Election season approaches in St. Mary

Raymond Harris succeeded Sam Jones as Franklin mayor in 2004. Now Harris hopes to follow Jones again, this time as state representative.
That race for the District 50 House seat will be on a packed primary ballot Oct. 12, when St. Mary voters will also help choose statewide office-holders, members of the parish executive branch and Parish Council members.
Candidates will qualify for the October election Aug. 6-8. Runoffs would be Nov. 16.
Jones, a Democrat, has served the maximum three consecutive four-year House terms, building a good reputation among local officials for helping St. Mary communities get what they need from Baton Rouge.
Harris, who left the Franklin mayor’s office in 2018 after 13-1/2 years, says he hopes to focus on drainage and flood control as well as economic development.
“In particular we need to continue to work on infrastructure,” Harris said.
He has a primary opponent in Javon Charles of Bayou Vista, a part-time Patterson police officer and former Sheriff’s Office employee who has also served on a parish drainage board. Charles was recently named a Role Model by the Community Foundation of Acadiana.
“You should try to better your community,” Charles said. “Someone has to step up.”
He also cites drainage and flood control as a priority, especially in the Stephensville and Belle River areas. And Charles emphasizes the need for economic diversification in St. Mary.
Both men are running as independents.
Patterson Mayor Rodney Grogan considered a run for the office but decided against it when his grandson was born 11 months ago. Now, Grogan said, he wants to be there for his daughter.
“Also, too many of my mayoral colleagues have advised I can do much more locally than at the state level,” Grogan said in an email. “The same comment was also made to me a year or two ago by current state Rep. Sam Jones.”
State Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, is also up for re-election. He chairs a coastal restoration committee and is vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
The ballot will also include state Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, whose 51st District stretches west into Morgan City and Amelia. She’s completing her first term.
Both Sheriff Blaise Smith and Coroner Eric Melancon will be up for election after winning races to fill unexpired terms last fall.
Smith has a law enforcement career dating back to 1971 and includes time as head of the Charenton tribal police force. He beat a five-candidate field last fall to fill the unexpired term of Mark Hebert, who resigned because of a family health crisis.
Smith has a challenger in Todd Pellerin of Verdunville, who wins this year’s contest for earliest and most prominent campaign signs. Pellerin has served on the Franklin police force, in the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and with the Louisiana State Police.
The posts of Assessor Jarrod Longman and Clerk of Court Cliff Dressel will be on the ballot, along with that of Parish President David Hanagriff.
Term limits will also make a big impact on the Parish Council, which will have a big turnover heading into 2020.