Incumbent Friday Ellis emerged victorious in the 2024 Monroe mayoral election, triumphing over his competitors Jamie Mayo and Betty Ward-Cooper on March 23.
According to KTVE, Ellis earned 63.54% of the votes, receiving the support of 6,636 Monroe citizens. Former mayor and businessman Mayo finished in second place with 3,162 votes. Rounding out the ballot, school board member Ward-Cooper ended her campaign with 646 votes.
The 2024 election results showed an increase in support for Ellis. During the 2020 election, he received only 52% of the votes, narrowly avoiding a runoff against former mayor Jamie Mayo. After Ellis completed his inaugural term, support for the incumbent jumped nearly twelve percentage points.
While Ellis received the most votes during the 2024 election, not all citizens were pleased with his actions as mayor. In November 2022, Jackie Kidd and Eugene Payne launched a petition to recall Ellis as a mayor. However, the petition stalled, and he remained in office.
During his inaugural term, Ellis sought to improve the quality of life in Monroe. He prioritized increasing public safety, fostering economic development, mitigating flood concerns and beautifying the city of Monroe.
One of Ellis’ achievements during his first term was establishing the City of Monroe Public Safety Center. The center houses emergency personnel, including firefighters and police officers.
While acting as mayor, Ellis joined the Louisiana Legislative Task Force on Economic Recovery. By working with the task force, he orchestrated a plan for Monroe to bounce back from COVID-19.
His administration planned to build treatment plants and clean the underground drainage system. Ellis and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce cut ribbons on phase one of the Monroe Water Treatment Plant. According to Ellis, city workers cleaned over ten miles of pipe in the underground drainage system.
Lastly, Ellis created a beautification plan. Over the past four years, he gave local artists the funds needed to paint murals in Charles Johnson Park.
Ellis’ re-election campaign centered around his accomplishments over his past four years as mayor.
Ellis thanked his friends and supporters while looking toward a brighter future for Monroe.
“I want to say thank you,” Ellis said. “It’s been a true honor to represent the people of Monroe. That is what it’s about—people.”