Lafayette Parish School Board gets shaken up after election

Former Lafayette Parish School Board President Mary Morrison lost her reelection bid Saturday night to a former Acadiana High School principal.

David LeJeune, a Republican, defeated Morrison 72% to 28% (3,938 votes to 1,556) to win the seat for District 1, which covers much of the Duson and Scott areas. Morrison was first elected in 2014 and was seeking her third term. She was also the first Black woman to serve as the board’s president.

LeJeune was a longtime educator and served as the principal for Acadiana High School before retiring in 2021.

Five other new board members won seats during Saturday’s election, and three current members are returning for another term.

Republican Chad Desormeaux won the District 2 seat, which is currently held by outgoing Lafayette Parish School Board President Tommy Angelle, defeating Democrat Stasia Herbert-McZeal 69% to 31% (3,946 votes to 1,754). The district is located in the northernmost part of the parish including Carencro.

Desormeaux, who worked in the oilfield for many years before taking a job that allowed him to be at home more, is from Carencro. He’s been involved with activities like coaching youth sports and Love Our Schools.

Democrat Joshua Edmond won the seat for District 3, defeating fellow Democrat Emilie Lewis Duhon 57% to 43% (2,150 votes to 1,631).

District 3 is one of the school board’s two majority-Black districts, including much of the northwest part of the City of Lafayette and the northern part of Scott. The seat is currently held by Elroy Broussard, who ran for a parish council seat.

Edmond is a Carencro High School graduate and is the maintenance supervisor for UL Lafayette’s Office of Facility Maintenance. He’s also a member of the Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee and involved with the 100 Black Men of Lafayette.

Democrat Amy Trahan won a close race for the board’s District 4 seat, defeating Democrat Michelle Living 51% to 49% (2,436 votes to 2,378). District 4 is one of the school board’s majority-Black seats, covering much of the north and east parts of the City of Lafayette. The seat is currently held by Tehmi Chassion, who is running for a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives

Trahan, a graduate of Acadiana High School, is the assistant dean of finance and administration at the LSU Graduate School. She’s been involved with local groups such as C.R.E.O.L.E. Inc. and the African American Heritage Foundation.

Republican Roddy Bergeron defeated Sam Taulli Jr., an independent, 62% to 38% (4,448 votes to 2,756) for the District 6 seat. District 6 includes much of the center of Lafayette Parish and is currently represented by Justin Centanni, who was running for Lafayette Parish Assessor.

Bergeron is the chief information security officer at Enterprise Data Concepts. In the past, Bergeron has served as the president of the 705 young leaders organization and won a Top 20 Under 40 award in 2018 for his work mentoring students at Willow Charter Academy.

Republican Jeremy Hidalgo will return to his old seat in District 9 after defeating fellow Republicans Linton Broussard, Jr. and Brandon Rodrigue, receiving 54% of the vote (3,308 votes). District 9 is the school board’s southernmost district and includes much of the Youngsville area. The seat is currently held by former Lafayette Parish School System Superintendent Donald Aguillard.

Hidalgo formerly represented the South Lafayette area on the school board from 2015 to 2019. He ran for a parish council seat in 2019 but was defeated by Josh Carlson in a close runoff race. Hidalgo is a graduate of Comeaux High School, a small business owner and volunteers with groups like the Youngsville Chamber of Commerce and the Youngsville Lions Club.

District 7 member Kate Bailey Labue, a Republican, retained her seat after defeating Republican challenger Grant Quinlan. District 8’s Hannah Smith Mason, a Republican, also held on to her seat, holding off Republican Holly Sanders. District 5 board member Britt Latiolais was uncontested.

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: See who will be the new members on the Lafayette Parish School Board