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TO THE PEOPLE OF POLICE JURY DISTRICT #7:

I am Roy “Keith” Meaux, and I humbly ask for your consideration as your next District 7 Police Juror of Vermilion Parish.
I had the honor of serving as the Police Juror for District 7 from January 2006 through December 2011, and I served as the Courthouse/Building Committee Chairman for those four years.
My past experience as a Police Juror has allowed me to gain insight into local, state, and federal government operations and what is necessary for all offices and departments to operate effectively and efficiently. I will work diligently to ensure our hard-earned tax dollars are spent wisely.
As a lifelong resident of Vermilion Parish, I see that we are facing serious issues that need to be addressed and solved, and it will take a united effort by our local, state, and federal government leaders to address them. I am willing to stand up and represent our wonderful Parish’s people.
I am the son of Mable Baudoin Meaux and deceased Roy J. Meaux, and my siblings are Michael J. Meaux, Rachel Meaux Rung, Charlene Meaux Romero, Cindy Meaux Broussard and Kern Meaux.
I have been married to Monette Mestayer for 39 years. Monette is the daughter of James Mestayer and her deceased mother, Mona Hebert Mestayer. Monette and I are the proud parents of two daughters, Holly Meaux Husser, and Emily Meaux Sam. Holly is married to Alex Husser and they have four children. Emily is married to Trevor Sam, and they have one child.
I am a 1980 graduate of Abbeville High School and have been a professional Abstracter and Landman for the past 39 years, having worked in multiple Parishes within the State of Louisiana and Counties within the States of Alabama, California, Oklahoma and Texas.
I also worked as a pneumatic technician in the oilfield industry.
My campaign will begin soon, and I look forward to meeting you and listening to your thoughts and concerns. I want to serve you through positive and professional leadership. Please know that I will represent the people of District 7 along with all of the people of Vermilion Parish.
Please allow me to serve you again as your next Police Juror as I humbly ask for your vote on October 14, 2023.

Paid for by
Keith Meaux

There is not expected to be any drama at tonight’s Vermilion Parish School Board meeting when the school board approves a new four-year contract for Superintendent Tommy Byler.
Five and half years ago, Vermilion Parish School Board made the national news after it awarded then-superintendent Jerome Puyau a $30,000 pay increase when the board approved his new contract.
Teacher Deyshia Hargrave stood up in the audience and questioned the board on why the pay increased despite teachers not getting a pay raise in years.
Moments later, Hargrave would be arrested and handcuffed by a security guard at the meeting, escorted outside, and brought to the Abbeville Police Station.
The video of her being arrested and escorted out of the meeting got national attention and attracted the national media to Abbeville.
Do not look for anyone to be arrested at tonight’s school board meeting when the board approves a new contract.
The board is not expected to have any discussion on the contract. It was approved at Monday’s committee meeting and will be approved on tonight’s consent agenda.
Byler’s new contract is expected to contain less than a three percent pay raise, just under $3,000 more yearly.
Byler signed a three-year contract that paid him $132,000 three years ago.
In 2020, Byler was unanimously selected as the district’s leader at a school board meeting Aug. 11, 2020. He contended for the position against then-Interim Superintendent Brad Prudhomme and Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administration Paul Hebert.
Under his old contract, Byler received $750 monthly to cover vehicle maintenance, gas, cell phone costs, and residential internet instead of receiving a district-owned vehicle or cell phone. Byler was required to maintain minimum automobile liability coverage of $250,000/$500,000 with the school board listed as an insured party, a new requirement for the board.
The new contract is expected to contain the $750 a month reimbursement for expenses like the old contract.
The school board will release the details of the new contract after he signs his new contract.
Byler’s new salary will continue to rank him at the bottom of superintendent’s pay in Acadiana and the state.
His pay will rank him No. 10 out of 11 superintendent’s in Acadiana. Only St. Landry’s superintendent makes less than Byler.
Statewide, it will rank him No. 43 out of 67 school districts, despite Vermilion being the 19th largest district in the state.

