Lincoln Parish residents are reminded to vote today.
In addition to five referendums on the ballot (see bottom of story), there are still three district seats open on the Lincoln Parish Police Jury.
District 1 will pit incumbent Theresa Wyatt against challenger Greg Williams) while District 10 sees incumbent Milton Melton against challenger Gary “Wayne” Baldwin. District 11’s race is between a pair of challengers in Diane Richards and Patsy Candler as incumbent Sharyon Mayfield didn’t advance to the run-off.
In the preliminaries, District 1 saw Wyatt receive 49 percent (256) of the vote while Williams earned 45 percent (234). Will Edwards — the third candidate in that district that didn’t advance to the run-offs — picked up 6 percent (31 votes). Just 23.5 percent of the registered voters cast a vote.
In District 10, Melton received 48 percent (227) of the vote while Baldwin received 35 percent (165). Morris Winters picked up 17 percent (82). Twenty-one percent of the voters turned out for the election.
And finally in District 11, Richards earned 43 percent (152) while Candler had 31 percent (111). Mayfield totaled 26 percent (93). Only 18.6 percent of the registered voters cast a ballot in the district.
Although plenty of topics were discussed in pre-election forums, two subjects from 2022 seemed to headline the police jury races. Last year saw plenty of publicity and at times controversy in the vote of the contract renewal for the parish’s ambulance-rescue services as well as the soap opera behind the vote to not renew then-parish administrator Doug Postel.
Both subjects drew large crowds from the parish at LPPJ meetings in late 2022 and early 2023, and ultimately plenty of public feedback over the votes.
Voters will also be deciding on Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Treasurer.
CA No. 1 (Act 278, 2022 – HB 166) — Provides relative to timing of gubernatorial action on a bill and related matters.
Do you support an amendment to clarify that the timing of gubernatorial action on a bill and his return of a vetoed bill to the legislature is based upon the legislative session in which the bill passed and to authorize the legislature, if it is in session, to reconsider vetoed bills without convening a separate veto session? (Effective January 8, 2024)(Amends Article III, Section 18)
CA No. 2 (ACT 199, 2023 – HB 254) — Repeals certain funds in the state treasury.
Do you support an amendment to remove provisions of the Constitution of Louisiana which created the following inactive special funds within the state treasury: Atchafalaya Basin Conservation Fund, Higher Education Louisiana Partnership Fund, Millennium Leverage Fund, Agricultural and Seafood Products Support Fund, First Use Tax Trust Fund, Louisiana Investment Fund for Enhancement and to provide for the transfer of any remaining monies in such funds to the state general fund? (Repeals Article VII, Sections 4(D)(4)(b), 10.4, 10.10, and 10.12(B) and (C) and Article IX, Sections 9 and 10)
CA No. 3 (ACT 179, 2023 – SB 127) — Provides for an ad valorem tax exemption for certain first responders.
Do you support an amendment to authorize the local governing authority of a parish to provide an ad valorem tax exemption for qualified first responders? (Adds Article VII, Section 21(O))
CA No. 4 (ACT 198, 2023 – HB 244) — Provides relative to the use of monies in the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund.
Do you support an amendment authorizing the legislature, after securing a two-thirds vote of each house, to use up to two hundred fifty million dollars from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to alleviate a budget deficit subject to conditions set forth by law and allowing the legislature to modify such conditions for accessing the monies in the fund, subject to two-thirds vote? (Amends Article VII, Section 10.15(E)(1) and (F); Adds Article VII, Section 10.15(G))
City of Ruston — LEPA – M & BOA
Shall the provisions of Chapter 10-A of Title 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 creating the Louisiana Energy and Power Authority apply to the municipality of the City of Ruston, State of Louisiana?
