Opelousas alderman resigns, withdraws from election after questions about his residence

Floyd Ford chose to resign as an incumbent Opelousas alderman before the start of a state district court proceeding Monday and also withdrew as a candidate in the upcoming Dec. 10 runoff election, according to St. Landry Parish District Attorney Chad Pitre.

The decision by Ford to discontinue his candidacy enables Delita Rubin Broussard, who was scheduled to oppose Ford in the runoff, to represent District B on the Board of Aldermen, said Clerk of Court Charles Jagneaux.

Broussard led Ford by 44 votes in the Nov. 6 election which featured two other candidates.

Ford and defense attorney Pride Doran were in court before District Judge Greg Doucet on Monday to determine whether Ford has met the residency requirements according to state law for representing District B, Pitre said.

No testimony occurred as part of the court proceeding.

Attempts to reach Ford by either telephone or text message on Monday night were unsuccessful.

Early voting which began on Saturday, included the District B runoff election on the ballot.

Jagneaux said on Tuesday that the names of Ford and Broussard will remain on the ballot, but votes for either of them will not be counted.

In an Oct. 31 written opinion obtained by the Daily World, Pitre said that following an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office that it was apparent that Ford did not qualify to hold office as a member of the Board of Aldermen.

Pitre wrote in his opinion that Ford “did not meet and has not met the continuing dual obligation to be domiciled and actually reside within the city,” which Pitre added, is a state law requirement for municipalities who operate under the Lawrason Act.

In his opinion, Pitre also indicated that he received a written complaint from Broussard on Oct. 12, which alleged that Ford did not live in the City of Opelousas for at least a year when Ford was elected to represent District B in 2018 and since then Ford has continued to live outside the city limits at a Meadow Run address.

State law according to the opinion, requires that individuals must live within their election districts to hold office and be domiciled inside the election districts for at least the preceding year in a municipality.

The state election code requires additionally that a public office can be declared vacant when a member of the Board of Aldermen no longer meets the residency and domicile requirements of the office, Pitre wrote in the opinion.

Pitre said in the opinion that he intended to file a lawsuit in district court, saying Ford’s position on the Board of Aldermen should be declared vacant.

Ford, according to the opinion, has claimed that he resides and is domiciled at 833 Planters Street, which is located within District B in Opelousas.

During the July candidate qualifying for District B, Ford filed information with the Louisiana Secretary of State in which Ford listed his residence as 833 Planters Street.

“It is important to note that our investigation has determined that the residence located at the 833 Planters Street address appears to be a type of women’s group home,” the opinion said.

Pitre said the investigation also determined that neighbors had stated that Ford does not live at the Planters Street address and lives on Meadow Run.

Also Pitre wrote in the opinion that Ford has claimed his homestead exemption for the Meadow Run residence, which Pitre added, is located outside the municipal limits of Opelousas and District B.

Also Pitre said results of the investigation that Ford has listed Meadow Run in Opelousas as his address on Ford’s official Louisiana driver’s license.

Ford has also listed the Meadow Run address with the Louisiana Secretary of State as the address for five different business ventures operated by Ford.

In October Ford was one of two recipients who received a 2022 Opelousas Preservationist of the Year Award from the city tourism and Main Street development program for the exterior and interior restorations of two homes located on South Main Street.

This article originally appeared on Opelousas Daily World: Opelousas alderman withdraws from election after residency questions