Darnell announces candidacy for Patterson council seat

NOTE: The Daily Review accepted candidate announcements until Oct. 1. Announcements submitted now will be referred to the advertising department. Announcements may be emailed to news@daily-review.com or delivered to the newspaper office at 1014 Front St., Morgan City. Announcements are subject to editing.
The announcement for Travis “T.D.” Darnell follows.
Fellow citizens, my name is Travis “T.D.” Darnell, and I’m seeking election to the Patterson City Council. I am a lifelong resident of Patterson. I am a graduate of Patterson High School and Nicholls State University with a bachelor’s of science in social services and a master’s of arts in psychological counseling.
I am engaged to Latoya Johnson and we have a three-year-old daughter, Zion Darnell, who attends Immanuel Christian School. I am a member of Zion Chapel Methodist Church in Patterson and I serve as a youth mentor in a number of organizations. I am entering my second year in the teaching profession at Patterson Junior High School where I teach Louisiana history. In my first year at Patterson Junior High School, I scored a 3.5 (highly effective) in overall student growth, according to the Louisiana Department of Education.
I believe that holding a political office is about the atmosphere a person breeds or generates regularly that continually adheres to the advancement of a community’s development. It’s not about political campaigning for a couple of months then forgetting promises; holding a political position requires toughness, understanding, compassion and one must be able to compromise.
Although I am young, I share many of the same life experiences as everyone else in the City of Patterson. It is my duty as a native of Patterson to give back by enhancing our community with the knowledge I have acquired throughout my studies. We, the citizens of Patterson, will together create an environment that encourages thinking and the exchange of healthy dialogue.
The City of Patterson is making great progress in improving the city for its residents. My platform is the youth. I believe by building stronger family structures and providing the youth of the city with progressive opportunities, our city will continue to grow. I firmly believe in the old saying, “charity extends beyond the grave” and that’s what I stand for.
I want to develop a strong working relationship with the mayor, city council members, and other departments that provide their services to Patterson. More importantly, I want to develop strong relationships with every citizen in Patterson. As the old saying goes, “the power lies within the people.” Together we can continue to improve education, infrastructure and economics in our great city.
I will not make empty promises, however, I promise to always make myself available to every citizen in Patterson. With the help of God and the citizens of Patterson, I will continue to make wholesome choices for our town.
Information for the Nov. 4, Dec. 6 elections
The qualifying period was Aug. 20, 21 and 22.
Early voting is Oct. 21-28 (except Sunday) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the Nov. 4 primary election.
Early voting for the Dec. 6 general election is Nov. 22-29 (except Sunday) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Elections on the St. Mary Parish ballot include U.S. senator, U.S. representative, court of appeal judge, district judges, district attorney, school board member, justice of the peace, constables; Morgan City city court judge, Morgan City city court marshal; Patterson mayor, Patterson chief of police, Patterson council; Berwick mayor, Berwick council; Franklin city court judge, Franklin city court marshal; and Baldwin mayor, Baldwin chief of police and Baldwin aldermen.