THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Stroll through downtown Zachary Fall Festival Visit downtown Zachary from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday for the city’s Fall Fest. The event includes a pumpkin patch, inflatable maze, movie in the park, hot air balloon rides, artisan market vendors, game, photo booth, music and food. Costumes are encouraged for this spooky but not scary event.
Wild West Stick Horse Rodeo Help raise money for the Zachary Rotary Club from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the HugYourPeople Park during the Wild West Stick Horse Rodeo. Admission is $5 for ages 8 and older and it’s $10 to compete in the stick horse rodeo, which is for children ages 3-7. Several contests are planned. For information, call Dan Klein at (225) 978-5104.
Pumpkins at the Barn The Zachary Pumpkin Patch at the Barn is Oct. 3-5 behind the downtown Gazebo. The pumpkin patch is open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
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W e d n e s d ay, O c t o b e r 1, 2025
HR email triggers debate over Zachary voting rules The two sides of the issue were debated Mayor pro tempore defends fiercely — largely by Landry and DeVirgilio — at the council’s Sept. 23 meeting, where actions to resolve the clerk’s salary was on the agenda for administrative setback ratification. It was ultimately unanimously
BY OLIVIA McCLURE
Contributing writer
Questions are swirling about whether the Zachary City Council’s mayor pro tempore stepped out of bounds when she recently sent an email instructing the city’s human resources department on how much to pay the council’s newly appointed clerk. The mayor pro tempore, council member Jennifer Landry, and City Attorney John Hopewell both said there’s nothing wrong with the way the situation was handled. But council member Ambre DeVirgilio disagreed, saying the matter required a vote and should have been addressed in a public forum, not via email.
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Pay raises eyed for mayor, chief, council members BY OLIVIA McCLURE
approved. The council did not determine a salary for Karen Burdette when it named her interim clerk at its Sept. 9 meeting. That meant she would not get paid until the council convened again to vote on the matter. Landry emailed HR director Ashlee Pratt on Sept. 10 with instructions to set Burdette’s salary at $18,000 and a note that she would present the item to her colleagues to be ratified, according to a copy of the message provided to The Advocate. Landry wrote in the email that she had reached out to her colleagues for input and had heard only from council member James Graves, who agreed with the salary,
After winning election to their offices in 2022, Zachary Mayor David McDavid and Police Chief Darryl Lawrence realized the new jobs they’d been chosen for would cause them to take a pay cut. With decades of law enforcement experience under their belts, both men spent their careers working up the ranks and pay scale of the Zachary Police Department. The salaries they now receive as mayor and police chief — which are set by ordinance — pale in comparison. Some of their top-ranking staffers take home bigger paychecks than they do.
ä See DEBATE, page 2G
ä See RAISES, page 2G
Contributing writer
RUNNING START
Market turns 6 The Zachary Farmers and Artisans Market will celebrate its sixth birthday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 18 downtown on Lee Street. Vendors, music, food and games will be available.
Meet at the library Kids’ Orchestra returns to the library on Oct. 4 to offer experiential learning for children ages 3-11. From 11 a.m. to noon, meet professional musicians, sing, laugh and find the beat of your own drum. Join Books & Music for a variety of sounds and colors by exploring two crayon-themed books: “Red: A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall and “Creepy Crayon!” by Aaron Reynolds. Also, learn the “Monster Mash” dance.
Recycling, garbage changes Beginning Oct. 6, Waste Management will deliver new 96-gallon recycling carts to households across Zachary. The new carts will be serviced using automated trucks. Residents who wish to keep the old 18-gallon bins may do so; however, Waste Management will no longer collect recyclables from them once the new carts are in place. New garbage and recycling rates go into effect in October: Residential garbage and recycling will be $33.30 and senior garbage and recycling, inside city limits, will be $18.15. For information, contact the city at (225) 654-1902.
PHOTOS BY SONYA GOSS
Ron Green runs straight through to make the first touchdown of the game for the Northwestern Braves on Sept. 23 at Bronco Stadium. Community news report
The Northwestern Braves hosted a home football game Sept. 23 at Zachary Broncos Football Stadium against the West Feliciana Middle School Saints. The Braves won 46-32.
Check out Baker’s market Baker’s Fresh Market will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 22 at the Baker School Board Office, 14750 Plank Road. Vendors will be selling vegetables, smoothies, eggs, meat, baked goods, plants, jams and more — all local.
Novemberfest vendors Crafters and vendors are invited to participate in St. Patrick’s Novemberfest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 1 at 1322 Church St. in Zachary. The day will include food,
ä See AROUND, page 2G
ABOVE: The Northwestern Middle cheerleaders cheered on the Braves. RIGHT: Northwestern’s Ron Green fights to bring down a West Feliciana Saints player.
Northwestern Middle’s Jordan Ford scores during the second quarter.