Parish Council interviews registrar applicants

FRANKLIN — The St. Mary Parish Council interviewed candidates for registrar of voters in a lengthy closed-door session Wednesday night at the Parish Courthouse.
The council will make its choice at its regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 13, also at the courthouse.
Members will choose a successor for Jolene Holcombe, who retired Aug. 6 after working in the Registrar of Voters Office for 47 years and serving as registrar for 23 years.
The applicants for the registrar’s post are:
—Byron J. Stelly, Holcombe’s assistant who is serving as interim registrar.
—Marristene L. Phillips
—Christine B. Lemoine
—Raymond Harris, Jr.
Council members decided to develop questions in advance of Wednesday’s interviews.
When she announced her retirement, Holcombe said her successor would face a variety of challenges.
Those challenges include redistricting based on the 2020 Census, changes in voting laws and new voting equipment.
Holcombe also warned about “the hostile political atmosphere that pervades our country.”