Fontenot transitions from council to mayor

Scott Fontenot, named interim Eunice mayor, said it has been a smooth transition switching from his council seat to the top job at City Hall.
“I’m not going to do anything major,” he said Thursday at a Eunice Kiwanis Club meeting. “I am going to run for mayor in March.”
The city council named Fontenot, who was mayor pro-tem and Ward 4 councilman, mayor at its Oct. 13 meeting.
The appointment followed the resignation of Claud “Rusty” Moody, who is battling cancer. Moody was in the first year of his second term as mayor.
Fontenot’s selection as mayor leaves his seat vacant. The council indicated it will name an interim Ward 4 councilman.
A primary election for mayor and Ward 4 councilman is scheduled March 5 and a general election is April 9. Qualifying for the seats is scheduled Dec. 2 through 4.
Fontenot, 33, said he has been working full-time as mayor since the council selected him, but actually had been assisting Moody for about two months.
“I’m excited for Eunice. I hope the people keep me in there,” he said.
“It is really dealing with people, dealing with the public,” Fontenot said. “You’ve got to make decisions.”
Fontenot said, “Nothing has changed on my end. That’s just the way I operate. If you know me then you know how I am. If you don’t know me, then I’d like to meet you and let you know a little bit more about me.”
The biggest change has been going from a the council side where he votes, to the mayor’s office where he serves in the executive side of City Hall.
Fontenot said his experience as a business owner helps him with the administrative duties of mayor.
“I know most of the employees with the city,” he said. “I pretty much know the whole police department, fire department, the city workers,” he said.
Fontenot’s father is retired three-term police chief Gary “Goose” Fontenot.
While there has not been a group meeting of all city employees, Fontenot said he has met with employees individually.
“It is busy. It is always something going on,” he said of the job.
The first issue greeting him in the morning are invoices, he said.
“I don’t just sign them, I want to see where the money is spent and make sure we are spending wisely because we don’t have bunch to spend,” he said.
Other topics Fontenot spoke about to the Kiwanis Club include:
— A Walmart Neighborhood store is not coming to Eunice due to national cutbacks.
— A Waffle House is planned for Eunice.
— “I think there are more businesses in Eunice than ever before,” he said of the city’s economy.
— The city has to address the lack of parking downtown.
— He intends to avoid public disputes with the council. “We have our disagreements, but we don’t do it out in public. It is not a good thing to do. You don’t want to have that negative vibe. You want to bring positives,” he said.
— Tourism is one of the city’s strong points, he said. “You really don’t have to market it .. We’ve got so much uniqueness around here. The French-speaking people here, the musicians. I’m all for that.”
The mayor’s salary is $46,410 plus $500 a month for a vehicle allowance if they use their personal vehicle. The mayor also receives group health insurance and retirement.