First forum features judicial, School Board candidates

Candidates running for seats in three divisions of the 16th Judicial District Court and for St. Mary Parish School Board District 9 introduced themselves during a public forum Tuesday at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.
The forum, organized by the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce, is one of four across the parish designed for voters to get to know their candidates better.
Division A judge
In Division A of the 16th Judicial District Court, Anthony Thibodeaux and Dean Wattigny are seeking the seat of retiring judge Gerard B. Wattigny.
Thibodeaux, 55, is married with four children and one grandchild. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Louisiana Army National Guard and holds a juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center.
Thibodeaux said he is the only candidate who has tried criminal jury cases along with civil cases, having 24 years of courtroom experience.
“It’s an important historical election because we haven’t had an election for district judgeship in a very long time, and that is by design except for divisions G and H, we generally don’t have elections for judges. A few select politicians will meet and decide who’s going to be judges for the next six to 12 years. We call him the ‘anointed one’ and other lawyers are discouraged from running against him,” Thibodeaux said.
He called it a violation of the Louisiana Constitution.
“So, I’m the troublemaker in the 16th JDC. I’ve chosen to put an end to all this foolishness,” he added.
His opponent, Dean Wattigny, is married with three children and three grandchildren. He has been an attorney for 38 years representing governmental entities and litigating civil matters. He received his juris doctorate from Louisiana State University.
Wattigny said he has volunteered for numerous civic and religious organizations in Iberia Parish.
Speaking to the other candidates, Wattigny said, “all of you should be applauded for stepping up and stepping out and putting out to serve the public. We need good people running for office.”
He did not address Thibodeaux’s allegations.
Division G judge
In Division G, one of the two minority districts created in 1993, candidates Lucretia Pecantte, Curtis Sigur and “Tai” Porter-Green are vying for the seat of retiring Judge Charles L. Porter.
Pecantte was born in Jeanerette and lives in New Iberia. She is divorced and has two sons. Pecantte has 18 years of legal experience working in civil, criminal, family, juvenile and administrative law. She worked in the 16th Judicial District public defender’s office and now owns her own practice. She received her juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center.
She is a youth advocate and a former St. Mary Parish teacher.
“You want someone that can be fair, but most of all, you want a judge that can listen. Because when a judge is in that position, that judge has to discern what is the truth … You have to be very patient and understanding and listening to all individuals so you can be fair and impartial,” Pecantte said.
Sigur, 56, is a native of Franklin who resides in New Iberia with his wife. They have three children, two grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.
Sigur has 29 years of legal experience working both as a staff attorney for the public defender’s office and for the district attorney’s office. He has worked as legal advisor for the St. Mary Parish School Board as well. Sigur received his juris doctorate from Southern University School of Law.
He called himself “the complete candidate” because of his experience and promised to make defense attorneys do their jobs by being prepared to try their cases.
“A judge has to know how to handle post-conviction relief. When you’re selecting a jury, a judge must know the appropriate questions. A judge must know how many challenges … A judge must know what statements and what comments are appropriate during opening statements,” he said, explaining why his experience makes him a suitable candidate.
Porter-Green was unable to attend the function due to prior commitments. She sent a speaker, Shanice Etienne, on her behalf.
Porter-Green is married with three children. She has experience with personal injury and family law and works in the juvenile division of the District Attorney’s office in St. Martin Parish.
Division H judge
In Division H, 16th Judicial District Court, candidates are Carolyn Deal, incumbent Lori Landry and Alicia Johnson Butler.
Deal is a single mother and New Iberia lawyer who said law is her second career, having first taught in St. Martin and Iberia parishes.
She decided to “invest in herself and go to law school,” she said, adding that her goal as judge is to help young people before they are in the system.
She later earned her juris doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
Landry, an unmarried candidate, has held the Division H seat since 2002, and she served as chief judge of the 16th Judicial District in 2005 and 2012.
She is the founding and presiding judge of the St. Martin Parish Juvenile Drug Court. Her practice before the bench included work in poverty law, family law and as an assistant district attorney prosecuting sex crimes. She received her juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center.
“In G and H we get elected … The democratic process is alive and well and it lives in G, and I thank God for it. Because what it does is it brings you back to what is really important, who you’re really serving. The candidates talked about listening and patience, and they’re absolutely right. It requires all of that,” Landry said, adding “But when you hit the bench and you have 200 defendants on the docket … you’re looking for those lawyers to present that case quickly and efficiently because it is their responsibility to come prepared.”
Butler is a native and lifelong resident of New Iberia and is divorced with two children.
She received her juris doctorate from Southern University School of Law and works as a felony staff attorney for the public defender’s office. She has 15 years of law experience, previously working as a special education teacher in Iberia Parish and a federal correctional officer.
Butler said the seat she seeks “takes understanding people because the position is about people from all walks of life.”
Division 9 School Board
The Division 9 St. Mary Parish School Board seat is the only seat contested on the board. Candidates are Jeff Trimm and incumbent Bill McCarty.
Trimm is married, has three children and two grandchildren. He is a 1974 graduate of Morgan City High and said he does not hold a college degree. He has worked for the school system for 30 years, most recently as maintenance foreman for Districts 2 and 3.
He said his father, Ronnie Trimm, was elected to the School Board for three terms, passing away in his third term.
Trimm said some of his goals, if elected, include working to increase the scores of the six D schools in the district while maintaining the remaining scores, re-engage parents through PTA/PTO organizations, retain teachers and reduce board size as well as securing a new multi-purpose building for M.E. Norman Elementary.
“I decided to run for School Board because some of the things I’ve wanted to have or see done have never been done. During these many years, I’ve sat and talked with the (staff) and heard their concerns and ideas … rest assured, I will be working on a daily basis to make sure your child has the best education in St. Mary Parish and in the State of Louisiana,” he said.
McCarty, 44, is married with two children. He graduated from Morgan City High in 1988 and Nicholls State University in 1992. He is completing his second term on the board.
He detailed the numerous projects the board and Maintenance District 3 have undertaken during his tenure including constructing a new JROTC building at Morgan City High; a new fence and work on the clubhouse at Tiger Diamond; and the air conditioner, library and student commons project at the high school.
The “crowning jewel,” of which, he said, is the new library at Morgan City High.
He noted that the district has risen from a C status to a B, during his time on the board. Morgan City schools, he noted, went from five C schools and two B schools to having five B schools, some of which are close to becoming A schools.
“I’m the only person on this board that has any skin in the game. I’m the only one with kids in our system,” McCarty said.