Brad “Plug” Lavigne recently announced his candidacy for the Division A seat on the Gonzales City Council, which will be decide in this fall’s elections.
The primary election will be held Oct. 4.
Lavigne, who campaigned for the District 10 seat on the Parish Council last year, said the experience helped him to meet residents and hear their concerns.
“During my run for office, I won the city limits of Gonzales; and it shows me that the people of Gonzales agree with the issues that I will fight for,” Lavigne said.
Lavigne said his platform revolves around recreation, economic development, growth, traffic and public safety.
Concerning recreation, Lavigne said he wants to keep the city moving in a positive direction by adding additional programs.
“My wife Michelle and I are very involved with the Gonzales Lassie League and both coach, we have been all around the state playing all-stars, and we by far have one of the finest recreational facilities and programs,” Lavigne said.
Lavigne also said that he feels Gonzales needs to keep bringing in new business.
“We need big business in the city so that the people of the city can stay and pay their tax dollars here and benefit with services from their tax dollars,” he said.
Maintaining and improving city roads is another important aspect of keeping the city progressive, Lavigne said.
“Traffic is a big issue here,” Lavigne said. “With all of the business and growth we have to maintain our roads and improve them by adding turn lanes and widening projects. I would also like to see in the future of the City of Gonzales a Public Transit system to help with the traffic issues as well as high fuel costs.
Lavigne said he feels the city needs to keep growth in check while also catching up with vital infrastructure needs.
“We need to work to get it under control and catch up with the infrastructure, so we as citizens can benefit from all of the services without all of the hassle of congestion,” Lavigne said.
A former deputy sheriff, Lavigne said public safety is an issue that is important to him.
“With all that is going on in our society today, we need to fight for a strong police department with the best technology and training to protect our families, our streets, our schools and our homes,” Lavigne said. “I will work with the police department to be servers to the public by being involved in public meeting with the citizens and educating them on safety in our subdivisions, and schools. I am also in favor of providing our fire department with the best in technology to keep our homes safe from fire.
Lavigne said his stance is that “people, not politicians, are vital to keep our city moving in the positive direction.”
“I would like to thank Mayor Johnny Berthelot for his great years of public service and the great quality of life that he has built for the City of Gonzales,” Lavigne said. “I want to keep the City of Gonzales moving in a positive direction.”
A lifelong resident of Gonzales, Lavigne has been married for 10 years to Michelle Graham Lavigne. The couple has three daughters – Alyssa, 10; Gracie, 7; and Megan 5. He is employed with Total Safety of Gonzales.
“The slogan for my campaign will be, ‘YOUR Voice for OUR Future,’” Lavigne said, “because everyone in the City of Gonzales, should have their voice heard on their issues involving their quality of life here. I will bring your concerns to the table, and do my best to fight for what is right.”
Those wishing to contact Lavigne can do so by calling 303-6264 or e-mailing yourvoice2011@yahoo.com.
