St. Tammany News

Presidential primaries also on Saturday ballot, low turnout expected

Elections for council seats in Mandeville and Madisonville could spark a larger voter turnout in those two west St. Tammany cities during tomorrow's presidential primary, when a dismal 18 percent of St. Tammany voters are expected to vote. The council elections are just two of several local elections being held statewide from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. that are attached to Louisiana's presidential primaries.

In Mandeville and Madisonville, judicial jockeying has produced campaign bumper stickers and yard signs that almost always generate more voter interest.

"Wherever there are local elections, traditionally (voter turnout numbers) are going to go up," St. Tammany Registrar of Voters Dwayne Wall said. He added that while his 18 percent voter turnout prediction is low, it is still double that of 2004 when 9 percent voted during primaries.

But statewide, Louisiana offers fewer delegates than more populous states for presidential primaries, leaving many contenders skipping Louisiana on the campaign trail thus generating no real interest in voting, said Bernie Pinsonant, a partner in the Baton Rouge-based polling firm Southern Media Opinion Research.

The exception was Ilinois Sen. Barack Obama, whose campaign launched TV ads in Louisiana a few weeks ago. The Democrat stopped at Tulane University on Thursday vying for votes in a state traditionally not considered a voting heavyweight. But with no clear winner in Super Tuesday's primaries, Louisiana could emerge as crucial to the presidential nomination.

Pinsonat, however, doesn't think so.

"Most people will be cleaning their sock drawer or washing their cars or whatever they do on Saturdays instead of heading to the presidential primary," Pinsonat said Wednesday.

Saturday's presidential primary is likely to attract only dedicated Republicans and Democrats, who can only vote for the preferred candidate within their party, he said. He called the primary a "non-event," with no clear representation of how voters will lean during November elections when typically 70 percent of St. Tammany voters head to the polls.

Meanwhile, voter turnout on Saturday could surge in Mandeville where two political veterans are vying against one newcomer for two council-at-large seats.

Adelaide J. Boettner and Trilby Lenfant, both Republicans who have spent 32 years on the council combined, are battling each other and newcomer Ernest Burguieres, a Republican, for the seat

The two candidates with the most votes will win the two at-large seats.

Boettner, 74, who has held the 2nd District seat for 16 years, is being forced out of her seat because of term limits. Lenfant is campaigning for her second term for that at-large seat.

For the council's 1st District, incumbent Jerry Coogan will face off against newcomer Alice Torry.

In the 2nd District, there are two Republicans are on the ballot, Carlo Buchholz and Sean Casey.

In the 3rd District, longtime incumbent Denis Bechac, editor and publisher of the Northshore Conifer who has spent 16 years as an at-large councilman, is facing 54-year-old Jeff Bernard, a vice president of Iberia Bank with a master's degree in urban planning.

In nearby Madisonville, five council seats must be filled from a pool of 10 candidates: incumbents Mark Badeaux, Jerry Lange, Lawrence P. Ostendorf and newcomer Douglas K. Gardner, all Democrats, will face off against incumbant Timothy Bounds and newcomers Kevin Michael Barnes Jr., Jim Bouey, Myron A. Bourg, Chris Kitzman and David Stefferud, all Republicans.

In Madisonville, a town recently voted as one of the top 100 places to live, Democrats currently make up a council majority in a parish that traditionally votes Republican.

"St. Tammany is the epitome of what is happening in Louisiana," Pinsonat said. Roughly 100,000 or more "are white registered Democrats, but they vote Republican."

State Republicans only commit some of the party's 47 delegates if a GOP candidate receives 50 percent or more of the presidential primary vote. State Democrats award most of their 67 delegates based on the vote.

If the voting process sounds confusing, it may be more twisted when voters get inside a booth.

On the ballot still are several candidates who have since dropped out of the race, including Democrats Chris Dodd, John Edwards and Joe Biden as well as Republicans Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson.

Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York are the Democratic frontrunners, clinching 13 and eight of the primaries, respectively, on Super Tuesday.

Sen. John McCain clinched 10, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won five and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has put his campaign on hold, led in seven states in Super Tuesday's primaries.