Meet Your Mayor: Nic Hunter

A life-long resident of Lake Charles and small business owner, Nic Hunter was elected to the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury in 2011 and was in his second term of serving the people of District Five – the City of Lake Charles and portions of Ward 3, when he was elected to the office of Mayor on Lake Charles on Saturday, April 29, 2017.

Early in life Mayor Hunter acquired his work ethic by bussing tables and washing dishes at his grandparents’ restaurant, Harlequin Steaks & Seafood, which they opened in 1956. With his grandmother’s blessing, he began running the restaurant full time at the age of 17. 

After graduating from St. Louis Catholic High School in 2002, he immediately began working on a relocation of the Harlequin.

In the Spring of 2004 Mayor Hunter relocated the business to its current location, 501 W. College Street. He completed this relocation at the age of 20 and has managed the restaurant ever since. 

In 2007, he returned to McNeese and completed his degree, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History.

After a few years of the restaurant being at its new location, he garnered a newfound respect for philanthropy and community entrepreneurialism. He chose to use the Harlequin, and his own talents, to better Southwest Louisiana as a whole – a community he loves and never wants to leave. Several efforts that he has focused on specifically have been children in need in SWLA, efforts to support active military and military veterans, and encouraging animal adoption. 

In 2015, Mayor Hunter married his wife, Becky, an accomplished lawyer in Southwest Louisiana. They welcomed their first born, a son named Harrison, into the world in August 2017. Together, they have three dogs: Humphrey, Boris and Jolene.

Awards

2008: Times of Southwest Louisiana’s “Up & Coming Under 40” 

2011: Family & Youth Counseling Agency’s “Philanthropist of the Year Award”

2011: Mayor’s Armed Forces Committee’s “Patriot of the Year Award”

2011: Association of Fundraising Professionals Southwest Louisiana Chapter’s “Philanthropy Day 2011 Honoree” 

2013: “The Louisiana Distinguished Civilian Service Medal,” presented by the Louisiana National Guard

2017-2018: Diocese of Lake Charles Citizen of the Year, presented by Msgr. Cramer's Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus

2018: Alliance for Positive Growth Annual Awards Public Servant Elected Category

2018: Humanitarian of the Year, presented by Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Louisiana - 7th Masonic District PHA

Lagniappe Magazine readers consistently voted Nic “Best Police Juror” in Calcasieu Parish