Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

After what seemed to be a "bizarre and unique" election season for local offices, the last remaining race for a local office has been settled. The question of who would occupy the fifth and final seat (Dist.4) on the Monroe City Council was won by Carday Marshall, Sr. Saturday (Aug.15) in a runoff between Marshall and challenger Jesse Smith. Marshall won with 52% of the vote while Smith garnered 48%. A total of 571 votes were cast in the District 4 contest, which is considered a low turnout. Perhaps it was "voter fatigue", in that the interest of the voters may have been on other matters, COVID-19 being one of them. Or perhaps voters would be just as satisfied with either candidate, no matter who won. But now the wait is over, as Marshall will soon join his waiting colleagues as he gets ready to represent his constituents in District 4. Marshall is replacing Kenneth Wilson who stepped down after serving two terms on the city council. However, Wilson is expected to continue to be involved in various community endeavors through his PEEP organization.

The City of Monroe has gone through a metamorphosis of changes in its governmental structure since the beginning of 2020. Eugene Ellis retired as police chief and was replaced by Executive Officer Reggie Brown in the interim. By then candidates were lining up for city council and the mayoral race. Mike Echols(dist.1)left to become a state representative, while his successor Doug Harvey won the council seat without opposition. He would be seated on the city council soon after. Former mayor, Jamie Mayo was preparing to run for another term, but by then the coronavirus started to get the nation's attention. It wouldn't take long before many political activities were curtailed or scaled back, but the campaigning continued, though it was low key. Then came the one of the biggest political upsets in Northeast Louisiana when "Friday" Ellis defeated Mayo, ending almost twenty years as mayor of Monroe. Incumbents councilwomen Juanita Woods(dist.3) and Gretchen Ezernack(dist.2) won their respective seats, while Kema Dawson would become District 5 newest representative, replacing long time councilman Eddie Clark, who like Wilson stepped down. Marshall's win on Saturday will put in place new faces in Monroe politics with Woods and Ezernack adding experience to ensure a smooth transition for the next four years. Ellis, as mayor is learning his way around, but the honeymoon is over, as the city prepares to be the "city of hope" that the mayor says that it could be. One of those hopes has to be police accountability enforced by Mayor Ellis (along with the chief, if not Eugene Ellis) if he expects that Monroe not be seen as "two cities" anymore. Eugene Ellis is back at the helm of MPD, replacing the man who replaced him. Strange metamorphosis. People are starting to return to city council meetings in greater numbers even though COVID-19 is still with us, as all eyes are on Monroe and where the city goes from here.