St. Charles slim turnout helps elect Kennedy to Senate, renew 2 parish taxes

With barely a 30 percent turnout, St. Charles Parish voters supported Republican John Kennedy by a resounding 68 percent for the U.S. Senator seat and passed both property tax renewals.

Kennedy took 6,934 votes over opponent Democrat Foster Campbell with 3,303 votes in Saturday’s election, according to unofficial but complete results. Parish voters case 10,237 votes in this race.

The parish’s two property tax renewals, both for 10 years, also passed by a healthy margin.

The 3.02-mill continuation for the parish’s Recreation Department passed by 64 percent or 6,112 votes of the 9,579 votes cast. The tax is expected to raise an estimated $3.7 million a year until 2017.

The 1-mill tax renewal for the St. Charles Parish Council on Aging also passed with 64 percent approval or with 6,091 votes. The tax is projected to raise $1.2 million a year, also until 2027.

Parish President Larry Cochran said renewal of the recreation property tax means “we can continue to enjoy a Parks and Recreation Department that provides quality recreation programs, activities, parks and facilities that allow all of our residents to enhance their quality of life.”

Brian Champagne, parish Registrar of Voters, said the low voter turnout came in as projected compared to November’s historic 73.8 percent turnout for the presidential election.

“The turnout was about what we expected,” Champagne said. “We wanted to see more people come out and vote, but the issues and candidates were publicized and I think the people understood what was going on.”

Although 10,237 people cast votes in the senate election, nearly 700 of these voters did not vote on the parish’s two property tax proposition, according to the Secretary of State election results.

Champagne said, based on these election results, the next ballot will include the parish’s Justice of the Peace in District 5 (incumbent Tika Riley retired), Tim Wilmott’s state Representative seat (one district is in the parish), and replacing the state treasurer seat as Kennedy assumes his Congressional seat.