| Kenneth Lee Volentine | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana State Representative from District 11 (Claiborne and parts of Bienville, Lincoln, and Union parishes) | |
| In office 1988 – 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Jimmy L. Long |
| Succeeded by | Pinkie C. Wilkerson |
| Sheriff of Claiborne Parish | |
| In office 1996 – 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | J. R. "Snap" Oakes |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth R. Bailey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 9, 1941 Louisiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Beverly Ann Pixley Volentine |
| Children | Kenny B. Volentine |
| Residence | Athens Claiborne Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Religion | United Methodist |
Kenneth Lee Volentine (born January 9, 1941) is a livestock and dairy farmer[1] who previously served as a state representative and sheriff of his native Claiborne Parish in north Louisiana.
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Volentine is the son of Fred Volentine (1921-2011) and the former Sudie Bernice Lee, also deceased. His paternal grandparents were Daniel Bell Volentine, Jr. (1892-1968)[2][3] and Cleo Volentine (1894-1968).[4][5] Volentine graduated in 1960 as the class president at Athens High School in Athens, Louisiana, in the building now occupied by Mt. Olive Christian School.[6] He and his wife, the former Beverly Ann Pixley (born 1940), reside in Athens, a rural community in southern Claiborne Parish. They have a son, Kenny B. Volentine of Athens.[7] Volentine also has two brothers, Edwin "Bo" Volentine (born 1942) and Dan Volentine, both of Athens, and a sister, Wanda V. Head of Shreveport, Louisiana.[2]
Volentine is one of seven members of the Claiborne Industrial Development Board.[8]
From 1988-1992, during the administration of Governor Buddy Roemer, Volentine served a single term in the state House of Representatives.[9] Volentine was unseated in the general election held on November 16, 1991, by his fellow Democrat Pinkie C. Wilkerson, an African American attorney from Grambling in Lincoln Parish. Volentine's defeat occurred after redistricting and in the same election in which Edwin Washington Edwards returned to the Louisiana governorship for his fourth term in a ringing defeat of the Republican State Representative David Duke. Volentine had led Wilkerson in the nonpartisan blanket primary held in October 1991. He received 6,150 votes (46.9 percent) to Wilkerson’s 4,358 ballots (33.2 percent). Two other candidates held the remaining 20 percent of the vote.[10] In the general election, Wilkerson unseated Volentine, 8,590 (51.8 percent) to 7,992 (48.2 percent).[11]
In 1995, as Wilkerson won easy reelection to the legislature, Volentine secured the first of his two terms as Claiborne Parish sheriff. The office is based in the parish seat of Homer. Incumbent J. R. "Snap" Oakes retired, and in a two-candidate race Volentine defeated fellow Democrat Donald Ray "Chic" Ceccarelli (born 1965) of Homer, 3,760 (61.5 percent) to 2,350 votes (38.5 percent).[12]In 1999, Ceccarelli ran again, this time as a "No Party" candidate. Volentine prevailed, 3,619 (69 percent) to 1,487 (28.4 percent). Another 141 ballots went a second "No Party" candidate.[13]
In July 2003, the Baton Rouge firm Utopia Entertainment, Inc., sued Claiborne Parish, through Sheriff Volentine, and LaSalle Management Company, under contract to manage the men's division of the parish jail. The company claimed copyright-infringement because inmates and visitors to the Claiborne Parish Detention Center for a $3 fee could purchase pirated copies of recordings by such performers as Eminen, John Tesh, and George Strait. An inmate named Bo Fain was specifically cited for having made the recordings.[14]
In July 2003, Volentine joined another former state representative from the area, Virgil Orr of Ruston, in supporting the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial contender Randy Ewing of Jackson Parish, a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. The position ultimately went to another Democrat, Kathleen Blanco of Lafayette.[15]
In 2003, Volentine did not seek a third term as sheriff and was succeeded by Kenneth R. Bailey of Homer (born 1958), runaway victor in the nonpartisan blanket primary held that fall.[16]
| Preceded by Jimmy L. Long |
Louisiana State Representative from District 11 (Claiborne and parts of Bienville, Lincoln, and Union parishes)
Kenneth Lee Volentine |
Succeeded by Pinkie C. Wilkerson |
| Preceded by J. R. "Snap" Oakes |
Sheriff of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Kenneth Lee Volentine |
Succeeded by Kenneth R. Bailey |