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The seat for Terrebonne Parish Council District 9 is still undecided.
When the polls closed on Oct. 12, incumbent Steve Trosclair (R) fell just short of attaining 50 percent of the vote, forcing him into a runoff with challenger Wallace Ellender III (R), who received 30 percent of the vote and was a supporter of Trosclair.
A former Trosclair supporter, Ellender says District 9 is being ignored
“I supported my current opponent four years ago, and because of my observation and dozens of people who’ve come up to me very dissatisfied with his performance on the council, I decided to run,” Ellender said. “I would rather not run to be honest, but I just see that the people of District 9 are totally being ignored.”
Ellender said it is “ironic” that maintenance projects started showing up 3 years and 10 months into Trosclair’s tenure. People have suggested to him it’s because of election points, he said.
Graduating from LSU with a bachelor’s in agricultural economics, Ellender is a 5th generation farmer and President of Ellender Farms.
“A lot of the stuff on the farm is very similar to what we have in the parish, drainage,” he said. “The parish needs to spend more money on drainage. We’re spending money on these big high-dollar projects, but I don’t see how the water is getting to some of these projects. It’s kind of discouraging. You can almost walk across Bayou Terrebonne in front of my house…”
He’s hearing the same complaints from many District 9 constituents, Ellender said. He said he has called Trosclair on these issues, but he hasn’t really been returning his calls. Other people are in the “same boat,” he said.
“We’re from south of the Intracoastal; a lot of the people down here feel like all of our tax dollars are going across the ditch and not coming back. I want to put a stop to that,” Ellender said. “I think we should have a representative voice for this area. Whoever is elected councilman needs to represent his constituents for the entire term, not just the last three months of the term.”
Trosclair aims to complete more projects, keep the parish moving forward
A life-long resident of Terrebonne Parish and over 30-year business owner, Trosclair was elected to the council four years ago.
For his first term, the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government has projects completed or under construction such as the Texas Gulf Pump Station, Country Drive Widening Project, Coastal and Barrier Island Restoration and Construction of Bayou Terrebonne Locks, among others.
“I can’t take credit for it directly because we work as a council, but I’m proud of the fact that we have as many projects geared towards drainage and flood protection,” Trosclair said. “That’s the biggest accomplishment that we as council and the administration have accomplished.”
If reelected, the incumbent said he wants the make sure the projects that are currently in planning or under construction come to fruition.
“There have been many projects completed, under construction or in planning in the last 4 years. We need to continue moving these projects forward,” reads a statement on Trosclair’s Facebook campaign page. “I have proven that I have the ability to work with administration, other government agencies, contractors, state agencies, etc. I humbly ask for your support and vote so that I can continue working to help keeping Terrebonne Parish moving forward.”
Election Day is Nov. 16. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
