Looking forward to the next 10 years of publishing The St. Bernard Parish Post.
