Jacob Perron “Perry” Talley is announcing his campaign for Washington Parish Council for District 1.

Talley is a lifelong resident and business owner of Washington Parish and resides in the Rio community.  He is a graduate of LSU in Baton Rouge, with a B.S. in Agribusiness and a minor in Animal, Dairy and Poultry Science. He is also a product of the Bogalusa City School System and a graduate from Bogalusa High School.

Since the year 2000, Talley has served as the president, CEO and 50-percent owner of The RIO Company Unlimited, LLC. Talley’s wife Michele is the other 50-percent owner. Talley is responsible for all aspects of the company, which is primarily a wholesale nursery and farm. He is also a grower of world-famous Washington Parish watermelons.

Talley is a longtime member of Palestine Baptist Church. He is an advocate for responsible, sustainable, and profitable domestic agriculture and has promoted these premises as reasons for government protection of private agricultural resources and interests within Washington Parish. As a volunteer rural development coordinator for the parish government, he has coordinated meetings between parish officials and USDA representatives to explore options for rural development in Washington Parish.

In 2007, Talley tirelessly worked to limit restrictions on rural agricultural private property in the parish development ordinance, and was successful with the help of many other community leaders in eliminating crippling, excessive, discriminatory, unnecessary and counterproductive land use restrictions to private property owners in Washington Parish.

Serving as science fair judge for Ben’s Ford Christian School, Bogalusa High School FFA poultry judging coach, and Washington Parish 4-H Achievement Day judge, Talley knows that our youth are the future of Washington Parish. Perry and Michele have a daughter, Vivian, a fifth grader, and a son, Samuel, a second grader. Both are excellent students, and are being groomed to be responsible Christian citizens of the next generation.

Prior to opening his local business, Talley worked for Holly Springs Agricultural Center as production manager. Before that, he worked for Talley Forest Products, Inc., as a timber buyer, where he acquired timber, and occasionally timberland, for the company from private property owners. In his college years, Talley was a beef cattle farm operator and was responsible for operating and managing the family Hereford, Angus/Brangus, and Beefmaster herd.

Talley said he is dedicated to the present and future of Washington Parish. He has qualified two times before for this position — once in 1999 and again in 2007. He believes that “the people’s voice should always be heard and common sense should prevail.”

If elected, he pledges to do his best to work with the parish president, fellow councilmen, and others, but never at the cost of his constituents’ representation.

Talley pledges to make every effort to stop “crisis” government by planning ahead and upholding all of our God-given rights. He also wants the parish government to do everything possible to promote responsible and positive economic growth in our area that will allow for the progression of a better standard of living for all.

He still believes that the parish government should be there to serve the residents of Washington Parish, not the other way around.