After two unsuccessful bids for the District 3 seat on the Lafayette Parish School Board, Elroy Broussard has decided to run again, announcing a run against school board member Shelton Cobb.
After two unsuccessful bids for the District 3 seat on the Lafayette Parish School Board, Elroy Broussard has decided to run again, announcing a run against school board member Shelton Cobb. Cobb announced last week that he will seek a another term.
Broussard's first run came in 2006 against Raphael "Doc" Baranco and former school board member Rickey Hardy. Hardy won the race with 55.38 percent of the vote. Broussard got 24.5 percent and Baranco 20.08.
In a 2008 special election, Broussard ran again after Hardy vacated his seat to run for the state Legislature. As was the case in 2006, Broussard couldn't pull the needed votes, losing to Shelton Cobb 51.52 percent to 35.77 percent.
In a statement issued Monday to The Daily Advertiser, Broussard says he's running again because:
District 3 needs a representative that is committed to the best interest of the collective rather than the divisiveness that has been created.
He continues:
I envision a Lafayette where our schools are filled with highly effective teachers that are allowed to teach, a Lafayette that allows our students to learn, a Lafayette central office that supports the work of school rather than the minutia of politic.
Our schools as of late are riddled with confusion and test scores that don't speak to the true potential of our children. Our students, parents, stakeholders as well as the city of Lafayette deserve better.
This announcement is not a battle for fame; rather, it is the impetus to better schools for Lafayette.
Neither Broussard nor Cobb returned our calls for comment before this story was published.