Meet the Perry Council Post 1 and 2 candidates – Gary Moulliet

Perry District 2 Post 2 council candidate Gary Moulliet says his thick skin, strong shoulders and desire to go the extra mile for the residents of Perry is why he is an ideal choice for Perry Council.

Moulliet, who has a personnel degree from the USAF community college, has made communication a large part of his political platform; in the past stating it was the impetus for his campaign. Through talking with fellow residents, he discovered a communication issue between the city and its constituents, which he plans on addressing.

The communication problem, however, is the fault of both parties according to Moulliet. He says the city could do a better job getting information out to the public and that residents could make more of an effort to stay informed. “I feel that the communication needs to flow better in both directions,” he said. “I think as a city, we need to be more proactive of getting this information in methods that people can receive it.”

Asked about the current mayor’s proposed communication plan and town hall meetings, the father of two says he is a big fan of going to the people instead of making the people come to him. But, he says the city could still do more. He says the locations of the meetings should be spread far and wide so that every single resident can be heard and that the public should be given the opportunity to express their ideal method of communication. “Everybody communicates different,” he said. “The only way we’re going to find out what is the best way to communicate with you (residents) is by asking you. I know its a lot more work, but I think as elected officials we need to make that effort to at least represent our communities that we were elected by and go to them.”

If elected, he says he would work with Mayor Randall Walker and talk with him about the communication plan, and determine how his skill sets can assist. ”I would want to bring what my district is saying they want, and what the rest of Perry says they want.”

He talked about how communication could help with concerned residents who don’t agree with how the city handles its rising growth. “Change is hard,” he said. “It’s been hard for everybody. It’s always hard, but change is inevitable.” Moulliet acknowledged that the City Council would never be able to please everybody with its decisions, but says it should always explain to disgruntled residents why certain decisions were made and how they benefit the city as a whole. “It’s the responsibility of the councilman, as well as the responsibility of the community, to communicate what’s going on in the district and bring that to the City Council meetings or city work sessions and work all that out as a team.” He also encourages residents who come to council meetings with a concern to stay for the entire meeting so they don’t miss out on other important topics. “It’s frustrating when there is something that happens in the community where the community may not be happy… you will see a group of people come in that support that or [are] against that, and they’ll stay while that is being discussed, and as soon as it’s discussed, they leave,” he said. “I want them to stay the whole meeting because they miss out on all the good things too. They miss out on the awards we [Perry] won, the grants we’ve gotten [or] what communities are going to be built up. They need to give us that hour.”

At the very end of 2010, after 30 years of military service (Marine Corp. and Air Force), Moulliet retired at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. He and his family moved to Houston County in 2003 after he was stationed at Robins Air Force Base. Given the opportunity to return to his home or go anywhere else in country, the New Orleans native and his family chose to stay in the community they fell in love with. He now focuses on his self ran business, Moulliet Productions, which he co-owns with his wife, Charlene.

Having lived in the city for 16 years, Moulliet and his family became involved members of the Perry community. For a year and a half, he sat as vice chairman for the Perry Conventions and Visitor’s Bureau Board and was a member of the Perry Main Street Design Committee for an equal amount of time. He and his wife also co-owned the Coffee Cup restaurant that was located downtown in the building now occupied by the Perry Chamber of Commerce.