Waterproof mayor returned to office

Waterproof voters returned incumbent Mayor Jarrod Bottley to office by a 79 percent margin during Tuesday's election.

Bottley received 206 votes to Annie Watson’s 55.

Henry Jenkins, Ruby Scott and Archie Turner Jr. were elected as aldermen on the Waterproof Town Council.

Jenkins led the six-person race for the three at-large spots with 164 votes while Scott got 158 and Turner had 130. Also running were Joseph Ward with 110 votes, April Clark with 73 votes and Bobby Higginbotham with 59 votes. 

Newellton voters selected Desmond “Gump” Ford as their police chief by a 53 percent margin.

Richard Dunnmore had 40 percent with 143 votes while Rocco Furello came in third with 25 votes for seven percent.

In addition, voters renewed two property taxes for Gravity Drainage District Number 3. A 2.31 mills tax was renewed for 10 years by a 56 percent margin by a vote of 192 to 149 while a 10-year 1.63 mill tax was renewed by 55 percent by a vote of 199-153.

In statewide races, John Kennedy overwhelmingly carried the election for U.S. Senator by 62 percent with 850,932 votes.

Gary Chambers had 18 percent with 246,633 votes. Luke Mixon had 13 percent with 182,535 votes and Syrita Steib had two percent with 31,498 votes and Devin Graham had two percent with 25,262. Finishing with one percent of the vote were Vinny Mendoza with 11,875 votes, Beryl Billiot with 9,368 votes and Salvador Rodriguez with 7,743. Ending the night with less than one percent of the vote were Bradley McMorris with 5,381 votes, Aaron Sigler with 4, 861, Xan John with 2,751, W. Thomas Olson with 1,672 and Thomas Wenn with 1,320.

In Tensas Parish, Kennedy carried 54 percent with 900 votes while Chambers had 23 percent with 380 votes, Mixon had 14 percent with 233 votes, Mendoza had three percent with 43 votes and Graham had two percent with 31 votes. Coming in at one percent were Steib with 24, Billiot with 16 and Rodriguez with 10. Taking less than one percent of the vote were McMorris with 5 votes,  Wenn with 4,  John with 3, Olson with 2 and Sigler with 1.

Julia Letlow easily won re-election as the 5th Congressional District U.S. Representative by a 68 percent margin with 150,953 votes.

She was followed by Oscar Dantzler with 34,991 votes for 16 percent, Walter Huff with 19,263 votes for nine percent, Allen Guillory with 12,131 votes for five percent and Hunter Pullen with 5,778 votes for three percent.

In Tensas Parish, Letlow carried 60 percent with 951 votes while Dantzler had 22 percent with 347 votes, Huff had 14 percent with 225 votes, Guillory had three percent with 42 votes and Pullen had two percent with 27 votes.

Eight constitutional amendments were also on the ballot.

CA No. 1 which would have modified the maximum amount of monies in certain state funds that may be invested in equities failed by 64 percent with 847,577 votes against it and 474,607 votes for it.

In Tensas Parish, it failed by 67 percent with 1,003 people against it and 489 for it.

CA No. 2 which expanded property tax exemptions for homestead exemption property for veterans with disabilities passed by 73 percent with 972,004 votes for it and 361,091 against it.

In Tensas Parish, it passed by 64 percent with 965 votes for and 552 against.

CA No. 3 which would have allowed classified civil service employees to support election of family members to public office failed by 67 percent with 899,285 people against it and 434,113 people for it.

In Tensas Parish, it failed by 64 percent with 958 votes against it and 537 for it.

CA No. 4 which authorizes a political subdivision to waive charges for water under certain circumstances passed by 75 percent with 993,383 votes for it and 332,064 against it.

In Tensas Parish, it passed by 62 percent with 933 votes for it and 569 against.

CA No. 5 which would have provided relative to property tax millage rate adjustments and maximum authorized millage rates failed by 57 percent with 739,362 people against it and 553,713 for it.

In Tensas Parish, it failed by 60 percent with 875 people against it and 591 for it.

CA No. 6 which limits the increase in assessed value of certain property following reappraisal in Orleans Parish failed with 642,462 votes against it and 635,559 for it.

In Tensas Parish, it failed by 62 percent with a 904 against it and 548 for it.

CA No. 7 which would have provided relative to the prohibition of involuntary servitude and administration of criminal justice failed by 61 percent with 790,133 people against it and 508,324 for it.

In Tensas Parish, it failed by 62 percent with 908 against and 550 for.

CA No. 8 which removes requirement of annual certification of income for certain eligible disabled homeowners passed by 55 percent with 77,037 votes for it and 593,317 against it.

In Tensas Parish, it failed by 53 percent with 769 against and 693 for.