A bridge off Joe May Road will bear the name of World War II veteran Tolley Fletcher after the Livingston Parish Council unanimously approved the honor at its Nov. 5 meeting. The council also adopted an updated public records request policy and heard presentations on a new parish pageant.
Livingston Parish Pageantry
Next, Michelle Gibbs, winner of the 2026 Southern Miss Louisiana 50s pageant, presented her idea for a Miss Livingston Parish pageant as a way to showcase the parish on the national pageant stage.
Gibbs’ new business, Miss Livingston Parish Pageantry, will host a new pageant system “built entirely on integrity, honesty, sportsmanship, and sisterhood” with a minimum of 15 age groups “ranging from newborn to 99… for men and women.”
The pageant has no parish residency requirement, which Gibbs said will “bring people into our parish to show them exactly what our parish is about.”
Pageant winners will “have the option to advance to state preliminaries representing Livingston Parish… and advance to Miss Louisiana,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs said that while most established pageant systems have not yet received a single contestant application, hers received 30 when registration opened.
“I believe our parish, and the people in it, deserve to see how positive we are for one another and for the people around us,” Gibbs said.
After the presentations, the council moved into its agenda, beginning with a resolution updating the Public Records Request Policy/Form for the Livingston Parish Council’s office.
Under the policy, all public records requests must be submitted on the official Livingston Parish Council records request form by email, mail, or in person. The council clerk or deputy clerk will date- and time-stamp each request when it is received and respond within 72 hours of receipt.
If the requested information cannot be provided, the requester will be notified, with an explanation if applicable, by email or by mail at the address listed on the request.
Copies of records will not be provided until all applicable fees are paid in full. If payment is not received within 10 business days of the first notification, the requester may be required to submit a new request. Records may be inspected in the office only. While the original form prohibited photos, the council amended it to remove that restriction, allowing people to photograph records when they come into the office to view them.
The council adopted the form unanimously.
Tolley Fletcher Memorial Bridge
The council then took up a resolution to name a bridge off Joe May Road the “Tolley Fletcher Memorial Bridge” in honor of Fletcher, who fought on D-Day.
State Adjutant Carl Karnish said Fletcher “was a man’s man. Everything he did, he did to his best.”
Karnish said Fletcher remained sharp at 102, and while he never gave up in spirit, his body eventually began to fail him. Fletcher made a point of sharing his stories from the war, and people can still read about his service at the World War II museum.
Fletcher’s daughter, Betty Guidry, attended the meeting for the vote.
“I didn’t know anybody who didn’t like my dad, and my dad would do anything for anybody,” Guidry told the council.
The council swiftly and unanimously approved the resolution.
Upcoming Ordinances
The council gave notice of three ordinances that will be discussed and voted on at its next meeting, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.:
Ordinance to rezone a parcel on Pea Ridge Road in Albany from R-1 (Rural Single Family) to R-1.5 (Rural Single Family)
Ordinance to rezone a parcel on Magnolia Bluff Road in Maurepas from AG (Agricultural) to RR (Riverfront Residential)
Ordinance to rezone a parcel on South Café Line Road in Albany from R-1 to R-1.5
Board Appointments
The council closed its regular meeting with a board resignation and two appointments.
The council unanimously accepted John Easterly’s resignation from the Ward 2 Water Board and appointed Ricky Stewart to fill his seat. The council also unanimously appointed Jeff Guerra to the Gravity Drainage District 5 board before adjourning.
