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Four candidates are on the ballot vying to take on a vacant Justice of the Peace seat in District 1 of St.John’s the Baptist Parish, in the general election slated for November 11.

The contestants listed on the ballot for the special general election are Jade Champagne, Lori Burke, Chad Roussell and Haston Lewis Jr. 

Jeff Landry, Governor of Louisiana had called for a special election to be conducted after the resignation of Haston Lewis Jr, who vacated the seat as Justice of the peace in District 1 on May 8. 

Haston boasts an impressive record of public service as he previously served as a Justice of the Peace for six years from 2014 until his term expired in Dec.31 2020, according to ballotpedia. He was re-elected for a second term until his resignation on May 8. 

However, his name still makes it to the ballot as Haston slugs it out with other candidates for another six-year term. Haston could not be reached for comments as calls to his phone went to his voicemail.

Jade Champagne, 33, who is the youngest in the race, has no law enforcement or legal experience, obtained an accounting degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and Masters in Business administration from University of Phoenix. 

She believes having lived in the community for three decades affords her “profound understanding and appreciation of the community’s needs,” and would serve the community well in the capacity of a Justice of the Peace if elected. 

Unlike Jade, Lori has scanty online presence with very little information on her campaign and track records but on August 6, she had registered an LLC group called Committee to Elect Lori Burke Colas to support her bid.

Justices of the Peace are judges who hear eviction cases, debt claims, and misdemeanors punished by fines, or issue traffic tickets on behalf of law enforcement apart from city police.

In St. John’s The Baptist parish, Louisiana, there are seven districts and each has a Justice of the Peace, but only one seat from District 1 is up for election this year.

Without a Republican candidate, the Democratic party might likely determine the outcome of the election but there is also an independent candidate on the ballot. 

The only independent candidate, Chad had announced his candidacy two months ago on his LinkedIn page where he also asked for donations to support his campaign. He believes his track record of service makes him a “wonderful” choice for the role.

“I pride myself on my integrity, availability, knowledge, and honesty. With the support of God first followed by my family and friends, I will do wonderful in this role,” he said in his post.

Chad does not have a background in law enforcement, apart from having a degree in Criminal Justice, he has a six-year working experience as an employee of the Transport Security Administration (TSA) and is a volunteer firefighter, according to his profile.

The towns where the election would take place include Edgard, Wallace, Montegut Subdivision, Historic Woodland Quarters, McReine Rd, Montz, Crevasse, a portion of Milesville and Lucy, as well as Pleasure Bend.

Voting for the general elections begins on November 5.