Louise "Toot" Marie Chiasson Fremin
October 7, 2008
Marie "Grum" Hartman Hebert
October 9, 2008
Voters elected Morgan City Mayor Tim Matte to serve a fourth term in office Saturday.
With 1,732 votes against challenger Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi III’s 1,206, Matte easily won with 58.95 percent of the vote.
In another hot race, Morgan City High School Assistant Principal Tim Hymel was elected city councilman for District 1.
Hymel beat out challenger Herman Hartman, a retired educator and former Southern University women’s basketball coach, with 52.33 percent (or 359 votes). Hartman had 327 votes.
Elsewhere in St. Mary Parish, voters overwhelmingly approved a $2.5 million library bond issue as well as a number of drainage issues.
Nearly 70 percent of voters in Saturday’s election approved a $2.5 million library bond issue. In all, 2,702 voters approved the measure, while 1,311 voted against it.
The measure clears the way for the library system to renovate the Berwick branch on Fourth Street as well as the library headquarters in the Alex P. Allain Memorial Branch on Iberia Street in Franklin.
Parish officials said new carpet and flooring, air conditioning and accommodations for handicapped citizens will be added. Also reading areas will be expanded and technology upgraded.
There are five libraries in the St. Mary Parish system – Amelia, Berwick, Bayou Vista, Franklin and Baldwin. Morgan City has a library, but it funds its own system.
In West St. Mary, voters joined with their counterparts in Iberia and St. Martin parishes to return Judge Lori Landry to the bench for a second term over the 16th Judicial District Court.
The following propositions were also approved:
• In Morgan City and Siracusaville, voters OK’d a proposition to continue 5 mills of property tax for the next 10 years for drainage. This is not a new tax, and it generates an annual $408,055. The proposition won with 71 percent or 1,788 votes.
• In Amelia, a 7.83-mill property tax was renewed for the next 10 years for drainage. Their tax generates an annual $294,752. The proposition won with 80 percent voter approval or 116 votes.
Across the parish, except in Morgan City where there is a city court, voters returned incumbents to office as constable or justices of the peace for the most part. The exceptions were in Amelia and in Berwick, where newcomers were elected.
In Amelia, John Arceneaux defeated Nick Morris by 107 to 58 votes and, in Berwick, Jonathan “J.P.” Henry defeated Shawn Canty 689 to 150 votes.
In the Patterson-Bayou Vista area, voters returned incumbent Ned Stephens to office with 523 votes. He defeated James Carinhas who garnered 392 votes.
In West St Mary, there were three elections for justices of the peace, and one for a combined office of constable and justice of the peace.
Voters in the Four Corners/Sorrell area re-elected incumbent Benjamin Grimm of Jeanerette as their justice of the peace, with 65.94 percent or 273 votes. Grimm’s challenger, Willie Scott of Charenton, received 34.06 percent or 141 votes.
In Franklin’s Ward 2, incumbent Justice of the Peace Ray A Manuel was re-elected with 72.97 percent or 81 votes. He defeated challenger Norma Jean Bouey, who received 27.03 percent or 30 votes.
Ward 4 voters re-elected long-time incumbent Justice of the Peace Shelby Bourgeois. Bourgeois netted 54.38 percent or 329 votes to 45.62 percent to the 276 votes garnered by challenger Jody J. Pillaro.
In Centerville, voters chose to re-elect incumbent David A. Comeaux as their constable and justice of the peace. He defeated newcomer Allen J Pillaro. Comeaux captured 54 percent or 317 votes compared to 46 percent or 270 votes of challenger Pillaro.
West St. Mary and voters in Iberia and St. Martin parishes returned Landry to the bench for a second term over the 16th Judicial District Court.
