LAPLACE – A significantly different leadership team is coming to the helm of St. John the Baptist Parish for the next four years following the Oct. 12 election, which retained the incumbent sheriff and clerk of court but named a new Parish President and several new Parish Council members.

St. John Parish residents were loud and clear about their choice for Parish President, electing Jaclyn Hotard by a landslide 68 percent in a race that included five candidates.

Incumbents losing their seats in this election were Councilman At-Large Division A, Larry Sorapuru and District 2 Councilwoman, Julia Remondet. Parish Council members elected included Lennix “Tweet” Madere for At-Large Division A, Warren J. “Bosco” Torres Jr. for District 2, Tammy Houston for District 3, Robert J. Arcuri for District 5 and Tonia Schnyder for District 6.

Without any vote-getters receiving the 50 percent threshold, Parish Councilman At-Large Division B (Michael P. Wright and Marvin “Butch” Perrilloux) and Parish Council District 4 (Tyra Duhé-Griffin and Frank Alexis Jr.) are headed for run-offs in a Nov. 16 election.

Election results are as follows:

PARISH PRESIDENT

• Jaclyn Hotard – 68 percent – 9,664 votes
• Charles Julien – 14 percent – 1,999 votes
• Rodney Nicholas – 12 percent – 1,714 votes
• Randy Vincent – 4 percent – 567 votes
• Terry Lewis, Sr. – 3 percent – 363 votes

In the weeks leading up to the election, Hotard said her 16 years of Parish Council experience and educational background in law uniquely prepared her to become St. John the Baptist Parish’s chief executive officer.

Her St. John Parish Council tenure has included eight years in a district position and eight years in an At-Large position. For 11 of those 16 years, she has been selected by her peers to serve in leadership positions.

“To the residents of St. John, I say THANK YOU for your overwhelming vote of confidence,” Hotard said in a social media post. “I heard you loud and clear St. John, and I am just so honored and humbled by your support. We did this together, and it is with that spirit that I will continue to serve the parish I love so dearly.”

SHERIFF

• Mike Tregre  – 55 percent – 7,910 votes
• Clarence Gray, Jr. – 38 percent – 5,468 votes
• Shug Watkins – 7 percent – 990 votes

St. John Parish residents decided they still like Mike, choosing to elect him to serve as sheriff for a third consecutive term.

“Thank you St. John Parish for continuing to trust me to lead St. John Sheriff’s Office for the next four years,” Tregre said. “I do not take these past two terms for granted, and I will continue to work hard to keep St. John Parish safe. I have three major capital outlay projects on the burner, and I look forward to their completion.”

Two of those projects include the West Bank Safety Complex in Wallace and the East Bank Training Facility in LaPlace, both expected to reach completion in 2020.

Clerk of Court

• Eliana DeFrancesch – 67 percent – 9,316 votes
• Peggy Joseph – 33 percent – 4,529 votes

Eliana DeFrancesh has won elections to keep her clerk of court title since 2000, and this election year was no different. As clerk of court, she promises to continue updating community services to keep in line with ever-evolving technology.

“Thank you for all your support and allowing me to continue to serve the public of this parish,” DeFrancesch said. “My office and I have new services that will be available to the public in the near future. We expect to have e-filing for civil and Internet access for real estate records in the next few weeks. Again, thank you for all of your continued support.

Councilman at Large – Division A

• Lennix “Tweet” Madere – 55 percent – 3,660 votes
• Larry Sorapuru – 45 percent – 3,005 votes

In his eight-year Parish Council tenure, Madere has been a consistent advocate for drainage solutions in St. John Parish. He takes the place of incumbent Larry Sorapuru, who was elected to the At-Large position in 2015. In social media postings, Madere’s daughter said her father was appreciative of the community support.

Councilman at Large – Division B

• Michael P. Wright – 43 percent – 3,080 votes
• Marvin “Butch” Perrilloux – 31 percent – 2,226 votes
• Larry Snyder, Sr. – 26 percent – 1,848 votes

This race is headed to a run-off between the top two vote getters, Michael P. Wright and Marvin “Butch” Perrilloux. Wright and Perrilloux have been part of the St. John Parish Council in district seats for the past two terms. For more information on their platforms, please see lobservateur.com/2019/08/17/election-2019-perrilloux-wright-and-snyder-look-to-drainage-solutions-for-division-b-seat/ and stay tuned for run-off election coverage.

Councilman – District 2

• Warren J. “Bosco” Torres, Jr. – 54 percent – 1,094 votes
• Julia Remondet – 46 percent – 940 votes

Newcomer Torres ran for the District 2 seat with goals to develop a diversion project committee of locals, work with area railroads to keep culverts clean, recruit and maintain volunteer firemen, implement a new water treatment plan, establish apprenticeship program and correct water meter issues, among other projects. He said he is eager to serve the people of St. John the Baptist Parish.

Councilman – District 3

• Tammy Houston – 70 percent – 1,168 votes
• David C. Sanders – 30 percent – 512 votes

Houston, a longtime leader and 2017 retiree of the St. John Parish library system, said she is thankful to have had a good, clean race with her opponent.

“I look forward to becoming a public servant again,” Houston said. “I look forward to helping the people in my community and making myself accessible. With every congratulatory wish is another person saying, after I am integrated, they want to talk some issues that need to be addressed. I look forward to addressing every single one of them.”

Councilman – District 4

• Tyra Duhé-Griffin – 48 percent – 699 votes
• Frank Alexis Jr. – 27 percent – 397 votes
• Penny J. Hall – 25 percent – 374 votes

This race is headed to a run-off between the top two vote getters, Tyra Duhé-Griffin and Frank Alexis Jr. For more information about their platforms, please see lobservateur.com/2019/08/31/election-2019-district-4-candidates-discuss-economic-growth/ and stay tuned for run-off election coverage.

Councilman – District 5

• Robert J. Arcuri – 52 percent – 1152 votes
• Anastacia Taylor Francis – 22 percent – 494 votes
• Morgan Lee – 13 percent – 292 votes
• Damon K. Davis – 13 percent – 285 votes

Despite a four-way race, Robert Arcuri came out with more than 50 percent of the vote. He is a lifelong St. John resident and a 2016 retiree from Shell Oil Company.

“I would like to thank everyone who supported me during my campaign, especially those of you who voted for me yesterday,” Arcuri said on Sunday. “I look forward to representing everyone in District 5, and I will work to address the issues we face in the District and the Parish as a whole.”

Arcuri also thanked his three opponents for running a positive campaign.

Councilman – District 6

• Tonia Schnyder – 58 percent – 957 votes
• Warren Snyder, Jr. – 42 percent – 708 votes

Schnyder plans to lead a more unified St. John the Baptist Parish with more recreational and educational opportunities for young people.

“I’m really looking forward to working in my community and making a difference,” Schnyder said. “Together we stand, divided we fall. It’s truly time we bring unity in our community. It may not be an easy task, but it’s worth fighting for.”