My name is Webb Jay, and St. Charles Parish isn’t simply where I work. It’s my home, the community I’ve served, and the place where much of my life’s story has been written.
My journey hasn’t always followed a straight or easy path. Like anyone, I’ve experienced challenges, successes, failures, second chances, and opportunities I never could have predicted. Through it all, I’ve developed a deep belief that our lives are measured not simply by what we accomplish for ourselves, but by how we use our experiences and opportunities to serve others.
Learning to Overcome
From an early age, I learned something about overcoming obstacles.
I was born with cerebral palsy and spent much of my childhood dealing with physical challenges that many other children didn’t have to think about. I walked with a noticeable limp when I was young and underwent multiple surgeries.
Those experiences taught me an important lesson early in life: the obstacles we face don’t have to determine where we finish.
Like many people, my teenage years also included some difficult seasons and choices. There came a point when I realized that the direction of my life needed to change. Looking back, that period became one of the defining turning points in my story.
Webb with volunteers, leaders and youth at a church event
It was during those years that faith became much more than something I had simply heard about. It became personal.
Over the years that followed, I became deeply involved in ministry and eventually had opportunities to serve as a pastor, youth pastor, speaker, and volunteer. Ministry took me into churches and communities throughout Louisiana and beyond, and some of my most meaningful experiences involved simply being there when people needed help.
Those years reinforced something that has stayed with me ever since:
Leadership begins with service.
Building a Career in Real Estate
Real estate eventually became another major part of my life.
I spent many years working with Viola Homes, Inc., where my responsibilities extended far beyond selling homes. I worked in sales, management, human resources, and record keeping, gaining firsthand experience with the many moving pieces involved in running a real estate business.
I became a Louisiana Notary Public, real estate broker, and property manager, and over the years I’ve had the opportunity to help people navigate some of the biggest financial and personal decisions of their lives.
I also became a founding broker and president of Greater Southern MLS and have had opportunities to lecture and speak about real estate.
But the part of real estate I’ve always valued most is the people.
A house isn’t simply a piece of property. It can represent someone’s first home, a growing family, a retirement plan, an investment, an inheritance, or sometimes a difficult transition.
Understanding the story behind the transaction matters.
Serving My Community
My involvement in St. Charles Parish has extended well beyond my profession.
For nearly a decade, I served on the St. Charles Zoning Board of Adjustment, including four years as chairman. That experience gave me an up-close understanding of land use, development, property rights, and the decisions that shape our neighborhoods.
Since 2016, I’ve served as chairman of the St. Charles Parish Housing Authority.
I also spent many years involved in my local civic association, serving as its president from 2011 through 2024.
Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside many people on projects and events intended to strengthen our community—from helping launch the St. Charles Parish Crawfish Cook-Off to efforts surrounding the Zeus parade coming to Destrehan.
I’ve participated in disaster-relief efforts, community events, church activities, civic projects, and countless meetings where neighbors simply came together to figure out how to make something better.
Some of those efforts received attention. Most didn’t.
That’s okay.
Community service isn’t about getting recognition. It’s about being willing to show up.
A Life Bigger Than a Résumé
If you looked only at the titles I’ve held—broker, property manager, notary, pastor, chairman, president—you would know some things about me, but you wouldn’t really know my story.
My story includes successes and disappointments.
Webb with 3 of his brothers and his mom
It includes mistakes and second chances.
It includes faith, family, friendships, business, ministry, elections won and elections lost, community projects that succeeded, ideas that didn’t, and plenty of lessons learned along the way.
I’ve learned that leadership doesn’t mean always having the answer.
Sometimes it means listening.
Sometimes it means bringing the right people together.
Sometimes it means standing your ground.
And sometimes it simply means showing up when somebody needs you.
Why I Continue to Serve
After many years in real estate and community service, I still believe strongly in St. Charles Parish and the people who call it home.
Webb in Washington, D.C. to discuss affordable housing in St. Charles Parish
This community has invested a great deal in me, and I believe we have a responsibility to invest something back.
That’s why I continue working in real estate.
It’s why I continue participating in community organizations and public service.
It’s why I believe relationships still matter, your word still matters, and treating people fairly still matters.
I’m grateful for where I’ve been—including some of the difficult chapters—because each one has helped shape the person I am today.
Those experiences are also part of why I am seeking to serve as Justice of the Peace. I believe the position calls for someone who will listen carefully, treat people with dignity, apply the law fairly, and remember that behind every case is a person whose situation matters.
There is still more of my story to write.
And wherever that story leads, I hope one thing remains consistent:
Keep the faith. Do the work. Treat people right. And leave your community a little better than you found it.
