Tied JP candidates go to runoff; charter change dies

Two tied votes in Tuesday’s election will result in a runoff between candidates and failure of a parish proposition.
There were four amendments to the St. Mary Parish Home Rule Charter on the ballot.
A salary increase for council members was defeated but voters approved a third term of office.
The council currently is restricted to two terms in their current seat. Without the new amendment, after having served two terms in either an at-large district seat or single-member district seat they were then allowed to switch to the other district. With passage of the amendment current sitting members will now be allowed to seek a third term. Only three terms can be served in any seat.
Meanwhile, a proposal granting a raise to the parish president failed but the amendment intended to grant the parish president a third term in office ended in a tie vote with 7,010 ballots cast on both sides of the issue.
Registrar of Voters Jolene Holcombe’s office said this morning that, after research, the tie vote means the amendment has failed.
Also, both Nekesia J. Bowie and Virginia Sutton received 205 votes each in the Justice of the Peace Ward 7 vote.
That tie will result in both candidates going into a rematch in the Dec. 6 election.