District 2 Councilman Jay Castille was elected Tuesday by fellow council members to lead the Lafayette City-Parish Council as chairman for 2010; District 8 Councilman Keith Patin was elected vice chairman.
Among Castille's first orders of business will be presiding over possible changes to Lafayette's home rule charter due to anticipated district reapportionment resulting from the 2010 census. For more on that, read the article in today's Daily Advertiser.
Districts in Lafayette Parish will likely change dramatically due to a southward population shift over the last decade. Districts 7, 8 and 9 in the south have been gaining population at the expense of central districts like 3, 4 and 6. For the back story on what this could mean for Lafayette Consolidated Government, and why it will likely amplify the call to deconsolidate parish government, read The Independent's Nov. 11, 2009 article, "The Shape of Things to Come."