LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)- It was a historic election for Lafayette and a close race for the Lafayette city marshal’s seat. On Saturday, Reggie Thomas won the election by a small fraction of votes, securing his spot as the Lafayette city marshal for the next six years.

“This win shows what hard work can do- knocking on doors and talking to citizens,” Thomas said.

Thomas is the first African-American to win a city-wide election in Lafayette. “Being the first African American means a lot to me. The reason why it means so much to me is because I want to use my platform to mentor young men without fathers,” he said. “I grew up without a father and I know how important it is to have mentors.”

Thomas won the election against Duson Police Chief Kip Judice. Like Judice, Thomas plans on straying away from incarceration and wants to work on transitioning to community service opportunities for people convicted of minor-misdemeanors. Thomas says he wants to be more involved with the community when he takes over this role.

At this time, Thomas is currently working on creating a team to help transition him into the office. It’s currently unclear when that will be, however, he says it should be in January.