A special Beaumont City Council meeting was held May 13 to officially canvass results of the recent municipal election and swear-in newly elected council members. Before the oath ceremony, outgoing council members were given the opportunity to deliver farewell remarks.
Former councilmember Randy Feldschau, who came in third in the mayoral race, congratulated the incoming councilors and thanked the citizens of Beaumont for their trust in allowing him to serve for the past six years.
“Together, we accomplished a lot of great things and, yet, there’s still so much work to be done,” Feldschau said. “So, I vacate this position and chair to Mike Williams and a new council with the confidence that they will continue to move our city forward … the honor was all mine.”
Audwin Samuel, who served Ward 3 for more than three decades, chose to run at-large this election cycle. After being outvoted by incumbent AJ Turner and Williams for the pair of citywide positions, Samuel stepped aside to allow newly elected Ward 3 Councilmember LaDonna Sherwood to assume the seat.
After six years of representing Ward 1, Taylor Neild vacated his seat and offered his support of now newly elected Cory Crenshaw.
“Unless you have served on the city council, you don’t truly understand all that goes with the late-night phone calls and early morning text messages, ranging from sewer issues to drug counseling or, maybe, just somebody needing someone to talk to,” Neild shared. “My heartfelt thanks to the constituents of Ward 1, it does not feel like all that long ago I was walking door-to-door, introducing myself to the people for the first time – I will forever be grateful for the belief then and continued support since that allowed me to serve the city that we all love.”
After thanking his friends, family, and supporters, Neild closed with one final word of advice to Ward 1 constituents in the event of future concerns:
“Call Crenshaw!”
Newly elected officials were then sworn in: Cory Crenshaw for Ward 1, Joseph Hilliard for Ward 2, Sherwood for Ward 3, incumbent Chris Durio for Ward 4, and Mike Williams and Turner for at-large seats. The new council members each offered words of gratitude and optimism as they stepped into their roles.
“My dear friend, Pastor John Adolph, thank you for being part of making my campaign and this day a success – coming together to show Beaumont that together we can do great things,” Crenshaw said. “He allowed me to put forth a campaign of unity and love and respect for this entire city … thank you all, Beaumont, thank you for this amazing opportunity.”
Sherwood, who has spent over a decade advocating for her community and supporting others’ campaigns, expressed appreciation:
“I appreciate your confidence in my ability to represent you, (it) means everything to me – to those of you who voted differently, I can assure you that I will be found representing all of Ward 3 residents with the same commitment and integrity,” Sherwood said. “I heard your concerns during my campaign for better streets and better drainage and economic development and improvement towards crime … let’s go to work, Beaumont!”
Williams described the journey as humbling and reflected on the meaningful relationships built throughout his campaign.
“We worked hard, we listened to people … we’re all excited to work together to make Beaumont the best place it can be,” said Williams.
Hilliard said he is honored and humbled by the opportunity and excited to begin the work of making Beaumont better. He expressed his commitment to serve not just Ward 2, but the entire city. Hilliard replaces councilmember Mike Getz and was given the oath of office by Getz’ former father-in-law, Jerry Nathan.
Incumbents Turner and Durio also shared their appreciation, with the former acknowledging the significance of the council’s transition, noting a sharp reduction in collective experience.
“To our seasoned citizens, thank y’all for giving us young professionals the opportunity to represent the city of Beaumont,” Turner said.
Durio, now the most senior member on council, spoke candidly about his role.
“Even Councilman Getz, he’s not here right now – but I did learn one thing from Mike, I learned to step up for my ward. Anytime funding came up, I said I wanted it all in Ward 4,” Durio said. “You know it don’t work out like that, but I said closed mouths don’t get fed, so I do ask for it.”
He thanked his family and supporters, especially his wife and children, for their unwavering support through the years.
The entire council expressed a unified desire to work together for the betterment of Beaumont.
One position remains undecided: a mayoral runoff election between former mayor Robin Mouton and Mayor Roy West is scheduled for June 7.
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