FERRIDAY, La. &045; Four new faces, and one returning member will be sworn in as members of Ferriday’s Town Council on Friday.

The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. at Ferriday Town Hall, Mayor Gene Allen said Tuesday.

The ceremony marks a historic moment for the town, as all but one councilman is new to the board.

The turnover comes at a time when town officials continue to work to address a financial crunch, launch beautification projects and find ways to improve the town’s water system, among other issues.

A variety of factors led to turnover on the board. In District A only one person, Robin Charpentier, signed up to run and, as a result, won by default.

District B interim Alderman Bob Jones, who served the unexpired term of Councilman Mitch Ashmore, chose not to run and Glenn Henderson won the post in an April 23 runoff.

Sammy Davis Jr. &045; who joined the council to fill the unexpired term of wife Elizabeth, who died that year &045; chose to retire as District D councilman after a long career in public office.

Davis had previously served as Ferriday mayor for four years and as a Concordia Parish police juror for 12 years.

Johnnie Brown, a former Concordia Parish School Board member, won the District D seat in the April 9 election.

And in District E, Gloria Lloyd defeated Councilwoman Dorothy Johnson.

In District C, incumbent Jerome Harris defeated former Councilwoman Gail Pryor to win his second term.

Meanwhile, in Vidalia, the Board of Aldermen’s only new face will be Tron McCoy, who defeated incumbent Carter Warner in the April 23 runoff election.

However, personnel at Town Hall said Tuesday said they will have to receive McCoy’s official paperwork from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office before setting a date for his swearing-in ceremony.