Please give a brief background of your professional or governmental experience.

I am the daughter of former Mayor Thomas Nelson and Ursula St. Andre’ Nelson. I attended USL (now UL) for three years majoring in Executive Secretarial. I graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse from Lafayette Regional Institute that was housed in the Evangeline Vo-Tech School. I worked as an LPN for 12 years at the St. Martinville Nursing Home. Later I attended LSUE and graduated as a Registered Nurse. As a Registered Nurse I worked at Dauterive Hospital and Iberia Medical Center Hospital. I am currently a part-time Registered Nurse at Iberia Medical Center.

I was elected to the St. Martin Parish Council and served for 13 years before being termed out of office. I was an active council member. I devoted my time to my district and the parish. I served as chairwoman and vice-chairwoman of the council. I have initiated and completed many projects as a council member in my district. This includes several road projects totaling approximately $6.5 million, drainage projects, and recreation projects totaling approximately $8 million. I have addressed various zoning issues. I attended the district water board meetings and have advocated in improving the system. I was an active member of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana. I was elected to serve as member-at-large and served for three years and then was elected to serve as third vice-president and moved up to president of the Police Jury Association. I am presently treasurer for the Police Jury Association of LA. I served on various committees with the Police Jury Association of LA and the National Association of County Officials. As President of the PJAL I served as a member of the National Association of County Officials Board of Directors. I also served on the Louisiana Parks and Recreation Commission. I am a board member for Iberia Comprehensive Community Health Center as the representative for St. Martinville and a member of St. Martinville Rotary Club.

Why did you decide to run for St. Martinville mayor?

I have watched from the sidelines for the past several years. I’ve become very concerned about the direction the city is going in. I love this city and want to make it a great place to live today and for generations to come. I am running for mayor to take my experience, knowledge and dedication and put it to work to move our city forward. I want to bring solutions to the issues facing our city. I can be an asset as the mayor. This race isn’t about me; it’s about investing in our City to make it a better place.

What changes are you hoping to implement if elected?

As Mayor, unity is very important. I will work to unify the city and City Hall. Maintaining a good working relationship with the citizens and council members will only benefit our City. Working together will give us the ability to make our city an area in which businesses will want to locate and where people want to live and raise their families. Keeping our community safe will be a top priority. Also, maintain a financially stable City and run it like a business. In order to show fiscal restraint and ensure the city’s budget is balanced, a review of each department will be done. This will ensure that the department is being run as efficiently and economically as possible. Regardless of party affiliation, I will work to create a strong network with local, state, and federal representatives to work together to improve our city infrastructure (clectrical, water, sewer, roads, drainage, etc.), public safety and economic growth. These are just a few things I would like to address as Mayor.

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?

Important factors that distinguish me from the other candidates includes my proven leadership as a parish councilmember, initiated and completed projects, proven strong work ethic, serve with integrity and with a genuine interest in the job. I have attended seminars to increase knowledge in all areas of government, participated in initiating, reviewing, and monitoring my district and parish budget. I am committed to moving the City of St. Martinville forward.

Name: Lisa Nelson

Age: 59

Occupation: Registered Nurse

Hometown: St. Martinville