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Opelousas swearing-in ceremony set for this afternoon

Posted at 12:27 PM, Jan 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-06 13:27:24-05

The new mayor and police chief for the City of Opelousas will be sworn in this afternoon.

The event begins at 3 p.m. at the Civic Center.

Mayor Julius Alsandor was an alderman when he decided to run for mayor against incumbent Reggie Tatum and several others. Tatum is facing felony charges in state court; his trial is set for March.

Alsandor told us earlier this week that he wants to change the citizens’ feelings about the city’s government; he said his first priority is to unify the government and the people.

Similar to the mayor, Police Chief Martin McLendon said the first thing he wants to do is build trust within the community.

McLendon said he hopes to give officers a raise and recruit more employees, and get the city jail re-opened; it was closed down by the health department last year.

To see our story about their plans, click here.