Clavier elected Parish Council chairman

Coby Clavier, who started his second term this month on the St. Landry Parish Council, was elected chairman at Wednesday’s meeting.
Clavier served as vice chairman in 2019 and as chairman of the Public Works Committee in 2016.
Clavier said his goals include conducting meetings in an orderly fashion, building unity and helping the Council achieve a balanced budget.
Clavier is manager at Coburn’s Supply in Eunice.
The new chairman faced his first test on the job when a vote came up for a seat on the St. Landry Parish Tourism Commission.
There was one seat on the Commission and two applicants — one from Eunice and the other from Opelousas.
A vacancy was created when Wil Giron Jr. of Opelousas resigned.
But a seat last year opened when Commission member Suzanne LaHaye, of Eunice, died. Her seat was filled by Sylvia Guidry-Brown, of Opelousas.
Brown is the wife of Parish Council member Dexter Brown.
The immediate past chairman, Jerry Brown, contended the open seat should be filled by someone from Opelousas since Giron was from Opelousas.
The vote at Wednesday meeting was between David Manuel, of Eunice, and Delita Rubin-Broussard, of Opelousas.
As the new chairman, Clavier said, “I want to say before we vote I will vote if necessary. We are trying to get a Eunice representative on this Board. We lost one due to the passing of a former member it would be nice to have Eunice represented back on that board.”
Red replied, “We have a Eunice representative on that board.”
Clavier said, “We have one currently, yes sir. We normally have two.”
When the voting reached Brown, Opelousas area Council member Wayne Ardoin said Brown should recuse himself citing Brown’s wife serving on the Commission.
Legal counsel Garrett Duplechain said since the applicant, Rubin-Broussard, is not a relative of Brown’s, Brown could vote.
Brown volunteered that the voting cease until an attorney general opinion, but Clavier determined the voting should continue.
The vote was 7-4 for Rubin-Broussard. Voting for Rubin-Broussard were Red, Easton Shelvin, Mildred Thierry, Vivian Olivier, Brown, Timmy Lejeune and Jimmie Edwards.
Voting for Manuel were Nancy Carriere, Harold Taylor, Gil Savoy and Ardoin.
Alvin Stelly did not vote.