Proctor announces candidacy for mayor of Crowley

Ezora J. Proctor has announced her candidacy for the office of mayor of the city of Crowley in the Nov. 6 election.
Her formal announcement follows:
Ezora Johnson Proctor is a retired resident of Crowley with a strong passion for Crowley and its citizens.
She has prepared herself for life, and has attended numerous colleges in her lifetime earning the Bachelor of Science, Master of Education, and Doctor of Education degrees. She has done further studies at 12 other universities.
It was during her teaching years in Rayne that she met and married her husband, Bishop James W. Proctor, to whom she has been married for 48 years. They reside in Crowley,.
Ezora and James are the proud parents of two children, Trina Renee and the late Marcus Jacques, who have brought and continue to bring great happiness, pride, and joy to them. Their two grandchildren, Taj Jacques and Trevyn Cole, are the highlights of their lives.
Proctor is a strong, multi-talented and multi-faceted woman who works hard and long for the things in which she believes. She gives generously of her money, time, talent, and resources to Rotary, her church, her work and her community.
During her lifetime, she has coordinated many voter registration drives in Acadia Parish and Crowley Back-to-School supply and uniform drives for students. She has walked many miles getting membership dues from Crowley residents and reorganizing the NAACP in her home.
She and her husband, Bishop James W. Proctor, have adopted Head Start and elementary school classes for more than 25 years, working with students, reading with them, donating books to them and purchasing healthy snacks for each Head Start class.
Both have volunteered their time as mentors to community youth, teaching them life skills as they met in the Proctor’s home monthly.
Presently, Proctor serves as Crowley City Councilwoman for Ward 3, Division B. Since coming aboard as councilwoman in 2014, she has organized the West Crowley Advisory Board, activated West Crowley Quarterly Town Hall Meetings, and the board has put together a Five Point Program to help improve the quality of life in Crowley.
If you were to read Proctor’s voluminous resume, you would discover that she has served in many positions on the local, state, and national levels.
Following is a summary of a few of her accomplishments as a community organizer, entrepreneur, and public servant:
• She has worked as a Program Manager for the Louisiana Department of Education, instructor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Director of Intercity Cultural Program at Chicago University and a teacher for the Acadia Parish School Board.
Her dedication to education goes over and beyond her educational accomplishments and service to her community.
• She has been the vice president of the Retired Teachers Association, vice president of the Acadia Parish School Board (raised salaries for school employees and test scores were improved), chairperson of the Acadia Parish St. Jude Children Hospital Yearly Fundraiser, Grand Opera House of the South Board of Directors, Advisor for Evangeline Boy Scout Council, CASA Board of Directors, International Rice Festival Board of Directors, Administrator of Crowley Summer Youth Camp, Crowley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, KATC TV3 Advisory Board, chairperson of Crowley National Day of Prayer, and grant writer for many community and church-wide programs.
• She is currently serving on the Acadia General Hospital Community Advisory Council, LSUE Advisory Board, and is the leader of PUSH – Pray Until Something Happens (Safe and Violence Prevention Walk).
• She was inducted into the Rotary Club of Crowley in January, 2000. She served as the Rotary Club of Crowley president in 2008-2009 and as Rotary International District 6200 assistant governor in 2011- 2013, and served as governor of Rotary International District 6200 in 2014-2015.
• She and her husband, James, are Multi-Paul Harris Fellows, and have traveled extensively abroad.
• She has served as the national president of the National Association of University Women domiciled in Washington, D.C., for four years, supervising, expanding, renovating, and beautifying the national headquarters. In addition, under her supervision the mortgage on the headquarters building was successfully retired.
• Proctor was the first minority female candidate for mayor of Crowley. She has been a candidate on two prior elections, and although she was not victorious, she has never stopped working to make Crowley a better place to reside, thus showing her love for Crowley and its citizens.
• She was appointed by former Governor of Louisiana, Dave Treen, to serve on the Louisiana Professional Practice Commission. She was also appointed by Governor Kathleen Blanco as chairperson of her Women Leaders Conference.
Proctor’s honors and awards are numerous, just to mention a few: Woman of Excellence Award, Jaycee Jaynes Woman of the Year, Zeta Phi Beta Professional Woman of the Year, the United Way Volunteer Hall of Fame, and John G. Lewis Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award, West Coast City Hall of Fame, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters Service Award, Head Start Volunteer of the Year Award, Acadia Parish Teacher of the Year, Crowley Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, St. Landry Parish Hall of Fame, and International Who’s Who Among Professional and Business Women.
Proctor is widely known throughout the city, state, and nation as a community organizer, visionary, change agent, and transparent leader. Her pledge to the Crowley citizens is to improve the quality of service, help provide a safe community, and to maintain a program of fiscal management and accountability.
“I will be a full time mayor that everyone from all areas of Crowley can touch, interact with, communicate, collaborate, and work with,” said Proctor.
As Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have studied and prepared myself, and one day my chance will come.” Therefore, Proctor is saying, “I am seizing this moment as my opportunity to serve as mayor of Crowley with the support of Crowley citizens.” Please vote and elect – Ezora J. Proctor Mayor of Crowley.