Part of East Baton Rouge Parish elects a judge after demographic shift
BATON ROUGE — Voters in a portion of East Baton Rouge Parish elected a city court judge and approved three renewals.
Republicans Calli Boudreaux and Brenden Craig faced off for a City Court seat; Boudreaux defeated Craig with 64% of the vote with all but four precincts reporting.
Also, voters in the Downtown Development District approved a 10-mill property tax renewal that would raise $741 a year over the next five years. Parcel fees for crime prevention districts in Concord Estates ($69.50) and Southern Heights ($100) were also approved.
In the 19th Judicial District Court race, Vicky Jones won 51% of the vote with complete but unofficial results; if that holds, she will win the race outright.
The ultimate winner will replace Wilson Fields, who was elected to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.
The judge's election was held under a new map put in place by lawmakers and the governor this summer — but only after the new district survived a court challenge. When Gov. Jeff Landry called the special election last winter, the seat covered a larger area.
The 1st Circuit last month upheld the new map, saying it was established before the qualifying period. When candidates started signing up for the seat, the old district no longer existed.
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Initially, the parish had three election districts but shifting demographics led lawmakers to set up two.