LAPLACE — St. John the Baptist Parish voters have the final say on a number of issues as polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at all voting locations.

A wide array of elections are open for area residents to weigh in on, as races for U.S. Senator and local judge are grouped with a new sales tax proposition and a request for tax revenue rededication.

Judge

The months-long and sometimes heated campaigns for 40th Judicial District Court Division B judge are coming to an end.

Sitting Judge Mary Hotard Becnel is departing her seat mid-term this year, leaving an opening on the bench.

Candidates Jeff Perilloux and Nghana Lewis Gauff separated themselves from a field of three last month, with Perilloux (38 percent) narrowly coming in ahead of Gauff (37 percent).

Perilloux has practiced law in St. John Parish since 1994, served as an assistant district attorney for 12 years and has served as legal counsel for St. John the Baptist Parish Government.

He listed a LaPlace P.O. box and no party affiliation during qualifying.

Gauff is a LaPlace attorney whose firm offers criminal, civil rights, employment discrimination, social security and other services. She listed a LaPlace address and no party affiliation during qualifying.

Perilloux said he has lived in St. John Parish his entire life, knows the people well and understands area needs as many seek to improve the quality of life for the region.

“I intend to utilize all of that to the best I can in terms of trying to be the best judge that I can be,” Perilloux said, adding he wants to be an example on the bench and in the community.

Gauff said she feels strongly those elected to office should be individuals who vote and support issues based on what is in the best interest of the people and not necessarily what’s in the policy or practice of a particular party.

Gauff said her professional record covers varied efforts, including federal practice with companies, individual plaintiffs and criminal court work.

According to Gauff, her work as an associate professor in the English department at Tulane University demonstrates the kind of fair-and-impartial temperament she would exercise on the bench.

Sales tax Election

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board is proposing a .25 percent sales tax increase in the parish, with half the proposed revenue earmarked for salaries and benefits for all permanent school employees and the other half for maintaining and repairing all school buildings.

Public School leaders said St. John routinely loses many of its best public school teachers to neighboring districts and the sales tax revenue is needed, in part, to fund overdue pay raises.

The proposal has drawn opposition in the form of the River Region Chamber of Commerce, which came out against the tax increase.

Chamber Public Policy Chair Henry Friloux said many business owners are concerned the raise may cause people to shop in other parishes, adding business community members feel additional sales taxes are “regressive,” impacting low-income individuals disproportionately.

Families and Neighbors of St. John, a group of 15 St. John Parish area business interests, endorsed the tax measure this week saying that failure to do so creates an exodus of the parish’s brightest students and could lead to community crime and drug use.

Rededication

The chief supporters, including the parish president and all three 40th Judicial District Court judges, have stressed the same message concerning the proposition to rededicate proceeds from a one-mill tax on property within the parish: This is not a new tax.

Parish President Natalie Robottom said the measure, if approved, allows local government to use the taxes to improve juvenile justice system services, including home monitoring, housing and transporting juveniles and salaries for system personnel.

J. Sterling Snowdy, 40th Judicial District Court chief judge, wrote to L’OBSERVATEUR readers to encourage them to vote “yes,” backing the same reasons as the Parish Administration while stressing it will improve juvenile services.

Senator

Local voters are also asked to help decide the statewide election for Louisiana’s next Unites States Senator.

Candidates Foster Campbell, a democrat, and John Kennedy, a Republican, are vying to fill the seat currently occupied by David Vitter, who did not seek reelection.