LOCAL

Ascension Parish Council ratifies Bill Dawson as utilities director

Donaldsonville Chief

Bill Dawson, who was ratified as utilities director, addresses the Ascension Parish Council during the meeting held Feb. 2 at the courthouse in Donaldsonville.

The Ascension Parish Council ratified former council member Bill Dawson as utilities director for parish government during the Feb. 2 meeting held at the courthouse in Donaldsonville.

In early April 2022, Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment announced in a news release Dawson had been appointed interim utilities director and special projects manager for the parish.

Dawson previously served on the council from 2016 to 2020 and was the council chair in both 2017 and 2018.

He is certified in engineering management from LSU and worked for multinational oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil for 30 years in several capacities until his retirement, according to the news release.

Dawson also worked privately as a consultant helping to remediate Superfund sites. In that line of work, he was granted a U.S. Patent in 1994 for inventing an Environmental Recovery System.

Dawson is a U.S. Army veteran who served five years with the 20th Special Forces Group Louisiana National Guard.

He also served as a member and former chair of the Ascension Economic Development Corporation, past president of the Pelican Point Homeowners Association, former board member of the River Region Cancer Screening Center, a member of the board of the Donaldsonville Historic Commission, and president of the 5th Ward Volunteer FireDepartment.

Parish government reported the parish's water district received a 100 percent preliminary grade for 2022 from the Louisiana Department of Health, crediting Dawson for his efforts in overseeing the utilities department.

"I couldn’t think of a better person to continue to lead and improve our water system, with his expertise from managing billion-dollar projects to having his own patent, coupled with his knowledge of our water system and last but not least his level of dedication is second to none," Cointment stated in a news release.

Gonzales Weekly Citizen and Donaldsonville Chief, part of the USA Today Network of Louisiana, cover Ascension Parish and the greater Baton Rouge area. Follow at facebook.com/WeeklyCitizen and facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleChief.