4 elected to council; 8 runoffs

• By CHARLES LUSSIER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Oct 5, 2008 - Page: 8A - UPDATED: 12:45 a.m.

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Voters elected four Metro Council members Saturday, returning only one incumbent, according to complete, but unofficial results from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.

That left eight runoff elections — 48 candidates were running for office — on Nov. 4, the same day as the presidential election. Because of term limits that were instituted in 1996, eight of the 12 council races were for open seats.

Only four candidates Saturday were incumbents: Ulysses “Bones” Addison, Byron Sharper, Martha Jane Tassin and Mike Walker. Only Walker avoided a runoff.

District 1’s J.E. Trae Welch beat out two challengers to win outright with 52 percent of the vote. Scott Wilson won handily in the District 4 race. Joel Boé earned a 2-to-1 victory to fill the District 9 seat.

With all 314 precincts reporting, here are the results for the council races:

DISTRICT 1: J.E. Trae Welch won with 4,954 votes, or 52 percent, followed by Pat Fuller who had 2,332 votes, or 24.5 percent; and Brenda Bennett Carter with 2,247 votes, or 23.6 percent. All the candidates are Democrats.

DISTRICT 2: Incumbent Ulysses “Bones” Addison led with 3,567 votes, or 45.1 percent, followed by Gerald Handy, who had 2,781 votes, or 35.2 percent; and Melanie Smith-Johnson with 1,554 votes, or 19.7 percent. All the candidates are Democrats. Addison will face Handy in a runoff.

DISTRICT 3: Chandler Loupe, a Republican, led with 3,154 votes, or 37.2 percent, followed by M. Scott Wilson, a Republican, who had 2,618 votes, or 30.9 percent; Rebecca Thompson Pero, a Democrat, who had 1,510 votes, or 17.8 percent; and Merritt E. McDonald, a Democrat, with 1,189 votes, or 14 percent. Loupe will face Wilson in a runoff.

DISTRICT 4: Scott Wilson wonwith 5,586 votes, or 56.7 percent, over Wayne Messina who had 4,273 votes, or 43.3 percent. Both candidates are Republicans.

DISTRICT 5: Ronnie Edwards, led with 2,464 votes, or 33.2 percent, followed by Herbert A. Pate, who had 1,531 votes, or 20.6 percent; Thelma Ginn Brown, who had 1,477 votes, or 19.9 percent; Milton Lee, who had 1,397 votes, or 18.8 percent; and Johnnie Brown with 563 votes, or 7.6 percent. All the candidates are Democrats except Johnnie Brown, who listed no party. Edwards will face Pate in a runoff.

DISTRICT 6: Incumbent Martha Jane Tassin, a Republican, led with 2,882 votes, or 41.4 percent, followed by Donna Collins-Lewis, a Democrat, who have 2,208 votes, or 31.7 percent; and Sarah Holliday, a Democrat, who had 1,873 votes, or 26.9 percent. Tassin will face Collins-Lewis in a runoff.

DISTRICT 7: Incumbent Byron Sharper, who had 1,852 votes, or 23.4 percent, led, followed by C. Denise Marcelle, who had 1,777 votes, or 22.4 percent; Isaiah Marshall, who had 1,558 votes, or 19.7 percent; Suchitra S. Dyer, with 1,318 votes, or 16.6 percent; Paul Brumfield, who had 709 votes, or 9 percent; Kim Dunn, who had 386 votes, or 4.9 percent; and Andrew Danna, with 326 votes, or 4.1 percent. All the candidates are Democrats except Danna, who listed no party. Sharper will face Marcelle in a runoff.