The self-congratulating globalists controlling the Democratic Party persist in perpetuating the outdated notion that “young people” are predominantly aligned with leftist ideologies, even when all data points to the contrary.
Not only are Millennials growing more conservative as they age – the oldest Millennials are in their early forties and many of them are now parents with mortgages, crime concerns, and increasing tax burdens – but certain members of Gen Z are becoming conservative in a reaction to cultural Marxism.
Newly released analysis from the New York Times shows a significant shift toward the right among voters who were eager Obama supporters in 2008 but have been increasingly disillusioned with the Democratic Party in subsequent elections.
The data reveals that voters who were 18-29 in 2008 supported Obama at nearly twice the margin they supported Biden in 2020. Or in other words, their support for the Democratic Presidential candidate was cut in half between 2008 and 2020.
The Times’ data points to the fact that older Millennials are making the largest strides toward the right but Americans for Limited Government Foundation has also found signs that members of Gen Z – ages 18-27 – are fed up with the globalist left and looking for alternatives.
Whether this takes the form of disproportionately high support for former President Trump among Gen Z Republicans, or the growing youth appetite for antiestablishment candidates on the left like Robert F. Kennedy Jr, younger voters are distancing themselves from the traditional Democratic Party.
The polling numbers for Biden are nothing short of catastrophic among young voters. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll showed Biden’s disapproval rating was at 60% with voters 18-39.
On top of that, a recent YouGov poll shows Trump’s approval rating is highest among younger voters, and is up by double-digits compared to the same poll last October. Trump’s favorability among Millennials currently sits at 46%, up 10 percentage-points from 36% in October of last year. His approval with Gen Z currently sits at 49%, up 14 percentage-points from 35% last October.
Looking at exit polls from the 2022 midterm election compared to 2018, Republicans did indeed make major gains with older Millennials, but they gained with Gen Z and younger Millennials too.
Republicans gained a full 15 percentage points with 30-44-year-olds between 2018 and 2022, but they also gained 7 points with 18–29-year-olds. Democrats also lost voters 40–49 last year after winning them narrowly in 2018. This boils down to a shift toward the right among all age groups under 50, and while the shift is largest among older voters, younger voters are signaling against the radical left as well.
When looking at midterm data, Gen Z voters in the 18–24-year-old bracket often supported Republicans at higher rates than slightly older Millennials did.
For instance, in the Wisconsin Senate race, Ron Johnson secured reelection with the backing of 36% of 18–24-year-olds, compared to 24% of 25–29-year-olds, marking a 12-point disparity between Gen Z and Millennial voters.
In Florida, Governor DeSantis performed well among young people, particularly capturing strong support from the 18–24-year-old age group. Gen Z voters favored DeSantis by 3 points more than Millennials, with Zoomers shifting rightward by four points compared to 2018.
In the Michigan Governor’s race, young voters leaned predominantly Democratic, but those in the 18–24-year-old cohort showed greater support for GOP candidate Tudor Dixon by a five-point margin compared to the 25–29-year-old cohort. Zoomers, in fact, demonstrated the highest rate of support for GOP newcomer Tudor Dixon among age groups below forty.
Moreover, a significant gender divide persists among young individuals, with young men displaying fewer liberal views than young women. Gallup polling indicates that while 44% of young women aged 18-29 identify as liberal, only a quarter of young men hold the same identification. Younger men are increasingly rejecting liberal ideologies, with a considerable portion opposing radical left gender ideology.
Research out of the Southern Poverty Law Center last year warned about “right wing extremism” among young men, including Democrats. The survey found nearly half of Democrat men (47%) under age 50 believe “gender ideology has corrupted American culture” while only 20% of Democrat men over age 50 agree. Younger Democrats also admit the transgender movement is a threat to children, with 42% of younger Democrat men saying that the transgender movement is a threat to children and 40% saying it is “trying to indoctrinate children.”
Overall, these findings indicate that there is a vast divide among young people when it comes to views on radical feminism and gender ideology.
According to research conducted by Americans for Limited Government Foundation over the past five years, Gen Z voters are becoming more populist than their Millennial predecessors.
While Gen Z is not necessarily conservative as a whole, many young voters identify as moderates and hold views that place them at odds with the modern Democratic Party. For instance, Gen Z voters oppose globalist policies, foreign military intervention, and support an America First agenda at surprisingly high rates when these positions are not marketed as “Republican”. Additionally, Zoomers are skeptical of the college industrial complex and more likely to lean right if they forgo a four-year degree for alternative routes.
Our research shows younger voters have adopted a self-interested form of “libertarian populism” that rejects globalism and foreign intervention and favors the rule of law. This is reflected in Zoomer support for an America First philosophy, which is supported by 85% of young Republicans, 74% of young Independents, and 65% of young Democrats.
In terms of immigration policy, Gen Z rejects open borders and lawlessness, with 81% saying that immigrants must follow the rules to become citizens, even if they are difficult. Additionally, 58% of Gen Z say that if illegal immigrants cause problems, they need to leave or go through the proper procedures to stay. This stance is supported by 86% of Generation Z Republicans, 61% of Generation Z Independents, and 42% of Generation Z Democrats.
Gen Z voters, although not uniformly conservative, identify as moderates and hold views that diverge from the modern Democratic Party. Their positions include opposition to globalist policies, foreign military intervention, and support for an America First agenda, particularly when detached from partisan marketing.
The radical left is doing everything they can to maintain a death grip on young people, but that grip is slipping. Biden’s polling numbers have crashed among all age groups under 50, and he is taking a particularly hard hit with Gen Z voters. The midterms showed a significant shift toward the right among both Gen Z and Millennials, and virtually all data points to younger voters favoring populist candidates like Trump as well as alt-left candidates like Kennedy or Williamson. Young people are departing from the entablement in both parties, and if the globalists continue to push for deeply unpopular policies like open borders, radical gender ideology, and ceaseless foreign wars, we can only expect it to become a stampede.

