Remembering Broussard former mayor Charles Langlinais
BROUSSARD, La. (KLFY) - The Broussard community remembers former mayor Charles Langlinais, who recently passed away.
News 10 spoke with Mayor Ray Bourque about Langlinais’s legacy and how he impacted the city.
“We're all sad to hear about the passing of the previous mayor Charles Langlinais who has served the city for more than 30 years. So our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Carolyn and his entire family, and we're going to do everything we can in the city to honor his heritage and what he's always done for us,” said Mayor Bourque.
Langlinais dedicated his life to serving the city for more than 30 years. From Jan. 1991 to Dec. 2018, he was mayor of the city. Before he had the mayor hat, he served as a council member from March 1987 to Dec. 1990. He has helped Broussard experience growth during his leadership, including investment in Home Depot, Walmart, Stine Lumber, and Albertsons Grocery, in addition to expanding infrastructure by constructing Alberston Parkway and Ambassador Caffery.
“Well, I think, really, putting Broussard on a map as a place for businesses to invest in that was always his goal. He was always looking for the next business to come here and the next investment in the Broussard,” Bourque said. “This space has the newest McDonald's in the entire world. We've experienced new restaurants here, and much of it is supportive of the park. Safe source direct has its global headquarters in this corridor. So it's very exciting for Broussard, and the investments that the state is making in the I-49 corridor through Broussard are very important to us.”
Friday, city officials held a ribbon cutting for a business of T-Moblie opening.
“Certainly, he would be proud of what's going on today, and I was lucky enough to keep up with him. The first four years, I was mayor, my first term. I talked to him every once in a while, and he was just always excited about the growth of the city and its future,” said Bourque.
He said Langlinais was a big-picture kind of person who loved to say ‘get it done.’
“He didn't really worry about the details between here and there. He just was looking for the final product,” he said. “His legacy is going to be remembered in our city, and we're going to do everything we can to honor that legacy for him.”
Mayor Bourque says in the next seven days, all city flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of his service to the city.