Winn’s State Representative Jack McFarland, Dist. 13, commended actions of the Winn Parish lawmakers as the year draws to a close and gave some words of encouragement and advice to the new jury members who will come on board January 8.

“This is a bittersweet time, when the terms of service for some come to a close while the opportunity for service opens for others.  I can tell you that the public does not realize how much work and personal time is taken in being on the Police Jury,” he began.

Before his election as state representative in 2015 (he will begin his fourth term in January), McFarland himself served on the Winn Parish Police Jury from 2008 to 2015, serving as president the whole time.

The representative said he has worked well with the parish leaders who have worked hard to bring benefits to the parish.  “Winn has done well on getting finances and projects that we would not have gotten if we hadn’t worked so hard and asked for them,” he emphasized.  By way of example, McFarland said Winn received some $81 million for much-needed work on rural water systems and this represented about 10% of the total state funding.

“I appreciate the efforts you have made and I look forward to working with you for the next four years,” he concluded.

Outgoing president Josh McAllister responded that the police jury is “fortunate to know our state representative.  We probably received more money for Winn over the past four or eight years than any time in the past.”