Rayne officials take oaths of office

A  new city administration, headed by Charles “Chuck” Robichaux, will officially assume control of Rayne’s city government on January 1, after repeating their oaths of office on Monday, Dec. 29.
City Judge Jim Cunningham administered the oaths during ceremonies in the Civic Center’s Ballroom.
City Marshal Alex “Joe” Lacroix was unable to attend the swearing in ceremony due to an illness. He will take his oath of office later.
The ceremony opened with an invocation by Father Richard Wagner, S.S.J.
Payton Broussard then sang the “Star Spangled Banner”
Parish Assessor James “Jimbo” Petitjean, former Rayne mayor, served as the evening master of ceremonies and shares personal comments as he invited each elected official to join Judge Cunningham on the stage.
Each newly sworn in city official offered their own comments after repeating their oaths.
After taking his oath of office Mayor Robichaux spoke of his vision for the city. He said he would strive to re-establish Rayne and “advertise for our community.”
He described how he learned the needs of the community during his campaign.
He cited efforts to clear ditches throughout the city was a major priority for him, noting drainage was mentioned as a major problem by residents.
He said the city would purchase or rent  ditch-clearing machinery and it would be utilized and assigned on a weekly rotation through each district.
He said he would actively pursue new businesses to encourage people to come back to Rayne.
“Everyone here is equal,” said Robichaux as he vowed to create a positive impression for the city.
Noting the willingness of past mayors and council members to serve the community, Robichaux asked his Civic Center audience to “thank all past elected officials for their service.”
Robichaux announced he had discussed the drug problem with Chief Stelly and would work diligently to clean up blighted areas in the city,
Carroll Stelly was the first to repeat his oath. He thanked his wife and the citizens for re-electing him to a third term and said his number one priority continued to be to make Rayne safe for its residents.
He was followed by each of the City Council members who, in turn, thanked family for their support and vowed to do their best for their individual districts and the entire city.
The ceremony closed with a benediction offered by Rev. Cozy Gage.
The first meeting of the new Council and Mayor will be on Monday, Jan. 12.