ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- A new chapter has officially begun here in St. Landry parish, as elected officials were inaugurated to begin their new term.

While some are beginning their second terms, such as Parish President Jessie Bellard and clerk of court Charles Jagneaux, members of the parish council such as District 1 Councilman Jody White are excited to begin their journey in office.

"It takes a lot of time to prepare for all this, now we're just ready to get back to work and make some things happen," said Bellard.

Members of the community gathered at the Delta Grand Theater to watch as elected officials began their new terms in office.

"Today means a new start. After working in law enforcement and being a public servant for 25 years, this was just another step in another direction," said White. "Instead of law enforcement, now I'm in the governmental aspect of it, and it's all in reference to serving the people and helping my parish."

Today's inauguration also put an emphasis on team effort with all 13 parish council members in attendance as Bellard spoke about the importance of working together, leading to enthusiasm from residents like Joey Richard.

"They're already off to a great start, so if they can continue that progress and working together, I feel we will continue moving forward," said Richard.

"We all have to work together. And if we don't work together, we'll never get this parish moving forward," said Bellard. "Even though we don't always agree on how to get there, the end goal is to make it happen."

With the inauguration now complete, the first order of business is conducting a team meeting with all elected officials to set the goals for the next four years.

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