Jones gets Patterson magistrate appointment

PATTERSON — The city lost a longtime mayor’s court magistrate when J.P. Morella died Christmas Day. A lawyer with long experience defending people who can’t afford a lawyer will take his place.
The city council approved Mayor Rodney Grogan’s appointment of attorney Edward Bernard Jones as magistrate at Tuesday’s meeting.
Morella was appointed to four-year terms as magistrate in Patterson and Berwick for more than three decades. In a Daily Review story on Morella’s death, Grogan called him “an awesome magistrate.”
“It’s unfortunate that J.P. Morella left us,” Jones told the council Tuesday.
Grogan praised Jones and said he was impressed by discussions with the prospective appointee.
“If someone can’t pay a fine, we will have community service,” Grogan said. “We will make sure a defendant doesn’t live off the taxpayers’ dollars without some service.”
Jones spoke to the council briefly after his appointment was confirmed.
“We’re in the business of serving the people and not a particular interest,” Jones said. “That’s what I’m praying for.”
The mayor’s court at which the magistrate presides handles traffic and some misdemeanor cases.
Jones, a Patterson native, received his law degree at Southern University and has practiced since 1997.
He served more than 15 years with the 16th Judicial District Indigent Defenders Office, which serves St. Mary, Iberia and St. Martin, and now works part-time with the indigent defender program in the 23rd Judicial District, which covers Assumption, Ascension and St. James.
Also Tuesday, the council:
—Heard Grogan say a trash pickup fee increase of 62 cents, based on the Consumer Price Index, will be imposed by Pelican Waste & Debris. The increase will raise the monthly charge to $16.71.
—Granted permission for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march on Monday, the holiday in honor of the martyred civil rights leader. The march will begin after the 9:30 a.m. service at St. Luke Baptist Church, 1709 Harry St.
—Heard Grogan ask residents to take precautions against another blast of cold weather. The forecast is for a low of 32 degrees Saturday morning and 30 degrees Sunday morning.
The mayor said residents with broken pipes should call a plumber immediately.
“We will work with you on the bill,” Grogan said.