ORANGE — Council Member District 2 Dr. Wayne Guidry believes in Orange.

“I grew up in Orange,” Guidry said. “I have been to 22 countries and 35 states and always returned to Orange.”

He said he ran for council to be part of the solution.

“Citizens complain about Orange but do nothing to make it a better community,” Guidry said. “I decided I wanted to stop being part of the problem and be a part of the solution.”

Guidry said the residents of Orange are great people.

As part of becoming more involved in the community, Guidry started attending city council meetings. While in Austin in March for Golden Triangle Days to discuss educational issues with legislatures, Guidry decided to run for council.

A driving force for Guidry is to help create a sense of community in Orange.

“We are working towards that as seen with the fireworks on July 4^th,” Guidry said. “We enjoyed a moment together. It was a start.”

Guidry said he would like to see the city take a proactive approach to paint a better picture of Orange.

“We need to tell the citizens the good things,” Guidry said. “Something they can take pride in and build on them.”

One such way to spread a more positive message, according to Guidry, is to utilize social media programs such as twitter and Facebook along with print media.

“You cannot reach everyone using just one approach,” Guidry said.

Such methods could include messages about activities in the area or a message of the city.

“It takes one individual at a time to give a sense of pride of Orange,” Guidry said.

District 2 covers the city of Orange located north of Interstate 10.