RSS Feed

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My name is Carlton Campbell and I am presently serving as Councilman at Large for the City of Abbeville, representing every resident of our community across neighborhoods and perspectives. I do not represent one group or one side.
Our strength always comes from our diversity and our shared commitment to build a community where people can live, work and enjoy life together. Whether you have lived here for generations as I have, or just putting down roots, your voice matters and your success matters.
As your councilman, I am firmly Committed to policies that encourage responsible business growth, protect local jobs and attract new businesses and investments in our community.
Progress does not come from division. It comes from listening, collaboration and working on practical solutions. I work every day to ensure that decisions made at city hall reflect fairness, opportunity and common sense without race, income, or political beliefs.
My volunteering to work in activities to me is a virtue. I have been a volunteer for many years. I have served on the Fire and Police Civil Service Board, the Municipal Civil Service Board as chairman, vermilion Parish domestic intervention board, served as a member of VEDA, as a commissioner of Abbeville Harbor and Terminal Board, developed the walking trail at Huntsberry Park, founder of the Coach Herbert Williams baseball field, volunteered to work on the community garden project as vegetable planner, serve served as the governor representative on the main parish board of election commission, and also serve served as king of the Cattle Festival.
My work history began as a short order cook, then as an installer for the telephone company, the United Postal Service, and a business packager for the United States Small Business developer. Lastly, I served as a Deputy Clerk of Court retiring as Chief Deputy Clerk of Court under the administration of Diane Meaux Broussard.
I am a graduate of USL (now UL), Howard University as a certified business and public administration specialist.
I am married to the former Belinda Grogan and we are parents of two children, Kendra and Donovan Campbell both Abbeville High School graduates. Donovan is a member of the AHS Athletic Hall of Fame. We have three grand children, one is Dylan Campbell who attended the University of Texas Longhorns and now is a member of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball organization. While in college he had the longest baseball hitting record at 38 games which still stands.
Again, thanks for allowing me to serve as Councilman at Large and I hope to be re-elected so I can continue working to make the city of Abbeville, Louisiana a desirable place to work, live and retire. Thank You.

Paid for by
Carlton Campbell

According to Vermilion Parish Sheriff Eddie Langlinais, on April 10, at approximately 9 a.m., the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Enforcement Division received a complaint that a suspicious vehicle was backed onto the property of a residence located on Klaby Meaux Road, which is south of Kaplan.
Patrol Deputies responded to the area of the suspicious vehicle and identified the vehicle as a blue 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. Deputies approached the vehicle and found Dannon Keith Sellers, 42, asleep inside the vehicle. As deputies attempted to wake the subject, they observed two firearms on the passenger floorboard.
Recent calls to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that a subject in a vehicle matching the description of the one Sellers was found in had fired a handgun from the vehicle at other vehicles. When VPSO Patrol Deputies made contact with Sellers, they gave commands for him to exit the vehicle. Sellers refused to comply, started the vehicle, and fled the area.
VPSO Patrol Deputies initiated a pursuit of the vehicle through Kaplan and Nunez and ultimately ended on La. Hwy. 35, just South of Kaplan, without incident. While in pursuit of Sellers, Patrol Deputies observed him throw the two firearms into a ditch on La. Hwy 35 South. Upon end of the pursuit, Sellers was taken into custody and transported to the Vermilion parish Correctional Center for booking.
Sellers was booked on the following charges:
• Criminal trespassing
• Aggravated Flight from an Officer
• Illegal Possession of a Stolen Firearm
• Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (2 counts)
• Violation of a Protective Order
• Obstruction of Justice (2 counts)
• Intentional Littering
• Resisting an Officer
Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Detectives were called to assist Patrol Deputies in locating the firearms that were thrown. Deputies located and recovered both firearms from the ditch. One of the firearms was found to have been previously reported to the Abbeville Police Department as stolen.
This investigation is ongoing and additional felony charges are likely.
Sheriff Eddie Langlinais offers his gratitude to the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Enforcement and Criminal Investigations Divisions for their swift and strategic actions that resulted in this arrest. He also reminds the citizens of Vermilion Parish that this is an ongoing investigation, and all suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty. Information on how to anonymously report illegal activities can be found on our website at www.VermilionSheriff.gov. Click on Anonymous Tips and fill out the Crime Stoppers of Vermilion Tip Form to submit information. You can also report illegal activity anonymously by calling the Crime Stoppers tip line at (337) 740-TIPS (8477) or by downloading and logging in to the P3 App where you can earn a cash reward. You can also download the “Vermilion Parish Sheriff LA” app from the App Store and Google Play. There you can tap the Crime Stoppers logo and submit your tip.

Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White spoke candidly about the condition of the old Hibernia Bank Building.
The Police Jury has owned the building for over 20 years and has made minimal repairs in the past six years.
Following an inspection report from David Hamer of Vermilion Architects, LLC, Councilman Brady Broussard asked Hamer if he was surprised by what he found.
“I was surprised by the neglect of the building,” said Hamer to the Abbeville council. “Some of the issues could have been mitigated easier, had it been maintained.
Mayor White expressed strong criticism of the landlord’s maintenance of the building, stating to the audience “This is how your tax dollars have been spent over the last 20 years. So, when you complain about us (Abbeville government) not being good stewards, at least the City of Abbeville is taking care of the properties it owns. This (upkeep of the building should be criminal.”
The Vermilion Parish Police Jury is expected to transfer ownership of the old Hibernia Bank Building and the old downtown library to the City of Abbeville at Wednesday’s meeting. In exchange, the city will allow the Sheriff’s Department to remain in the old Hibernia building at no cost.
An independent inspection by Vermilion Architects determined that Abbeville must invest at least $610,000 to make the building suitable for occupancy. This includes replacing all exterior windows and frames, repairing exterior stucco and stabilizing the foundation, and replacing two 12-ton air conditioning units.
If you also include optional repairs, up to 1 million.
An additional $700,000 could allow the city to fully renovate the building, including new air conditioning units and comprehensive repairs.
The total estimated renovation cost is $1.7 million, with the building’s current appraised value is around $500,000.
Mayor White stated she has contacted local legislators to make them aware of the situation and let them know we will seek help with funding from Baton Rouge for the building’s repairs.
The city council voted 3-1 to accept the police jury’s offer to transfer ownership of the two buildings. Councilwoman Terry Broussard abstained due to her employment with the police jury. The deal was Brady Broussard Jr., Tony Hardy, and Carlton Campbell.
Councilman Francis Plaisance, who has consistently opposed acquiring the old bank building, voted against the measure and explained his reasoning.
“You know the old saying, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover.’ This is what I feel about this building,” Plaisance said. “There have been many problems with this building, and that is why the police jury has been trying to get rid of it for a long time.
“You know why? They did not want to pay $200,000 to demolish it. So, now they want to give it to us. Why would we want a building they do not want?”
Councilman Broussard explained that acquiring the old bank building would allow the city to consolidate government offices currently located in separate buildings.
“Why would we not consolidate into a single building and sell the smaller buildings that we have outgrown?” Broussard said. “That is why I support this.”

Vermilion Catholic High School has concluded its search for a new head football coach.
On Wednesday afternoon, Broc Prejean informed the VC community by email that he will remain at the school and return as head football coach next school year. Prejean announced he was not returning to VC two weeks ago.
“I recognized I would be missing a lot more than just football with the relationships that have come into our lives through VC. I am just appreciative that I was blessed to recognize that before it was too late,” said Prejean.