By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board will have a new face in January, as voters in District 9 chose political newcomer Shawn Wallace, a Democrat, over incumbent Lowell Bacas, a Republican.

Wallace acquired 65.53 percent of the vote, with 768 ballots cast for him. Bacas, who has been a School Board member since 2001, received 404 votes.

“I’m excited to be newly elected to the School Board for District 9,” Wallace said, adding his focus on the Board will be to make sure the rebuilding of East St. John High School and Lake Pontchartrain Elementary — the two schools flooded in 2012’s Hurricane Isaac — stay on track.

In a repeat contest from four years ago, District 10 School Board member Rodney Nicholas, a Democrat, once again beat Democrat Matthew Ory for a seat on the Board.

In 2010, Nicholas defeated then-incumbent Ory by a 60-vote margin for the position. This year, Nicholas won by 177 votes, earning 56.76 percent of votes. He earned 743 votes to Ory’s tally of 566 votes.

District 1 and District 5 voters were the only ones in St. John Parish deciding on a Justice of the Peace position.

In District 1, Edgard voters chose Haston Lewis Jr. over Charo Bossier-Holden, both Democrats, as their Justice of the Peace. Lewis garnered 69.3 percent of the vote, with 1,156 votes cast his way. Bossier-Holden received 512 votes.

In District 5, LaPlace voters chose Greg Maurin over Beverly Frank, both Democrats, as their Justice of the Peace. Maurin garnered 61.86 percent of the vote, with 918 votes cast for him. Frank received 566 votes.