Alexandria, LA (10/8/2024) – Police Juror Jay Scott has filed an ethics complaint against appointed Police Juror Earnest Nelson, a candidate for Rapides Parish Police Jury, District D.
The complaint, sent to the Louisiana Ethics Board and Secretary of State Nancy Landry, argues that Nelson violated Louisiana election law by running for a seat he was appointed to in 2023. Information provided by The Davenport Firm highlights this issue.
Nelson’s case draws comparisons to two similar situations in Rapides Parish. In 2019, Ed Larvadain III resigned from the Alexandria City Council. Ronald Dejoie was appointed to the seat until a special election could be held. Malcolm Larvadain ran and won after Reddex Washington Jr. and Charlie Gilmore were disqualified. In a second case, when Harry Silver passed away, Catherine Davidson was appointed to his Alexandria City Council seat until a special election was held. Davidson ran and won against Lizzie Felter.
The parallels are striking, but Scott asserts that Nelson’s candidacy directly violates Louisiana Revised Statute 42:1113(b)(i), which prohibits an appointed official from running for the same office in the next election.
UrbanCast/involvedinitall.com reached out to Mr. Nelson regarding Jay Scott’s complaint, but we have not received a response at the time of this article. We welcome Mr. Nelson to join the Let’s Talk Show to discuss this matter further. Despite several attempts to contact him about his campaign, no return calls or messages have been received.
With election day approaching, the outcome of this complaint could have a significant impact on Nelson’s candidacy for Rapides Parish Police Jury, District D. Stay tuned for updates as the situation unfolds.
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