By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – William “Billy” Woodruff and Mary Keller Clulee will face each other in a runoff for the St. Charles Parish District 2 Council seat on May 4.
Woodruff garnered the most votes in the April 6 election, edging out Clulee by 74, 46 percent to 40 percent. Vanessa Johnson rounded out the field with about 14 percent of the vote.
Woodruff is a sportsman who enjoys fishing and hunting. The widowed father of three said he knows many of the ills that plague St. Charles as a whole because of his former employment with the parish’s public works department. Woodruff mentioned he would address drainage problems in the district and discussed his support for the west bank protection levee. The 61-year-old also said a public boat launch on the west bank could draw revenue-generators such as the Bass Master Classic, a fishing competition, to the community
Mary Keller Clulee, also 61, is a life-long resident of St. Charles Parish. Cluelee enjoys walking her dogs, cooking and most importantly, volunteering. Clulee believes in community service because of the work her parents did in her community. Cluelee also considers herself well informed about various issues within the parish. She volunteers regularly at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, Holy Family Catholic Church and St. Charles Parish Hospital.
For this special election, Wednesday, April 3, was the last day to register to vote. Tuesday, April 30 is the last day to request absentee ballots. Early voting dates are Saturday, April 20, through Saturday, April 27, from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., not including Sundays. Election day times are from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at designated locations.
For more information about voting registration or voting locations, contact the St. Charles Parish Registrar of Voters by calling 985-783-5120 or visiting the physical address at 15045 River Road, #189 in Hahnville.
Meanwhile in St. James Parish, voters approved a $1.5 million bond issue for the water treatment system in Gramercy on Saturday. The measure passed easily with more than nine out of every 10 voters giving the nod of approval.