LAPLACE — Every vote counted Saturday in the race for Parish Councilman At-Large Division B. After polls closed, Michael P. Wright (No party) was elected to the position by a margin of 45 votes.

Wright earned just over 50 percent of the turnout with 3,950 votes, while his opponent, Marvin “Butch” Perrilloux Jr. (Democrat), earned 3,905 votes. As the new Councilman for At-Large Division B, he will fill the role previously held by Parish President-Elect Jaclyn Hotard.

Wright and his wife, Erica, dedicated the victory to Team Wright and St. John Parish.

“I’m humbled by tonight’s results – they are a true testament to the hard work and effort put forth by a fantastic team over the last several months,” Wright said. “Erica and I are forever grateful for the support this community has given the both of us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you St. John!”

Also elected Saturday was new District 4 Councilwoman Tyra Duhé-Griffin (Democrat) with 66 percent of the vote. Duhé-Griffin earned 1,107 votes across nine precincts. Her opponent, Frank Alexis Jr. (Democrat), earned 582 votes for 34 percent of the turnout.

Duhé-Griffin will represent residents in LaPlace Park, Sugar Ridge, Foxwood, the Grove and other areas of LaPlace that were previously represented by Marvin “Butch” Perrilloux Jr.

She said she was humbled, grateful and honored to be elected to the position.

“Thank you for believing in me and voting for a new generation of leadership,” Duhé-Griffin said. “Last night my campaign team, friends and family were saying, ‘you did it!’ My response is, we did it. We made it happen and the people of St. John did it. That makes a difference. I look forward to getting to work for the people of St. John the Baptist Parish.”

The complete 2020 St. John the Baptist Parish Council includes Kurt Becnel (District 1), Warren J. “Bosco” Torres Jr. (District 2), Tammy Houston (District 3), Tyra Duhé-Griffin (District 4), Robert J. Arcuri (District 5), Tonia Schnyder (District 6), Tom Malik (District 7), Lennix “Tweet” Madere Jr. (At-Large Division A) and Michael P. Wright (At-Large Division B).

Five of the nine elected officials are new to the Parish Council. The two new at-large representatives have served in district positions for the past eight years. Only Becnel and Malik ran unopposed and retained their positions from the previous term.

St. John Parish residents also voted in statewide elections for Louisiana governor and secretary of state during the Nov. 16 election.
John Bel Edwards earned another term as governor with 774, 469 votes statewide, accounting for 51.34 percent of the turnout. Edwards saw greater support in St. John Parish, where he gained 74.05 percent of the vote. Challenger Eddie Rispone received 25.95 percent of the vote in St. John.

Locals also voted democrat for the secretary of state. Gwen Collins-Greenup received 65.95 percent of the vote parish-wide. However, Kyle Ardoin was re-elected to the secretary of state position with 59.07 percent of the vote statewide.

For more information on 2019 election results, please visit the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website at voterportal.sos.la.gov.