4 re-elected to seats

Four East Baton Rouge Metro Council incumbents were re-elected Tuesday night, each with at least 56 percent of the vote, according to complete but unofficial returns from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website.

A fifth council incumbent is in a Dec. 8 runoff. The sixth race, where the council incumbent is term-limited, also appeared headed for a runoff at press time.

District 12

Incumbent Republican Rodney “Smokie” Bourgeois will face Republican challenger John Delgado in a runoff.

Bourgeois earned 6,532 votes, or 41 percent.

Delgado narrowly edged Democrat Rose Carey for the second spot, 4,898 to 4,692.

Bourgeois refused to comment on his prospects in a runoff, but said he was pleased with the result.

“I am thrilled that I finished in first place,” he said.

Delgado said he was optimistic.

“It’s a landslide in favor of change,” he said. “I represent that change.”

Delgado said he planned to reach out to Rose Carey to ask for her support.

District 12 includes Southdowns, Kenilworth and Pollard Estates and surrounding areas.

District 10

Tara Wicker easily defeated Larry Selders 6,047 votes to 4,696. Wicker defeated Selders by just six votes in 2008. All precincts were reporting in District 10.

District 10 includes LSU, Southern, downtown, and Old South Baton Rouge.

Before the election, both candidates said changes to the district after the 2010 census could affect the vote. Southern University, the Banks neighborhood and parts of the Avenues were added to the district and part of the district’s southern end was put in District 12.

The 2012 race included accusations of negative campaigning.

“I am elated,” Wicker said when reached by phone Tuesday night. “I am glad it’s over and glad to get back to work.”

Wicker said she was not surprised that the margin was as large as it was, despite her narrow win in 2008.

“We have a track record now,” she said. “There are a lot of different factors in the race and we worked very hard.”

Selders did not return messages left on his cellphone.

District 2

In District 2, Chauna Banks-Daniel had a comfortable lead on the other seven candidates, with 4,947 votes.

The race to face Banks-Daniel in a runoff was close, however. Former Mayor of Baker Leroy Davis was second with 2,393 votes, followed by Corey B. Alfred with 2,146.

District 2 includes Scotlandville and part of Baker.

Davis said attracting new businesses to District 2 is key to helping improve one of the poorest parts of the city.

Banks-Daniel said the lack of a major store limits the choice of healthful food for residents of the district.

“I am very much in support of having a major grocery store serve as an anchor store for a shopping center that will draw residents to the area,” she said during the campaign.

The candidates are vying to replace outgoing councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison, who has served the limit of three terms and cannot run again.

Districts 6, 7, 9

Incumbents Donna Collins-Lewis in District 6, C. Denise Marcelle in District 7 and Joel Boé in District 9 were re-elected, according to complete but unofficial returns.

Boé, a one-term incumbent from District 9, had the easiest time of it, defeating fellow Republican Ted Rush by 12,664 to 4,395 votes with all precincts reporting.

In District 6, Collins-Lewis defeated three challengers for the seat, earning 7,454 votes. Radio personality Carolyn “Gee” George, with 1,531 votes, was in second place in that race.

William Roundtree, who is listed as a man but is undergoing hormone therapy to become a woman, was third with 1,424 votes. Edwin “PaPo” Del Valle was in fourth, with 813 votes.

District 6 is a horizontal district that stretches from North Foster Drive in the west to Flannery in the east and runs between Florida Boulevard and Choctaw Drive for much of its length but also includes a portion of Greenwell Springs Road and Broadmoor.

In District 7, Marcelle cruised to victory, earning 9,144 votes.

Hazel Bradley was second with 3,041 votes and Paul Brumfield finished with 2,268 votes.

District 7 is a vertical district running from Bawell in the south to Clayton in the north, roughly between Acadian Thruway and North Foster.

Collins-Lewis, Marcelle, Boé and Wicker will join fellow incumbents Trae Welch, Chandler Loupe, Scott Wilson and Ronnie Edwards, who were unopposed. They will be joined by Buddy Amoroso in District 8 and Ryan Heck in District 11, newcomers who ran unopposed.