New Map Divides Parish Again
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
A new U.S. Congressional map for St. Landry – at least until the next federal lawsuit is decided – has been approved by Louisiana lawmakers, a configuration that appears to slice through the heart of the parish.
The northern part of the parish in addition to portions of the Port Barre area and all of Washington, Melville, Palmetto and Morrow will seemingly be represented by whoever is elected in Congressional District 5,
Congressman Clay Higgins, a former parish sheriff’s deputy, will represent the rest of the parish, according to a redrawn map approved by the Louisiana House and Senate and signed by Gov. Jeff Landry.
The final Congressional map, which will apparently soon be challenged in the courts by multiple plaintiffs, moves most of St. Landry out of District 6, which was previously represented by Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge and Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport.
Three weeks ago, St. Landry was in a different position, as the original map drawn in the Louisiana House had the parish carved into three districts.
An amended House map version put the entire parish in one district, but the Senate deliberations moved St. Landry into two boundaries signed by Landry on Friday.
St. Landry Now.com contacted District 40 representative Dustin Miller, parish president Jessie Bellard and Washington Mayor Dwight Landreneau on Saturday to discuss the map configuration.
Help with deciphering the parish precincts for each district came with the assistance of parish council member Harold Taylor.
Miller was less than ecstatic about the new configuration.
“(The map) weakens our parish representation. I voted against this bill for many reasons…representation matters,” Miller indicated in a Saturday text statement,
“For the first time in many years, St. Landry Parish will have four Congressional earmarks being funded this year, including funding for major water renovations in Melville, airport funding, and a bridge in Opelousas. We will continue to advocate for our share of federal dollars, but now we must see who will be our next Congressional leaders,” Miller wrote.
All of Opelousas, according to the precinct map, seems assigned to District 3 now represented by Higgins, R-Lafayette.
It also appears due to the precinct map provided by Miller, that part of District 5 moves north and east of La. 742 and continues along the OG Track road just north of Port Barre, which should be in District 3.
Bellard said he is comfortable with the boundaries, while Higgins wondered in a statement on Friday if the entire Senate map was similar to a Frankenstein-type of creation.
“I’m glad that since we got divided, that we’re put in with Higgins. He’s been helpful and we’ve worked with him on things before, Miller said on Saturday.
Bellard added that he regrets losing Fields, whose District 6 will be now assigned to Pointe Coupee and Livingston parishes.
St. Landry, with assistance from Fields, is destined to receive about $1.8 in federal funding for drainage, airport upgrade and sports complex revenues, said Bellard.
The parish is also scheduled to receive about the same amount from U.S. senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, Bellard pointed out.
