Don Albanese: Following Nugent’s path

Published 10:28 pm Friday, March 29, 2019

Don Albanese said he wants a continuation of what current Nederland Mayor R.A. “Dick” Nugent has been doing for the city for the last 15 years. Albanese represented Ward 3 on the City Council until stepping down in January to run for mayor.

Don Albanese

“As you know, our present mayor, Mr. Dick Nugent, has decided not to run again because of health reasons,” Albanese said during a Facebook Live interview with the Port Arthur News on March 7. “Once again, he approached me and asked me if I would run. After talking it over with my wife, I decided that I would.”

Albanese said with at least two members of City Council not running for reelection this year (Nugent and Ward 4 councilmember Craig Belaire), he would provide experience and continuity for the council.

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“I think I will be more of a continuation. I have a few more projects I would like to see fulfilled. Mr. Nugent being down as much as he’s been down hasn’t been able to do as much as he would like to do. If I get this job, he has promised to sit with me until I get comfortable.”

Albanese said he would like to continue street projects as well as upgrades to the water and sewer lines.

Albanese was born in Beaumont in 1938 and moved to Nederland in 1962. He and his wife Peggy have three children who grew up in Nederland. After going to Lamar University for two years, Albanese joined the Navy for two.

After Albanese left the Navy, he worked at Dupont in Beaumont for 35 years in 1995

Albanese and said he began his political career nine years ago when he was voted onto the City Council representing Ward 3.

“A very good friend of mine that has more willpower, gumption, get-up-and-go than anybody I know is our present mayor, Mr. Dick Nugent,” Albanese said. “We are very close friends. We hunted together and palled together. One day, he asked me if I wanted to run for City Council.”

Albanese said he is proud of the upgrades that have been made to the parks, recreational center and swimming pools.

“Two things I’m proud of is the upgrades to the police and fire station,” he said. “I was part of both of them. We have a street program that I am very proud of. We spend between $1 million and $1.2 million each year on streets. Also being a veteran, I am very proud of our Veterans Park.”

Albanese was a councilmember during the Nederland Avenue improvement project, which began last spring and closed earlier this year.

“I was very involved in that project,” he said. “We talked to contractors. We talked to engineering groups. They came up with two programs — A plan ‘A’ and a plan ‘B.’”

Albanese said the first plan consisted of a 21/2-year project that would cost $17.5 million. The second plan was a $5 million project that was scheduled to last about six months, but inclement weather delayed completion.

“We did not want to put our merchants on Nederland Avenue through all of that,” he said. “It would’ve been down to one or two lanes of traffic. You know how the weather is in Mid County. It would’ve rained and it would’ve probably lasted three to four years, so we decided on plan ‘B.’”

Albanese said the project came in at budget.

With a potential $155.6 million Nederland Independent School District bond on the horizon, Albanese said he wants to make sure the rest of the city can be held to the same standard.

“If we’re going to spend $155 million in the city of Nederland, I want to make sure everything is good especially our streets,” Albanese said. “We try to keep our police and firefighters in some of the best equipment they can have. We’re continuously upgrading that as much as we can.”

Early voting is scheduled for April 22 through April 30 and Election Day is May 4.