Fontenot comfortably re-elected to District 4 council seat

District 4 Councilman James Fontenot was easily elected to a second term Tuesday, getting 65 percent of the vote and defeating challenger Tommy Minton, who got 35 percent of the vote, according to complete but unofficial results.
Fontenot received 760 votes to Minton’s 415 votes.
The district includes almost all of Auburn Subdivision, Lake End Park, areas by Morgan City High School and Teche Regional Medical Center, Cypress Gardens Subdivision, a few streets in Lakeside Subdivision and several other areas.
Fontenot is director of probation services for the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He has worked for the district attorney’s office for almost 20 years.
Minton is head football coach at Central Catholic High School and also a physical education teacher. He has been an educator and coach for 31 years.
Fontenot was extremely humbled seeing that voters in the district recognized the hard work he’s put in and that they gave him another chance to continue to work for them, he said.
“It means the world,” Fontenot said.
Minton congratulated Fontenot for winning and thanked his supporters. Minton hopes the city can “move in the right direction and prosper,” he said.
This council race was Minton’s first time to seek political office. Minton said he ran because he wanted to give back to the community he lives in.
Fontenot is focused on continuing to improve infrastructure in the city, including roads, and fostering more economic development, he said.
“We need residential development,” Fontenot said.
Developing property by Lake Palourde will bring more housing for the city, Fontenot said. With the down economy, it may be awhile before that property is developed, but city officials first need to focus on making sure the levees are raised to provide for that development, he said.
The project to improve the city’s riverfront wharf is also huge for the city, and Fontenot hopes renovations will be complete by February.