By Raymond Partsch III
Managing Editor
A total of 12 tax renewal-continuations that appeared on the ballot for Evangeline Parish passed with ease on Saturday night.
Every measure, which dealt with funding for road maintenance-upgrades, cemetery upkeep, public health and one for road-sidewalk-drainage maintenance in the City of Ville Platte, passed with a nearly two-thirds margin. In fact, not a single passed measure received less than 67 percent of the vote, with two ballot measures receiving 80 percent of the vote.
The only local race on the ballot for parish residents was the Town of Basile Alderman race for District 1.
LaToya Howze defeated Darrell Reed by taking 57 percent of the vote to secure the victory, in a race that had an unofficial turnout of a mere 28.2 percent.
The turnout was even lower for the Third Circuit Court of Appeal race for the Third District, as only 8.4 percent of eligible parish voters turned out to cast their ballot. Candyce Perret easily took Evangeline Parish with 60 percent of the vote, with Vanessa Waguespack Anseman and Susan Theall receiving 20 percent each.
Perret though was unable to get the necessary 50 percent overall in the multiple parishes (Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin & Vermilion) that encompass the district. Perret received 41 percent of the vote and will face fellow Lafayette-based attorney Theall in a runoff to be held on April 29.
Anseman, who was ruled ineligible to run and then appealed that ruling just last week, came in a distant third at 22 percent.
The winner of the runoff will serve the remaining term of Jimmy Genovese, who was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court last year.