For the fourth time in six months, voters of Ward 1 went to the polls last Saturday to elect a new city marshal. When all the precincts reported, a slim 87 vote margin separated the two candidates.
Receiving 1,576 votes (51%) was challenger Nicole Latour Snoddy over incumbent Horace Johnson who received 1,489 votes (49%). Johnson was elected in the special election runoff which was held in August.
“I’m just so happy the citizens of Ville Platte came out to vote,” Snoddy said. “We’re going to get a new change for the best, and we’re going to work for everybody. If you didn’t vote for me, don’t worry, I’ll still work for you, always. I’m for the citizens of Ville Platte and Ward 1.”
Turnout for the marshal election was 30.5%.
The voters in Ward 1 as well as across Evangeline Parish also voted to reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the governor to appoint a person who resides out of state to serve as an at-large member of a public postsecondary education board of supervisors.
Here in the parish, 2,783 voters (80%) said no while 676 (20%) voters cast in the affirmative. Statewide, 76% of the electorate (385,647) voted no while 24% (118,651) voted yes. Turnout was 15% in the state.
In the Basile area, voters approved the renewal of the Acadia-Evangeline Fire Protection District’s 1.03 mill tax renewal which dates back 50 years to the creation of the 80 square mile district. The total vote was 142 in favor of the tax renewal and 24 against.
In Evangeline, a mere 5.7 percent of the eligible voters showed up at the polls with 77 yes votes and 14 no votes. The Acadia parish turnout in the district was only 8.9 percent with 65 yes votes and 10 no ballots.
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Staff Report