ST. MARTINVILLE — Dozens of people packed the council chambers at St. Martinville’s City Hall last week as candidates for mayor and several city council seats offered their vision for the city’s future to voters. 

Wednesday night’s forum, hosted by the Democratic Executive Committee of St. Martin Parish, offered every candidate a two-minute introduction describing their platform, then had each take turns offering a four-minute answer to several questions prepared by forum organizers. Though organized by the DECSM, the event was meant for the entire voting public, said Delores Bourda, chairperson for the DECSM. The committee has not endorsed individual candidates. This year, the mayor’s seat and every city council seat save for one are being contested. 

Long-time incumbent Thomas Nelson faced three challengers Wednesday night, in an opening portion of the forum that drew the largest and most interested crowd. People packed the pews of the chamber and lined the side and back walls and the center aisle of the room, spilling out even into the lobby, where a pool of people packed around the entrance straining to hear the candidates. Several times, the candidates were asked to speak louder so all could hear. 

Challenging the mayor this year are Espinola Quinn, a tax-preparer and notary public; William “Tiger” Leon, a long-time leader in law enforcement and retail management; and Melinda Mitchell, a third-time candidate with experience in several state government agencies. 

Common themes emerged among the candidates, from the need for violent and drug-related crime reduction, the need to attract new business to the city, the importance of unity and understanding across the city’s differences and the need to increase opportunities that can keep young people in St. Martinville.

Leon said a major concern of his campaign is transparency, particularly regarding the city budget. 

“The citizens don’t know what the city is spending. The budget hasn’t been recorded, I think, in 10 years at the clerk’s office, so we really don’t know what the expenditures are,” he said. 

During his remarks, Leon highlighted his diverse background in law enforcement and business leadership. 

“With the City Council and the city employees, my job as a leader of an organization is to do a needs assessment going in and find out why it’s not profitable…Why do we have turnover? Why is it not progressing in the right direction?” he said, citing problems he sees with inventory management and an inefficient use of city resources. 

Quinn introduced a theme that surfaced in several exchanges throughout the night, up and down the ballot — the need for a more equitable distribution of resources. 

“We’ve got to do something about the south end of town. You cannot have a city with sidewalks on one end of town,” she said, as the crowd drowned her out with applause. You “cannot,” she continued, “have a city that is one-sided. That’s not how you build a house,” she said, to which many stood and cheered.

“I’m a game-changer. I’m not your average candidate,” she said. “I’m not going to change on you, and I’m not going to back down.” Quinn also highlighted a strong need for term limits for the mayor and City Council members.   

Nelson, as the incumbent, highlighted  past accomplishments, suggesting the city stay its current course and continue to improve. Asked how the next mayor would attract new business, he said, “I believe, as mayor, we’ve been trying to do this,” then pointed to several properties the city is currently working to renovate and occupy with new business. 

“We got the off-track betting and the video poker, which is not something I’m very proud of to have in our town, but we had no choice. If we wouldn’t have done that, it was going right on the outskirt of town. And that brings us a little revenue,” he said.

Asked about how to reduce crime, he said he has seen the police budget grow by hundreds of thousands of dollars since taking office. 

“We need to have more policemen on the street, and we need to have them more visible. And the chief has ordered them, ‘when you’re in the neighborhood, get down and talk to the people,’” Nelson said, acknowledging that more needs to be done to combat drug crime.

Mitchell, in addition to championing a youth tutoring program in the city, spoke of the need for collaboration across differences in a spirit of love. 

“We all have different backgrounds, different walks of life, but at the end of the day we’re all here for the best interest of the city,” she said. “I’m willing to work with anybody.” 

Though that need was repeated by all challengers throughout the night, the sentiment remained tenuous. Responding, apparently, to Quinn’s closing remarks that the council is currently male-dominated and could use the leadership of a “strong, black woman,” the current mayor said, in his own closing, “I like what I’ve heard from the two ladies, I wish the two ladies luck. And I’m gonna wish that they don’t bring us like Jeanerette.” 

Jeanerette’s mayor, Aprill Foulcard, is a black woman. The comment drew a stray chuckle and widespread gasps of shock and condemnation. 

“Can’t be any worse than you!” several people shouted. “Disrespectful!” said another.

District 1 Councilman Mike Fuselier opened his remarks beside challenger Dean Resweber Wednesday night with a quote from Ronald Reagan and a literal Bible thumping. 

“Every decision I make in life at home or at city council I consult this book,” he said, thumping a large Bible he had placed before him. 

In District 2, incumbent Craig Prosper faced a challenge from Lance Laviolette, who said he is focused on bringing needed accountability to city government. 

District 3 Councilman Denis Paul Williams faced challenger Mourice Smith, who highlighted what he called ignored drainage issues among his district’s biggest problems.

With Deborah Landry not running, the District 4 seat is being contested by Juma Johnson, who also spoke of flooding and drainage issues in that district; Nary Smith Sr., a retired police officer, who also spoke of inequities in the allocation of city resources; and Janise Anthony, who added to those concerns a need for “a new vision” for the city. 

District 5 Councilman Edmond Joseph is the only candidate running unopposed in the city’s elections, which culminate on Saturday,. Early voting ended two days ago.