Mayor-Elect, Friday Ellis has announced a transition team appointment that will help him identify and prioritize key issues that will be tackled as soon as Ellis takes office.
The 15-member transition team, which includes six African-Americans, develop detailed plans for the direction of the new administration.
Ellis, who won an upset victory in Saturday’s election, campaigned on a theme of bringing bright minds to the table to forge a unity based blueprint that would bridge racial divides and chart a path toward progress.
“Throughout the campaign, I laid out a vision based upon citizen and business feedback. This team will develop a plan that ensures we can begin tackling key issues the day we take office without losing any time,” Ellis said.
To bring all sides together, Ellis even went as far as to drop his party affiliation two years before the campaign and ran as an Independent. His transition team represents a balanced mix of Republicans, Democrats, Blacks and Whites, males, and females.
“The decision to run for Mayor came out of a deep desire to serve the people and work with all parts of the community to create a united Monroe that works together to improve our future by addressing crime, mitigating flooding, and focusing on economic growth and revival.”
Ellis is charging the transition team to assist with the formation of plans for the following major issues: Crime, Flood Mitigation, Workforce Training, Economic Development, Healthcare, Infrastructure, and Quality of Life concerns.
The following individuals have been named to the transition team which will be chaired by Representative Michael Echols: Darian Atkins, Louisiana Delta Community College; Millie Atkins, Retired, CenturyLink; Pastor Ike Byrd, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Monroe; Chap Breard, MOE Business; Eddie Clark, Attorney and former Monroe City Council Member; Rep. Michael Echols, State Representative; Bruce Hanks, Vice-Chair of CenturyLink Board of Directors; Joe Holyfield, Local Developer; John Jones, Retired CenturyLink SVP; Scott Martinez, President, North Louisiana Economic Development; Rep. Pat Moore, State Representative; Dr. Ray Morrison, Founding Dean, VCOM Monroe, Louisiana Medical School; Dana Talley, Louisiana Department of Education; Kristin Wolkert, CEO St. Francis Medical Center and Robert Wright, Educator.
“Mayor-Elect Ellis and his team have asked for and listened to, citizen and business feedback throughout this campaign. It’s now time to put priorities into motion and begin the process of developing a valid blueprint for our future growth and a better quality of life for everyone that calls Monroe home,” said Representative Echols.
