Four candidates are seeking election to the District 5 seat on the new Lafayette City Council: Janet Jackson and Glenn Lazard are listed as Democrats; Lionel Rodriguez is listed as an Independent; Aaron "The Fixer" Staten is listed as No Party.
Lafayette voters decided last year to de-consolidate the Lafayette City-Parish Council. Now everyone in the parish will vote on a new parish council member, and people living in the city limits will vote on both a parish council member and a city council member. If you want to know what districts you are in, check your ballot by clicking here.
f you want to see a map of the districts, CLICK HERE: https://lcg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=668d0511de2b490cb3143376b9738bf8
janet Jackson
Link to Janet Jackson's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/votejackson5/
Background:
- Wife, mother, grandmother
- Master’s degree in Human Service Counseling, Liberty
- Former Correctional Officer in Alabama, where she served on community boards to establish neighborhood projects for the youth. Janet has a passion for seeing former inmates restored and returned successfully to their families and communities
- Director of XHouse, a neighborhood outreach to the youth and their families in District 5
- Women of Excellence Award (2017) for excellence in leadership and community service in Lafayette
- Jamal Smiles Award (2018) for providing a safe place for mentorship
- State Prayer/Action Chapter Leader for Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Louisiana
- Member of Engaged Citizens of Acadiana, a community group founded to address public policy that affects the people of Acadiana
- As a Foreign Exchange Trading coach and an ordained apostle, she has led several women’s empowerment groups throughout the area.
Plan of Action:
- Address drainage – not only in our streets but of District 5 funds into other districts
- Fight for funding of roads & infrastructure in District 5
- Work with law enforcement to improve public safety and reduce crime in North Lafayette and downtown
- Build bridges between police and community
- Take advantage of Opportunity Zones to attract business to District 5
- Address the real needs of citizens, not just those that get the most publicity
- Continue to serve, mentor, heal and strengthen fellow community members
- Be accessible to constituents, return calls, listen and lead!
(https://www.votejanetjackson.com)
Glenn Lazard
Link to Glenn Lazard's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Vote-Glenn-Lazard-113052960095931/
Glenn is a long-term resident of the district who is married to Elaine Boyd Lazard, a retired educator, according to his website. His goals upon taking office will be insuring a smooth transition in the change of government, economic development throughout the entire district, infrastructure improvements, including the Evangeline Thruway corridor, and ensuring that everyone has equal access to public services.
Glenn is a veteran of the United States Army and has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (then USL), and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Southern University Law Center / Baton Rouge. He is a member of and holds leadership positions in several legal organizations that are very actively involved in providing free legal education and assistance to residents of our community.
He has previously served on the Board of Directors of several community non-profit organizations including SMILE Community Action Agency (8 years, board chair for 2 years) and Lafayette Neighborhoods’ Economic Development Corporation. He is a public school volunteer and previously served as the volunteer trial advocacy coach at Northside High School for 6 years. He is a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church where he is a member of the Knights of Peter Claver, Eucharistic minister. He is also , actively involved with the Senior Citizens Thanksgiving Holiday appreciation event held annually at the Martin Luther King Center since its inception over 20 years ago, and the annual city wide Easter egg hunt held the Saturday before Easter in Heyman Park for the past 12 years.
He has received numerous awards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Men of Excellence, and the Trailblazer award from the Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce.
Lionel Rodriguez
Link to Lionel Rodriguez's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Lionel-for-District-5-100293471334202/
Background:
My name is Lionel Rodriguez. I am 57 years old. I have two grown children. I graduated from Northside High and received my business degree from USL. I am also a graduate of Leadership Lafayette Class XVII. I am running as an
Independent for City Council District 5. I have been in the Mortgage business for the past 34 years.
Why did you decide to run for office:
My decision to run was based on the passion I have for the Northside. I feel I have the leadership, ideas and vision that will make a true difference in a short period of time.
What will be your priority project if elected:
My priority will be the economy of the Northside and Downtown. I will support the current businesses that have invested in District 5 and will work hard to support recruitment of companies and industries that recognize the value of the Northside and Downtown. With a better economy our crime rates will go down, schools will get better and housing will flourish.
What sets you apart from the other candidates:
I believe my thirty four years of entrepreneurial and business experience is what sets me apart. In addition, I have worked most of my entire career downtown, I live downtown and grew up on the Northside. All located in City Council District 5. I think I am uniquely qualified in relating to the people of district 5 and the issues we face.
Aaron Staten
Link to Aaron Staten's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/geauxvotestaten/
Background:
Aaron "The Fixer" Staten; a defender of the community and all people. My background is in non-profits, technology, and community activism. I was born and raised in District 5 in the Veazey neighborhood and have been a vocal activist in the community since I was a teen. I've taken part in many community-centered projects including: non-profit radio, housing, and technological needs of the community. I attended Woodvale Elementary, L.J. Alleman Middle, Northside High, & LTC (Louisiana Technical College Lafayette) as well as SLCC.
Why did you decide to run for office:
I want to run for office to fix issues faced in District 5 such as: public safety (gun violence), blighted decaying properties, low to no economic development (economic loss/disparity), and to find solutions to create high paying jobs on the Northside.
What will be your priority project if elected:
The most important issues that I want to tackle are the exact reasons why I decided to run for office: public safety (crime and gun violence), economic and opportunity disparity or the lack there-of.
What sets you apart from the other candidates:
I am the only candidate born and raised in District 5. I do not accept any money from special interest, businesses, nor PACs. I am a strong fighter for my community and I firmly stand against corruption. I also committed to representing all people regardless of party affiliation, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. My campaign was ran using grassroots methodology. I also intend to not accept any pay raises on the council; not raise taxes unless taxpayers majoritively desire; and I will never sellout myself or my community to special interests.
