Guidry leaves council, schools vacancy

For The Record

The City of Orange will hold its regular election for city council on May 6.

Then it will hold another not long after.

This will be to replace Wayne Guidry, District 2, who announced Tuesday morning a new job will force a move.

And Guidry’s departure – to become superintendent of schools in Hubbard, Texas, a small district located northeast of Waco – will leave a vacancy in West Orange-Cove schools.

Guidry, a former sports standout at Orangefield High and the University of Texas, has been WO-C’s executive director of operations.

He has been named “lone finalist” for the Hubbard ISD job, in accordance with state law, and will be starting on his new job on April 28.

“We’re excited, and sad to leave the area at the same time,” said Guidry, who has worked 15 years in education.

He has been a teacher, a principal and is in his sixth year as a WO-C administrator.

“I’ve loved my being at West Orange. I’ve seen a lot of good things in six years. I think it’s prepared me,” he said.

Hubbard ISD, he said, has about 380 students and competes in UIL Class A.

“My interest right now is those 380 students,” he said. “I’m going to put everything I’ve got into it.”

Council members wished Guidry well Tuesday. Essie Bellfield even “scooped” Guidry’s news when she said, “I regret seeing Dr. Guidry leave, but I enjoyed working with him,” before Guidry made his announcement.

Shawn Oubre, Orange’s city manager, said, “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Dr. Guidry. You helped grow me.”

Guidry returned the compliments.

“I want to thank you guys for your service,” he said to council members and city staff, “and I want to thank the community.

“You taught me it’s not about Wayne Guidry, but about the opportunity provided to me by the people. Thanks for embracing me and my family.”

Oubre said that because Guidry has nearly two years left on his term, an election is required to fill his seat.

City council will have 10 days to call an election after receiving Guidry’s letter of resignation (he hadn’t turned on in as of Tuesday morning), then 50 days from that time to hold a special election, Oubre said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, longtime civic volunteers Sandra Cash and Sandra Hoke called on the city to begin enforcing its littering ordinance.

The identified themselves as “The Trashy Ladies” and held signs reading “Enforce Litter Ordinances” and “$200 Fine For Littering.” They read the city ordinance and Cash said they were “shocked and awed” when police officers, including chief Lane Martin, told them they couldn’t stop littering.

“As a result, what we see every day is a trashy city,” Cash said. “What good is an ordinance if it’s not enforced?”

“We teach our children to pick up trash,” Hoke said. “We should expect no less from the city of Orange.”