St. Martinville mayor hopes to retain seat as four other candidates seek job

Of the five candidates running for St. Martinville's mayor, part one will introduce the two women in the race.

ST. MARTINVILLE, La (KLFY) -- We are your local election headquarters, and in St. Martinville, five candidates are on the ballot for the city's top seat.

Of the five candidates running for St. Martinville's mayor, part one will introduce the two women in the race. One is the incumbent mayor the other is the daughter of former mayor Thomas Nelson.

"I'm not using his time as mayor to promote myself because I want to promote me," candidate Lisa Nelson told News 10.

Mayor Melinda Mitchell communicated, "The experience I've gained, some of which I suffered, that's what makes me an asset to the city."

Between these two candidates is plenty of experience. Mayor Melinda Mitchell says her four years in office have brought over $800,000 in state grants to the city, but many things she hoped to finish could not happen this term.

Mitchell stated, "There's so much more to be done. I haven't started the four years. There are a lot of pending projects that I would like to see moved forward and passed as the Mayor of St. Martinville. Unfortunately with four years of COVID just making things stagnate that's pretty much like we lost two years."

While Mitchell prides her connections made through multiple state government agencies and her time as mayor, Lisa Nelson touts 13 years of St. Martin Parish council experience bringing almost 15 million to her district. After reaching term limits, she went on to serve in the Police Jury Association of Louisiana eventually becoming president and now treasurer.

"I watched from the sideline for a few years. I became concerned about the direction that the city was going in," Nelson admitted. "I want to stay here and invest in my city that I live in. People ask why don't you run for a state office? I'm not interested in a state office. I want to stay here right at home."

You can learn more about Mayor Melinda Mitchell's platform here. Candidate Lisa Nelson provided this brochure in lieu of a website.