Gonzales Mayor Barney Arceneaux was installed as president of the h Municipal Association on Saturday at the conclusion of the LMA’s 79th annual convention at the Alexandria Riverfront Center.
Arceneaux succeeds Carroll J. Breaux, mayor of Springhill, as LMA’s highest-ranking officer. As LMA president, Arceneaux will be the state’s leading advocate for villages, towns and cities during 2016-2017, a news release said. As LMA president, he will lead the LMA Executive Board and chair the LMA Executive Committee. Breaux, as LMA immediate past president, will continue to serve on the LMA Executive Board.
In public service for 44 years, Arceneaux has worked in several facets of law enforcement, federal and local government. Having risen through the ranks of law enforcement over the span of 28 years, Arceneaux has served as a military police officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, Gonzales police chief, and achieved the rank of major in the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.
After retiring from law enforcement, Arceneaux spent years working for the Ascension Parish president in planning and development. He also worked in the federal government anti-terrorism training academy and served as a district director for former U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon.
Arceneaux is in his second term as mayor of Gonzales. At LMA, he has served as a board member for five years, most recently as first vice president in 2015-16.
With this installment, Arceneaux becomes the first to have served as president of the h Chiefs of Police Association (1988) and LMA president.