Bill Wilson is the former president of Americans for Limited Government.

On Saturday, June 3, the Louisiana Cattle Festival & Fair Association hosted a new, unique event to kick off the 2023 festival season while staying true to the Association’s core purpose of celebrating the cattle industry.
The annual “Brand the Barn” event highlighted a longstanding tradition for many cattle producers and ranchers, called branding, but with a new twist of permanently burning individual brands into the Louisiana Cattle Festival-owned venue, The Red Barn, in Abbeville.
Encompassing many different shapes, sizes and symbols, an individual brand is used to identify ownership of cattle; each unique brand belongs to a different owner.
The Festival’s recent, one-of-a-kind fundraising event showcased this small component of owning cattle yet a piece that makes it more personal to each cattleman and cattlewoman.
To watch cattle producing families come together and brand the barn was truly amazing. From young families continuing the legacy to some honoring past fathers with their brands, it truly was something very special to see,” said La. Cattle Festival President.
“To see the hard work and dedication of this board and members all come to fruition at our first event of the year makes me even more eager for what is to come with more events and especially the 73rd Festival in October.”
While some attendees branded symbols of their ownership, many used legacy brands passed down for generations or a memorial brand of a relative.
Over 200 event attendees joined to witness brands being burned into fresh cypress along the barn’s bar while being entertained by Freedom 95.1 radio station disk jockey Wesley “Wesbound” LeMaire.
Also included in the event was a fantastic live and silent auction selection, cold drinks, delicious food choices of hamburger steak or roast beef with rice dressing and coleslaw, and exciting announcements including the 73rd Festival theme, t-shirt design and unveiling of the official poster and introduction of the inaugural “Featured Artist.” The successful event was topped off with special musical guest Jaryd Lane.
With only a few months until the Louisiana Cattle Festival and with a new direction and vision, the “Brand the Barn” event officially began the festival season. It connected the Festival to its newly announced theme of “Branding It Back,” paying homage to traditions and festival legacy.
The theme reflects the Association’s commitment to branding the Festival back to its purpose—commemorating Louisiana’s beef and dairy industries.
The Association is also striving for more involvement and engagement with producers and ranchers across the state, collaboration with local and state Cattlemen’s and Cattlewomen’s Associations, the Vermilion Parish 4H program, as well as youth and the community at large.
Additionally, the theme highlights the Festival returning to its original location in the historic downtown streets of Abbeville and, in the most literal sense, physically “branded” the Louisiana Cattle Festival’s Red Barn showing appreciation to the industry and that all are invited and welcomed.
As the only Louisiana festival that exclusively celebrates cattle, its industry, traditions and way of life, the Louisiana Cattle Festival’s new “Brand the Barn” event successfully highlighted cattle producers and ranchers and a livelihood that run deep in our Louisiana roots.
The Festival thanks all event sponsors, attendees, volunteers and members for their contributions, and encourages the general public to join the many exciting initiatives to come.
The Louisiana Cattle Festival and Fair Association invites you to the historic streets of downtown Abbeville on October 6-8, 2023, for the 73rd Louisiana Cattle Festival.