by Hanna Singh
Amidst the chaos of the winter storm, Mayor Ronny Walker and his wife Kay have braved the cold to serve the community over the icy weekend.
With hundreds of people stuck on the frozen interstate, families without power, and students stranded with no way home, the storm left many in disarray. Mayor Walker and Kay spent the last few days helping the people of Ruston in any way they could.
Starting on Saturday, Kay prepared gumbo to serve to linemen, street workers and first responders. With his 4-wheel drive truck, Mayor Walker assisted people on the streets and made sure everyone made it home safely. Walker explained why being hands on with the community is important to him.
“Kay and I both love serving people,” Walker said. “That’s what this job is all about. We’re both Christians and that’s what God expects us to do. We just love being out in the community. If there are people who are in need, we want to help.”
They continued to provide warm meals for workers Sunday and Monday, with bowls of chili and cheesy chicken spaghetti for those working to restore power. On Monday morning, with the assistance of Chief of Patrol, Dylan Castaneda, they delivered food and water to truck drivers and citizens stuck on the interstate due to the weather.
“I think for both of us, we aspire to be God’s feet on the ground,” Kay said. “I try to live my life like that every day. I think one of the most interesting things about today was what people appreciated. Not necessarily just the food and water we provided, but the comradery. When we went to talk with people on the interstate, they were happy to have someone to talk to and come visit with them. These people are so kind and have been so awesome.”
Mayor Walker highlighted some of the individual issues that arise when the South faces unprecedented weather conditions such as these. Not only do people face the regular challenges like icy roads and power outages, but unexpected problems can cause dire situations.
Earlier this weekend, a Louisiana Tech student working at a convenience store was prepared to journey home by foot after closing the store during an outage. Mayor Walker and Kay were able to provide the student with a ride home and assure that she made it safely.
Another issue arose when the gymnasium at New Living Word Ministries collapsed. The mayor and his council are working diligently to find an alternative space for the teams to practice until the gymnasium space is restored.
“The city really pitches in during cases like this,” Walker said. “They come together and want to help each other out.”
For example, Log Cabin and several other restaurants stayed open to provide meals for police officers and first responders while Karl Malone Toyota also served local law enforcement and first responders.
Mayor Walker shared how Sundown Tavern owner, Heath Hightower provided some ingredients to help serve the workers.
Ruston Construction Projects Supervisor John Freeman and the Ruston Police were even able to locate a student stuck on the interstate whose parent had lost contact with, to assure them that he was safe.
Throughout the frigid weekend, Mayor Walker continued to update the community about weather conditions and power restorations. He and Kay assisted the community in many ways, from bottled water and warm meals to even giving people rides.
Ruston Main Street Director, Lauren Dowden, shared what it’s like to work alongside the mayor.
“Mayor Walker truly leads with a servant’s heart,” Dowden said. “Working with him, you see how intentional he is about showing up, listening and caring about the people of his community. He’s deeply invested in Ruston and works every day to support the families, businesses and people who make this city what it is. It means a lot to work alongside someone who truly puts service and the community first.”
Anticipating a few more days of icy weather, Mayor Walker urges citizens to stay safe and stay off the roads if possible.
“When we say please stay off the roads and we put weather alerts out, we really need the community to listen,” Walker said. “We know what’s going on out in the streets and we are trying to protect our people.”
