One day at Louisiana Tech, my fraternity brother Tony Bone (yes, that’s his real name) and I were sitting in the Student Center and lamenting the the fact that Ruston had a Burger King and recently added a McDonald’s but alas, no Wendy’s.

So as college kids are wont to do, we spur-of-the-moment took off for the closest Wendy’s available to order a Triple with Cheese plus fries and a drink. That was in West Monroe.

Dave Norris was the mayor.

When my hole-in-the-wall favorite Monroe eatery Ray’s PeGe expanded its restaurant and added a location in West Monroe, Dave Norris was the mayor.

When Ray’s PeGe closed down that West Monroe location a few years ago, Dave Norris was the mayor.

When West Monroe expanded so much they they had to add exits off Interstate 20, Dave Norris was the mayor.

When West Monroe High was just another football school in Ouachita Parish, Dave Norris was the mayor.

When West Monroe got a Hooter’s at the Thomas Road Exit, Dave Norris was the mayor. (Attaboy, Dave!)

I don’t know Dave Norris from Chuck Norris and I will probably never meet him. But if I do, I’m going to shake his hand. Unfortunately for Dave, it won’t be as Mayor of West Monroe.

For 40 years, Dave Norris was mayor. Forty years! Are you kidding me? That makes Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak look like a nice double-header.

After basically pitching election shutouts 10 straight times, Dave is now 10-1 after last Saturday’s election. The newspaper story called him the “longtime mayor” but do you think that’s underselling it a little bit, guys? Since 1978, there have been five popes, but only one mayor of West Monroe.

And on the day of Saturday’s election, as he tried to go 11-0, Mayor Norris had to check himself into the hospital with an undisclosed health issue. He issued a statement to congratulate the new mayor and will now spend time working on his recovery.

My man has earned it. Lunch at Hooter’s is on me, Dave.