At the Oct. 17 meeting, Police Jurors adopted a resolution appointing Dane R. Bolin Calcasieu Parish Administrator. He will take the reins from Bryan Beam on April 1. (It did not escape his attention that the transition is set for April Fool’s Day)

That’s Bolin. He has a good sense of humor, often wears a grin and the guy “has got some energy,” according to Mark McMurry, the past parish administrator who hired him. Beam agrees.

In addition to being energetic, Bolin might also be described as someone who has good energy, a warm demeanor that makes others feel comfortable.

Police Jury President Anthony Bartie described him as a decisive leader with integrity. Beam said Bolin is an experienced, smart, savvy leader attuned to the needs of the citizens of Calcasieu Parish.

He will become the fourth parish administrator in Police Jury history. The late Rodney Vincent was the first, serving 1972-1988. McMurry took up the mantle through 2010, when Beam was appointed. Each man hired and influenced his successor, producing a 50-plus year continuity for planning and achieving long-term parishwide improvements that so many different elected officials could not have achieved in that span of time without the right person to supervise programs, departments and implement the Police Jury’s policies.

The Sam Houston High School graduate did not set out to become the Calcasieu Parish administrator. Unlike McMurry and Beam, he does not have a master’s degree in public administration. He didn’t set out to become the director of the Office of Juvenile Justice, either, where he made his mark. Bryan Beam took note, saw how his skills could be put to work in administration, and promoted Bolin to assistant parish administrator in 2010.

A kid from Moss Bluff

Bolin tried college for one semester before joining the Navy.

“There I was, just a kid from Moss Bluff, and I’m on an aircraft carrier bigger than downtown Lake Charles going to different countries. I learned a lot. I wish more people could do it.”

Bolin said it was this experience that first taught him the importance of being a good listener. He didn’t realize how important that skill would be in his career — and in life.

After three-and-a-half years in the Navy that included some college courses, Bolin returned to McNeese, joined the National Guard and earned a degree in criminal justice.

It was at college that he  met his wife, Kathy, and he proposed 30 days later. He said he hoped she would commit before she really got to know him. It was her he put at the top of the list as the person who has had the most influence on the man he is today, after trying to name all teachers, coaches, professors and managers that have mentored him through the years.

He and Kathy were living in the married dorms when they had their first child. It was a great time, and he wanted to stay right there in the married dorms after graduation until he found a full-time job. The late Dean Riviere, for whom Bolin had great respect, kicked him out of the nest.

Bolin didn’t make the first cut

The parish had an opening in the Office of Juvenile Justice Services for a detention officer. Bolin applied.

“They called and said, Danny, we’re gonna fill this full-time position with someone who has more experience, but we have a part-time position, would you like it? And I said, well, since I don’t have a job…”

The year was 1991. The pay was $6.15 an hour. (Minimum wage was $3.35 at the time.) His wife, a teacher, was making around $13,000 a year, Bolin said. They had a baby girl. He was not led to expect a raise or a full-time position. He took the job to get his foot in the door, trusting that it would work out.

“My favorite part of the day was getting coffee in the morning and visiting with the kids that were detained in the night. We’d just sit down and talk,” Bolin said. “Man, you talk about — you want to listen to those kids, to those families.”

At that time, the juvenile system was not what it is now. There probably wasn’t a juvenile system in the country that anyone could be proud of, Bolin said.

“But if you could see where we are today, the work that’s going on,” he said.

Changes that have become a model throughout the country  began with listening to what Bolin called the “system folks.”

“Look, we know some things that we’re doing now are not working, right?” he asked those “system folks” — parish partners, families, public defenders, district attorneys, judges and police officers. No one disagreed. That agreement opened the door for trying new things.

It also confirmed Bolin’s belief in the power of meeting face-to-face and listening to understand the problem. He acknowledged that it is possible to problem solve with a phone call, but people in the office know he likes to stay on the move and he has been known to get out of the office to check on things personally.

He wants to meet with mayors, the Southwest Louisiana legislative delegation, college presidents and the shopper he meets at the grocery store.

He has already started listening to department heads and jurors to find out about “low-hanging fruit” they want to see tackled immediately.

“I hope to have a laundry list of those things, and once the Police Jury gives me the direction to move forward, I’m all in,” he said. “I will meet the challenge 100 miles an hour. If there are any roadblocks, then we get in a room and discuss them.”

He was, and continues to be passionate about justice for juveniles. However, there have been other milestones during his tenure that he is proud to be a part of. He was part of the team that helped coordinate the parish response and recovery for hurricanes and other disasters.

“There is still work to do,” he admitted, “but we are in a good place and I am proud of our community for the work they did.”

He noted the new state-of the-art Juvenile Justice Complex, Forensic Center and the Animal Service ground breaking, coordinated along with the Police Jury president, parish administrator and parish departments.

“We are close to finalizing plans on a new Judicial Complex.”

He listed the parish parks and boat launches that add to the quality of life, work to improve drainage that is ongoing, and the first-ever Strategic Planning Initiative which guides the goals and budgets of the departments for years to come — thanks to the work of the police jurors, parish administrators and departments.