Council names Stelly to be new registrar of voters

FRANKLIN -- St. Mary Parish has a new registrar of voters.

Byron Stelly, who was the chief assistant to retired Registrar Jolene Holcombe, was appointed to the top job Wednesday by the St. Mary Parish Council.

Holcombe retired in August after 23 years as registrar and more than four decades working in the registrar's office. Holcombe had recommended Stelly to the council as her successor.

Stelly, of Franklin, was one of four applicants interviewed by council members in a closed-door session Oct. 6.

He has worked in the Registrar of Voters Office for 2-1/2 years. He has a degree in political science from LSU and is working on a graduate certificate in election administration from Auburn.

The other applicants were Marristene L. Phillips, Christine B. Lemoine and Raymond Harris Jr.

Six council votes were required to win the appointment. The council was prepared to narrow the field with a preliminary vote and then make a pick from the final two.

But Stelly received eight votes in the first round from council members Leslie Rulf of Patterson; Scott Ramsey of Bayou Vista; Rodney Olander and J Ina of Franklin; Craig Mathews of Jeanerette; Mark Duhon of Amelia; and Kristi Prejeant Rink and James Bennett of Morgan City.

Gwendolyn Hidalgo of Bayou Vista and Patrick Hebert of Morgan City voted for Lemoine. Dan Adams of Morgan City voted for Harris.

The next step was to pass the resolution that serves as official notification to the Louisiana Secretary State's Office that Stelly has been named registrar. The resolution passed unanimously.

As registrar, Stelly will oversee the maintaining of the parish's registered voter rolls and oversee early voting.

"I'm excited to be afforded the opportunity," Stelly said after the meeting, "and I'm looking forward to working with the community and parish government to move the office forward."

Stelly took one step to resolve a recent controversy in the office by naming Terry Foulcard, a Franklin resident with roots in Morgan City, as his chief assistant.

Alfreida Edwards of Franklin came before the council in December to point out that no full-time African American employees worked in the Registrar of Voters Office even though 30% of the parish's population is black.

That led to an impassioned letter to the council in which Holcombe defended her record and noted that minorities were represented among election day poll workers.

By naming Foulcard, an African American woman, as his top aide, Stelly, who is white, put that controversy to rest for now.

Stelly has also had to deal with one wrench in election planning. He was acting registrar when Hurricane Ida led the secretary of state and the governor to postpone the election scheduled for Oct. 9.

The primary election for that date will now be Nov. 13.

Louisiana residents can register to vote in time for that election until Oct. 23 by using the GeauxVote app.

Early voting will be Oct. 30-Nov. 6, excluding Sunday, Oct. 31. St. Mary people may vote early 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m at either the Parish Courthouse in Franklin or the Registrar of Voters Office at 301 Third St., Morgan City.

Four state constitutional amendments and the renewal of an 11.82-mill property tax for the St. Mary Parish School Board are among the items on St. Mary's Nov. 13 ballot.