Power shift

The ebb and flow of political control that has gripped Evangeline Parish has waned after a new dynamic emerged following last Saturday’s elections. In the aftermath, the City of Ville Platte and Ward 1, for that matter, has lost its dominance in the political landscape. Also for the first time, two Republican women candidates in Heather Cloud and Rhonda Butler were elected by the voting populace of the parish.
In the race for State Senate, Cloud from Ward 5, overwhelmingly defeated Bernard LeBas from Ward 1, and Robert Johnson from Avoyelles Parish. Cloud’s win was not only a defeat to Ward 1 but a defeat to the “good ole boy” network and a defeat to the Democrat control over Evangeline Parish. She and newly elected Assessor Chris Guillory from Ward 3 are the first Republicans to be elected to a parish wide office.
Cloud, after the election, expressed, “I’m incredibly grateful for the confidence and support that an overwhelming majority of the voters placed in me Saturday night. This election sent a strong message that the politics of the past are over. Strong holds were broken, and no weapon formed prospered. The people of Senate District 28 finally have someone who thinks like them and will represent their values and faith in Baton Rouge. Louisiana is too good to be last, and I’m going to help usher in a brighter future for all of us.”
“First off, I’d like to congratulate every candidate,” Guillory said after the election Saturday. “Running this race was very tough on family life, on finances, and it was grinding the whole time. I want to tell all of the candidates who ran a race, whether you won or lost, I have a different perspective on this. It’s not easy, so congratulations to running good, strong races.”
He continued, “I want to thank everybody who helped me out. Family and friends, thank you. To accomplish this, I could not have done this without my family and my friends’ support. That’s for every community in Evangeline Parish, whether you are white or black or however you are registered to vote, those things are not important. You supported me. And I’m proud to say I am going to be your next assessor. When you need people the most, I believe God puts people in your life, and there were certain individuals that came to me. I believe they were sent by God, and they helped me to win this race. I know my dad’s looking down on me, and my father-in-law is one hell of a life coach. He wouldn’t let me fail. He just kept driving me and pushing me every day, and I thank him for that. I thank my mom and everyone else for the prayers. Thank y’all for giving me an opportunity to fight for Evangeline Parish. Josh (Fontenot), congratulations for running a good race. We fought hard and we kept it clean. We’ll do some good things here.”
Similarly to the senate election, in the race for state representative, a Ward 5 candidate, Rhonda Butler, overwhelmingly outperformed a pair of candidates from Ward 1, Phil Lemoine and Taranza Arvie.
“I want to give all the glory to God and thank Him, because without Him the doors wouldn’t have opened,” Butler said after her win Saturday night. “I want to let everyone know that I love you. I have worked so hard, and I won’t stop working hard. We’re going to make sure that we do great things for this district.”
Also shifting the dominance of Ville Platte and Ward 1 was the outcome of the sheriff election. Brian Ardoin graduated high school from Pine Prairie. He is running in the runoff against Pine Prairie resident Charles Guillory.
“First and foremost,” Ardoin stated, “I want to give the honor to God and thank Him for where he has me. Secondly, I want to thank all the supporters who really worked hard, and I can honestly say I would not be where I am if not for you. I want to thank my wife and children for their support. I want to thank my family and extended family.”
He continued, “This has been a hard fight. I’m really proud of all of the other candidates. I think we all ran a very admirable race, so I am very proud to say, for my very first election, all of the candidates were very competitive, but yet they were still very diplomatic. I think that says a lot about Evangeline Parish and our people. We still have a lot of work to do. It’s definitely the season for change, and I think the voters out there have made that statement. I want to make sure that you all know that it is not over. We’re going to have another election, and I really need and want your support.”
Guillory expressed Saturday night, “I just want to thank the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for making this happen tonight, because without them it couldn’t have happened. I thank my wife who stood by my side for the last 20 months without complaint. I just want to say that I’m not a politician. I just want to serve the people of this parish to make it a better place for my family and yours, to make it safer, and that comes from my heart. I am experienced, knowledgable, and I know what I’m doing. I would be a great sheriff for everybody. I want to thank my family and children and all the voters who worked so hard and voted for me. I want to thank all the candidates for running, and especially for keeping the race clean without using any kind of negative comments. I have not heard none about anybody. I want to thank God for that.”