Willis wants to use experience as business owner to help city

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, February 16, 2022

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

I am a proud lifelong resident of St. Martinville, where I attended Trinity Catholic School and graduated from St. Martinville Senior High School. I am married to Mrs. Kimberly Willis, whom together we were blessed with 3 wonderful kids and 4 grandkids that I am super proud of. I am a United States Navy Veteran who served during the Desert Storm War while being deployed to the Persian Gulf. I have been a local business owner for 27 years, a bus driver for St. Martin Parish School Board for the last 23 years. As a business owner and community leader I have hosted and participated in the Omega Psi’s Annual Kutz for Kids since 2007. I have served on the Board of Arc since 2014. I am also a coach, sponsor, and mentor for our youth and have been for over 15 years. I am a community activist and have served on several church and community boards that focus on giving back to the community. Service to the community runs deep within my veins.

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I was elected to the St. Martin Parish Council in 2008 and served 12 consecutive years before I was termed out. I worked very hard as a council member for my district by personally overseeing projects and responding to my district’s call for help, responding to other districts within the parish as well. I was also elected as Council Chairperson for 3 consecutive years. I was instrumental in the completion of 50 projects from 2008 to 2019 including the Renovation and Restoration of the Courthouse, several bond issues passed for drainage and recreation improvements within the Parish, Water Distribution Facilities Projects for Belle Terre Subdivision, and the City of St. Martinville Street Light Retrofit just to name a few. As a council member, I worked as a team player alongside other council members and our Parish President to help bring workable solutions to problems and issues that would arise to meet the needs of our citizens in this great parish. The people of District 3 were very grateful and still today commend me for the great service that I provided for them while in office.

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

As a resident of St. Martinville, I have witnessed for myself and listened to the concerns of others about the direction our city has taken. I believe I have the knowledge, experience, access to resources and the dedication to help bring our city back to the city we once knew and loved. We are a city that is very divided among the people who reside here and within our city government. I am confident that I can be that bridge that creates a pathway to unite the people together as Mayor. For the future of our city and the generations that follow. It is critical that we unite for the betterment of our community and find common goals that we all can work towards together. I feel I have stayed on the sidelines long enough.

What changes are you hoping to implement if elected?

Unity and Transparency! I firmly believe if we do not address these two important factors, our great city will have a hard time moving forward. My message from the beginning has always been: “Working together to achieve progress”. Safety in our streets is one of my most important priorities. I am a big proponent of keeping our streets and neighborhoods safe, not only for my wife, kids and grandkids but for all families as well. Implementing community policing will just be one of the many ways to help insure this. If elected, I will establish a good working rapport with the city council members collectively and individually, along with our community leaders to bring new ideas and businesses to our city. We have a beautiful city here, we need to enforce the city’s nuisance ordinance. Tourism at one time served as a major attraction for St. Martinville. As Mayor, I will work diligently to help bring this back to our city. Festivals are a part of the Louisiana way, and are great for small, homestyle cities such as ours. Not only do they produce revenue for local businesses and the city, festivals also help Unite our community together by providing families with memories and lots of fun.

The city must be run like a business and I have been a successful business owner for 27 years. Our city budget is another pertinent priority. I have already begun to build relationships with local, state and federal representatives in order to ensure that our city receives adequate funding, especially where it is most needed, such as youth programs, continued resources for all around city infrastructure, community events and more. If elected as mayor, I will use my many years’ experience and knowledge as a community activist, councilman, and business owner to work alongside the city council members, citizens, and community leaders to bring fresh ideas and solutions that will bring our city back to a place of glory

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?

We have four other candidates running for mayor and I commend them for stepping up. I will bring integrity and respect to the mayor’s seat. I am a man that not only speaks about actions, but I actually get out there in our community to bring about positive change. I can be distinguished by my presence in the community, working with other community leaders when and where needed, listening to our citizens to help them resolve issues or guiding them towards the right avenues to get answers. I am a big proponent of safety in our communities, so I fully support our local law enforcement and will continue to do so as mayor. I have access to resources that can get our city financially stable with hopes of acquiring new businesses and other sources of revenue. My philosophy for our great city is, “What we can have, we will have—working together to achieve progress.” This is my slogan and belief. With God first and my community behind me, I can make the difference our community needs and desires.

Name: Jason Willis

Age: 51

Hometown: St. Martinville