VIDALIA — The long-serving president of the Concordia Parish Police Jury says he does not intend to run for a seventh term in office.

President Melvin Ferrington said he plans to finish his sixth term, which ends Dec. 31, and then spend some time doing things he and his wife have always wanted to do.

“My wife and I have been taking about it for the last year, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I felt like it was the right time for me to go,” he said.

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, I am aging — I am 83-years-old — and my health is in pretty good shape, so I am going to take this time and not seek re-election to spend time with my family and do some things I have been wanting to do a long time while I am still able to do it.”

Ferrington has served as president for the last three terms, and was vice president for two years prior to that. Even now, he says, the job is a learning experience.

“I learn something each and every day, and being president you are involved in all the activities across the parish and across the state,” he said.

“I will be in the office every day until the end of this year, and then I will most likely be involved in the transition in it. I hope to get some good qualified person to run in my place, someone who has the parish at heart and who will do the right thing for the parish.”

Ferrington said he is proud to be leaving the parish government with the plans for a drainage plan in place and in good financial shape, two things that weren’t the case when he took office.

“We have got a lot of things going on with the jury now, and I hate to not be involved, but of course I will be involved in the drainage program continuously until we get it in place,” he said.

Qualifying for police jury seats will be Sept. 8-10. The races will be included on the Oct. 24 primary and Nov. 21 run-off ballots.