Jacques Roy
Encyclopedia
Jacques Maurice Roy is the twenty-third mayor
of Alexandria
, the seat of Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana
.
Roy, a Democrat
, is the son of Christopher Roy, Sr., an ad hoc judge
of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. He is the brother of Christopher Roy, Jr.
, a departing one-term member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
.
Roy graduated in 1988 from Holy Savior Menard Central High School
, the Roman Catholic secondary institution in Alexandria. Prior to his having been elected mayor, Roy practiced law with his brother Chris, Jr., in Alexandria. His father, Chris Roy, Sr, is a prominent Alexandria attorney, affiliated with the firm of the legendary Camille Gravel
. Roy attended Louisiana State University
where he majored in Political Science
and concentrated in American Government and Politics and Southern University Law Center
in Baton Rouge.
In 1995, Roy married the former Wendy Hendrix of Pine Bluff, Arkansas
. They have a daughter and a son.
, government transparency, and inclusiveness.
On September 20, 2006, Roy finished in first place in the jungle primary
, having received over 33 percent of the vote. Delores Brewer, a Republican
and chief of staff to outgoing Democratic Mayor Edward Gordon Randolph, Jr.
, finished in second place by a margin of only seventeen votes over Roy's fellow Democrat and Alexandria City Councilman-at-large, Roosevelt Johnson.
Although both Roy and Brewer promised to stay positive during the general election
, Brewer quickly went on the offensive. She launched two highly controversial television commercials, one of which was covered nationally.
On November 7, 2006, Roy was elected by a landslide. He captured 76 percent of the vote. In 2010, Roy easily won re-election in the primary, winning over 63% of the vote in a crowded field.
considers S.P.A.R.C. to be “the most concise vision” for revitalization in the country.
Mayor Joseph Riley of Charleston, South Carolina has also praised Roy’s vision and his leadership. “Show me a community with real inventive, aggressive, thoughtful, creative leadership (like Roy), and I will show you a community on the move,” said Riley to The Town Talk.
Roy created Alexandria’s first-ever diversity program, Diversity in Action, which he referenced in his first inaugural address. “Diversity works; inclusiveness makes money; community-based planning positively affects cities,” Roy said. As a result of his initiative, Roy has significantly increased the number of small, emerging, minority, and/or women-owned businesses that work with the city of Alexandria.
During his first term, Roy ordered a comprehensive audit of the Alexandria Police Department, which was conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Roy is an outspoken proponent of community policing and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies. Gregory Saville, co-founder of the International CPTED Association, wrote in an article titled “Uptapping Kinetic Energy: Civic Potential Under the Surface,” “Then I met one of those rare leaders committed to making that kinetic energy work - re-elected Mayor Jaques Roy. He absolutely got what SafeGrowth can mean in his community. He is also just the quality of civic leader to muster the community energy to make it happen.”
Roy has served in a range of leadership roles on behalf of the Louisiana Municipal Association, and he co-chaired Louisiana’s first-ever World Cultural Economic Forum, which was spearheaded by then Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu
. Landrieu's sister, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
, considers Roy to be one of the nation's leading advocates for smart growth. "He's been one of the most outstanding mayors in our whole state and actually our whole country on this issue," Landrieu said to KALB-TV.
Lisa Harris- Chief of Policy and Planning
Bill Hess- Chief of Economic Development
Lamar White- Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Joseph Page- Deputy Chief of Policy and Planning/ Chief Diversity Officer
Kay Michiels- Director of Planning
Lisa Harris- Director of Community Services
Michael Marcotte- Director of Utilities
T.W. Thompson- Director of Public Works
Jannease Seastrunk- Director of Human Resources
Roger Tully- Chief of Police
Bernard Wesley- Fire Chief
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, the seat of Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Roy, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, is the son of Christopher Roy, Sr., an ad hoc judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. He is the brother of Christopher Roy, Jr.
Chris Roy, Jr.
Christopher Jude Roy, Jr. , is an attorney in Alexandria, Louisiana, who is a departing one-term Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 25 in Rapides and Vernon parishes...
, a departing one-term member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
.
Roy graduated in 1988 from Holy Savior Menard Central High School
Holy Savior Menard Central High School
Holy Savior Menard Central High School is the Roman Catholic parochial secondary institution of learning in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. The Menard mission statement accents: Faith Development, Academic Excellence, and Service...
, the Roman Catholic secondary institution in Alexandria. Prior to his having been elected mayor, Roy practiced law with his brother Chris, Jr., in Alexandria. His father, Chris Roy, Sr, is a prominent Alexandria attorney, affiliated with the firm of the legendary Camille Gravel
Camille Gravel
Camille Francis Gravel, Jr. , was a Louisiana, Democratic politician.Gravel spent much time and money supporting the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII honored Gravel with the "Order of St. Gregory" for his outstanding service to the church.-Education:Gravel graduated in 1935 from the University...
