The People You Elect Will Decide Whether This Project Will End in Failure or Success

By Woody Jenkins Editor, St. George Leader

The year was 1966.  The place was the Cotillion Ballroom of the LSU Union.  The event was the swearing in of the first Republican to be elected in East Baton Rouge Parish since Reconstruction.

His name was Dewey Raborn.

He had just been elected to the Parish Council (today the Metro Council) in a special election from Ward 2.

A large crowd had gathered.  Just three years before, people joked that the entire Republican Party of Louisiana could fit in a phone booth with room to spare.  But now the party’s numbers were growing.

Dewey Raborn’s unexpected victory had generated a lot of enthusiasm.  It seemed that every registered Republican in the parish and some from across the state had gathered.

Even U.S. Senator John Tower, the first Republican senator from Texas, had travelled to Baton Rouge for the event. Sen. Tower spoke on the growing opportunity to elected Republicans from the South.

Then the main speaker was introduced.  To the surprise of almost everyone, it was Mayor-President W. W. “Woody” Dumas.

Mayor Dumas was a strong union man and yellow-dog Democrat known for his contempt of Republicans.

But he and Dewey Raborn were born from Ward 2 in the north part of the parish and were friends from the plant.

Raborn would be serving on the Parish Council, and the Mayor would have to work with him.

So perhaps there was a modicum of justification for inviting Mayor Dumas to speak to an event celebrating the Republican Party’s first major victory in Baton Rouge.

However, when Dumas took the mike, everyone was shocked by his generous and prophetic words.

Rather than minimizing the importance of the election of Dewey Raborn or taunting those in attendance with insults, the Mayor-President gave as statesman-like speech as had ever been given.

He praised Dewey Raborn as a man of integrity whom he knew and admired and said it would be an honor to have him on the Parish Council.  He promised to work closely with him.

Then he said something quite prophetic.

“This new party of yours has the potential for a great future.  You may challenge us and may one day dominate our government.  I can see that as a real possibility.”

“However, it will all depend on one thing: The quality of the people you run for office.  It will be about their character and their vision.  If you continue to elect people like Dewey Raborn to office, then you will be very successful.”

“Ultimately, the people you elect will decide whether this project of yours will end on failure or success.”

Today, the people of St. George have formed a new city and elected a Mayor, Police Chief, and City Council.  They were sworn in on July 1, 2025.

The advice given by Mayor-President Woody Dumas to the members of the Republican Party back in 1966 seems equally applicable to the people of the City of St. George:

“The people you elect will decide whether this project will end in failure or success.”

The election is now over.

However, the work of creating the City of St. George is really just beginning.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the potential of this new city is unlimited!

St. George (pop. 85,000) is already the 5th largest city in the state.  It also has the state’s highest household income ($95,000).

The people of St. George are well educated, hard-working, ambitious, and possess a strong moral fiber.  They are well-equipped to create a great city of the future.

However, the success of St. George won’t be measured by its size or its household income.

Most likely, St. George’s ultimate success will be determined by whether it offers these four things:

• Safe streets and neighborhoods where our children are safe in their own front yards and babies are safe in their beds.

• Great public schools that offer every family, rich or poor, a great education and a chance for success.

• An open government that respects the rights of all and is there for the ordinary citizens and not those temporarily holding public office.

• A place of freedom and opportunity where any child has the chance to grow up and achieve his dreams.

St. George is off to a great start!  The formation of the new city government has gone well.  

Now we have the opportunity to form the new St. George Community School School.

The attention of every citizen should turn to this task, not only convincing the people of St. George of the need for an independent school system here but also convincing the people of East Baton Rouge and across the state of the rightness of our cause. This is necessary because creation of the St. George school district will be voted on statewide and must way in St. George, East Baton Rouge Parish, and across Louisiana.

All of this goes back to the words of Mayor-President Woody Dumas.  The character, wisdom, and good judgment of the elected officials in St. George are critical to the success of the new city and the proposed school district.

There is no place in city government for corruption, favoritism, or power plays.  Fortunately, the men and women elected to office here seem suited for the task.

We have every right to expect the very best from each of our elected officials, because our future depends on them!

They will need our prayers, our participation, and our support as we move through the exciting days to come.

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Editor’s Note: Dewey Raborn was one of the best men I ever knew!  He served our country during WWII on the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain and worked at Gulf States (now Entergy) for 40 years. He married the love of his life, Myrtle, and they had John Davis, Jr., Wiley Benard, Marjorie Jane, Robert Lee, Charles Phanor and William Pierce. He was a prince of a man and a staunch conservative. He died too young in 1977 at age 59.