I, Ville Platte City Councilman Bryant Riggs, am honored to serve District F and the City of Ville Platte. I am pleased to announce my candidacy for reelection to serve a second term and continue my efforts to increase growth and quality of life while helping move Ville Plate forward.
As a first time elected official there were many challenges facing my District and the entire city, one of which being the need to clean out canals and culverts. My goal to solve this issue has been to work with other elected officials, such as the Evangeline Parish Police Jury, just as we as a council, along with the mayor, did when we worked with the city of Rayne recently to acquire a tool used to clean culverts. This tool will now allow us as a city to work toward solving our drainage issues and save the taxpayers money.
Another major problem I have diligently worked to solve for the constituents of District F has been ridding the city of blighted properties. My efforts to address this issue have resulted in the adoption of a 30 day ordinance, which set a time limit for how long owners of blighted properties have to clean their overgrown or abandoned properties without facing consequences for contributing to this issue that has plagued our community. In return, over the last four years we have seen numerous blighted properties cease to exist in Ville Platte.
To also help keep our city clean I have suggested that our police department create a trustee program where inmates assist in picking up litter across the city and cut grass. This program can be used as a tool to rehabilitate inmates by teaching them work ethic and skills that will allow them to reenter society as productive citizens.
Throughout my first term in office, I have also worked to bring updates to the Northside Park - a task that has not been done in 30 plus years. Updates have included a newly built and the first ever basketball court at the Northside Park, which was funded by a $25,000 LGAP grant acquired by the city. This is a trend I will continue as councilman by making an effort to secure at minimum $350,000 though grants, donations, fundraising, and by donating one year of my council salary to this cause. My hope is to continue to develop our park with recreational playground equipment, such as tennis courts, miniature golf, soccer fields, splash pads, a waking trail and pavilions all geared towards health and wellness for all ages and for those with disabilities.
I have also been an advocate for removing crime from our city to allow for business developments to come to Ville Platte and provide jobs to our residents. To accomplish decreasing crime, I have recommended that the Police Department develop a Volunteer Reserve Officer program that could be used to develop and train potential future law enforcement officers, who will already grasp some knowledge and experience on performing this respected job well. These reserve officers could be utilized to routinely check local businesses at night. This program will allow us to have extra patrol on the streets to deter crime. I have also recommended community policing, where officers would go knocking on doors to talk to the citizens they serve in an effort to build a relationship with the community. This will allow the city to reduce the hundreds of thousands of dollars it has spent in civil liabilities due to police activity, and instead that money can go towards beautifying Ville Platte and maintaining roads.
As a council member, I have also become very active in maintaining a relationship with the elderly through hosting bingo at Village de Memoire and Chateau des Amis. This activity is one I will most certainly continue as council member of District F.
Just as I have done during my first term as council member, I will continue to be a voice of the people and fight for growth and prosperity. I will continue to fight to protect taxpayer’s money by recommending suggestions to eliminate wasteful spending and civil liabilities. I will continue to work alongside the Mayor and my fellow council members in the best interest of the citizens. Thank you for your support in advance. Candidate #103.
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