John Cardone, Jr. City Administrator
The City Administrator is responsible for the professional management of the day-to-day operations of the City, including general supervision, administration and management. The City of Lake Charles operates under a Mayor-City Council form of government. Under this system, the Mayor appoints and recommends to the City Council and the Council votes to appoint the City Administrator, who is the chief appointed administrator for the City.
The City Administrator works closely with the Mayor, City Council and City Departments to develop and implement policies and procedures for the City. The City Administrator is responsible for the supervision and management of City Departments, including: reviewing and advising departments on financial and operational management, setting organizational strategies and goals, establishing methods and procedures on program planning and operational efficiencies, and acting as the City's liaison to local and state government entities and to other elected officials and government agencies.

 

John Cardone, Jr. serves as City Administrator for the City of Lake Charles and has over 35 years of experience in municipal government. A graduate of Louisiana State University, Cardone holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. Through postgraduate studies, he obtained certification and continuing education as a building plan examiner, building code analyst in the Legal Aspects of Code Administration, in Management-Effective Supervision and in Emergency Management.
 

A Message from the City Administrator, John Cardone, Jr.

                                    

Hello and welcome to Lake Charles, Louisiana.  I'm John Cardone, Jr., City Administrator for the City of Lake Charles. It is my privilege to introduce you to our city and a few of the many amenities of our area.

 

Located in the southwest corner of the state, Lake Charles is bordered by bayous, rivers, and lakes with a deep water channel that leads to the Gulf of Mexico. Access to these waterways provides for excellent fishing, hunting and other celebrated sports activities in the Lake Area. Lake Charles is also known for its diverse arts and culture programming/events, casino resorts, many music venues, excellent cuisine and many great festivals that occur throughout the year.

 

Lake Charles covers just nearly 48 square miles, serves a community of more than 78,000 people and is a great place to raise a family. The city has a healthy economy, which makes it a prime location for business, industry and other development. 

 

Lake Charles City Government employs approximately 1000 employees and has an Operating and Capital Budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 of $180 million of which $82 million (including $7 million in operating transfers) is for the General Fund operations which include Fire, Police, Public Works, General Government, Finance, Human Resources and Planning and Development. The City also operates four Enterprise Funds for Water, Transit, the Civic Center and a Golf Course and has various special revenue budgets including Disaster Recovery, Wastewater, Gaming, Recreation and other Community Service funds.

 

On behalf of all our employees, we will continue to strive to provide the highest quality of professional service to the citizens of our community, and we welcome all to come and visit our proud "city on the lake."