DA Taylor makes it official, will seek fourth term

Earl Taylor has formalized his change of mind, telling his employees at their annual meeting Saturday that he will seek a fourth term as St. Landry Parish district attorney.
Citing his long time experience with the District Attorney’s Office, and his commitment to public service, Taylor stated that, “Although we have accomplished much, there are still many unfinished projects I would like to complete before retiring.”
Back in 2008, Taylor expressed similar reasons for seeking re-election.
He told a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Eunice in June of that year that the third six-year term he was then planning to seek would be his last.
“I’ve some unfinished business I want to complete,” he said then, putting digitizing the DA case records at the top of the list.
Taylor continued Saturday, “It has been rumored that I do not intend to run again. I wanted the public to know that those rumors are untrue. I chose the Annual Meeting of the District Attorney’s Office to formally announce my intentions to be a candidate in November.”
Political observers asserted as early as two years ago that Taylor was considering seeking another term in the post that pays $168,000 annually
At the time, he told eunicetoday.com that the election was still too far away for him to say with any certainty what he might do.
Meanwhile, 27th Dist. Judge Ellis Daigle of Eunice is said by usually reliable observers to have decided to leave the bench and seek the DA post.
Daigle, citing constraints related to his seat on the bench, has declined to this point to say yes or no.
As of Jan. 10, Daigle had not filed campaign finance reporting paperwork with the Secretary of State for a DA candidacy. He filed last January as a candidate for re-election to the bench, as Taylor did as a DA candidate.