. Roy attended Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
where he majored in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and concentrated in American Government and Politics and Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center, a campus of the Southern University System, opened for instruction in September 1947. Its concept was born out of a response of a lawsuit by an African American resident, Charles J. Hatfield, III, seeking to attend law school at a state institution...
in Baton Rouge.
In 1995, Roy married the former Wendy Hendrix of Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
. They have a daughter and a son.
Election History
Roy announced his candidacy for mayor during the first week of August 2006, the fifth of seven candidates to step forward. He campaigned on the issues of smart growthSmart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
, government transparency, and inclusiveness.
On September 20, 2006, Roy finished in first place in the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
, having received over 33 percent of the vote. Delores Brewer, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and chief of staff to outgoing Democratic Mayor Edward Gordon Randolph, Jr.
Ned Randolph
Edward Gordon "Ned" Randolph, Jr. , is a veteran Democratic politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria in central Louisiana from 1986 to 2006. Randolph was also a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976 and the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1984...
, finished in second place by a margin of only seventeen votes over Roy's fellow Democrat and Alexandria City Councilman-at-large, Roosevelt Johnson.
Although both Roy and Brewer promised to stay positive during the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, Brewer quickly went on the offensive. She launched two highly controversial television commercials, one of which was covered nationally.
On November 7, 2006, Roy was elected by a landslide. He captured 76 percent of the vote. In 2010, Roy easily won re-election in the primary, winning over 63% of the vote in a crowded field.
Accomplishments
Jacques Roy is widely regarded as one of Louisiana’s most proactive and progressive elected officials. During his first term, Roy launched the S.P.A.R.C. (Special Planned Activity Redevelopment Corridors) Initiative, the largest redevelopment program in the city’s history. Economist Donovan Rypkema believes S.P.A.R.C. is the “right” kind of “stimulus project,” and renowned architect Frederic SchwartzFrederic Schwartz
Frederic Schwartz is an American architect, author, and city planner whose work includes "Empty Sky," the New Jersey 9-11 Memorial, scheduled to be dedicated in Liberty State Park on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.A recipient of the prestigious Rome Prize in...
considers S.P.A.R.C. to be “the most concise vision” for revitalization in the country.
Mayor Joseph Riley of Charleston, South Carolina has also praised Roy’s vision and his leadership. “Show me a community with real inventive, aggressive, thoughtful, creative leadership (like Roy), and I will show you a community on the move,” said Riley to The Town Talk.
Roy created Alexandria’s first-ever diversity program, Diversity in Action, which he referenced in his first inaugural address. “Diversity works; inclusiveness makes money; community-based planning positively affects cities,” Roy said. As a result of his initiative, Roy has significantly increased the number of small, emerging, minority, and/or women-owned businesses that work with the city of Alexandria.
During his first term, Roy ordered a comprehensive audit of the Alexandria Police Department, which was conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Roy is an outspoken proponent of community policing and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies. Gregory Saville, co-founder of the International CPTED Association, wrote in an article titled “Uptapping Kinetic Energy: Civic Potential Under the Surface,” “Then I met one of those rare leaders committed to making that kinetic energy work - re-elected Mayor Jaques Roy. He absolutely got what SafeGrowth can mean in his community. He is also just the quality of civic leader to muster the community energy to make it happen.”
Roy has served in a range of leadership roles on behalf of the Louisiana Municipal Association, and he co-chaired Louisiana’s first-ever World Cultural Economic Forum, which was spearheaded by then Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu
Mitch Landrieu
Mitchell Joseph "Mitch" Landrieu is the Mayor of New Orleans, former Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, and a member of the Landrieu family. Landrieu is a member of the Democratic Party and a Roman Catholic. He is the son of former New Orleans mayor and Secretary of the United States Department of...
. Landrieu's sister, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, considers Roy to be one of the nation's leading advocates for smart growth. "He's been one of the most outstanding mayors in our whole state and actually our whole country on this issue," Landrieu said to KALB-TV.
Executive Staff
Kay Michiels- Chief Operating OfficerLisa Harris- Chief of Policy and Planning
Bill Hess- Chief of Economic Development
Lamar White- Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Joseph Page- Deputy Chief of Policy and Planning/ Chief Diversity Officer
Division Leadership Staff
Charles Johnson- City AttorneyKay Michiels- Director of Planning
Lisa Harris- Director of Community Services
Michael Marcotte- Director of Utilities
T.W. Thompson- Director of Public Works
Jannease Seastrunk- Director of Human Resources
Roger Tully- Chief of Police
Bernard Wesley- Fire Chief