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Jefferson Parish Public Schools elections (2014)

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2018


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2014 Jefferson Parish Public Schools Elections

Primary Election Date
November 4, 2014

General Election Date
December 6, 2014

Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
What was at stake?
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
Louisiana
Jefferson Parish Public Schools
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana ballot measures
Local ballot measures, Louisiana
Flag of Louisiana.png

Nine seats on the Jefferson Parish School Board were up for election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents for all districts were up for re-election. The qualifying period for candidates ran from August 20, 2014, to August 22, 2014. General elections were held December 6, 2014, for races where primary election winners failed to garner a majority vote. Candidates who were unopposed at the end of the filing period were considered elected as of that date.[1]

Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Eight of the district seats saw contested races. District 2 incumbent Etta Licciardi (R) filed to run in the District 3 contest, but later withdrew. Newcomers Rickeem Jackson (D), Ricky Johnson (D) and April Williams (D) ran to fill the open seat. Johnson defeated Jackson in the general election on December 6, 2014. District 3 incumbent Ray St. Pierre (R) defeated Raymond "Ray" Griffin Jr. (R) in his re-election bid. District 4 incumbent Pat Tovrea (R) did not file to run for re-election. Melinda Bourgeois (R) and Glenn Mayeaux (R) vied for the open seat. Bourgeois won the contest.[2]

Karen M. Barnes (D) and Sharlayne Jackson-Prevost (D) lost to District 5 incumbent Cedric Floyd (D). Meladie Munch (D) was defeated by District 6 incumbent Larry Dale (R). District 7 incumbent Mark Jacobs (R) faced challengers Melinda Doucet (R) and Jo Ann Scott (L) trying to unseat him. Jacobs lost to Doucet in the general election.[2]

Mike Delesdernier (R), the District 8 incumbent, lost his seat to challenger Marion "Coach" Bonura (R). Eugene "Gene" Katsanis (R) and incumbent Sandy Denapolis-Bosarge (R) faced one another for the second election in a row for the District 9 seat. Connie Montgomery (R) also filed to run in District 9, but later withdrew. Denapolis-Bosarge retained the seat.[2]

In the only uncontested race, District 1 incumbent Mark Morgan (I) was re-elected without opposition after his opponent, Charles "Ken" Bradley (R), withdrew from the race.[2]

See also: What was at stake in the Jefferson Parish Public Schools election?

About the district

See also: Jefferson Parish Public School System, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish Public Schools System is located in Jefferson Parish, La.

Jefferson Parish Public School System is located in southeastern Louisiana in Jefferson Parish. Gretna is the seat of the parish government. Jefferson Parish was home to approximately 434,767 residents according to 2013 estimates by the United States Census Bureau. In the 2011-2012 school year, Jefferson Parish was the largest school district in Louisiana and served 45,688 students.[3]

Demographics

Jefferson Parish slightly overperformed compared to the rest of Louisiana in terms of higher education achievement in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 23.2 percent of Jefferson Parish residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 21.4 percent for Louisiana as a whole. The median household income for the parish was $48,522 compared to $44,673 statewide. The poverty rate in the parish was 15.3 percent compared to 18.7 percent for the entire state.[3]

Racial Demographics, 2013[3]
Race Jefferson Parish (%) Louisiana (%)
White 66.6 63.5
Black or African American 27.0 32.4
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6 0.8
Asian 4.1 1.7
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 1.6 1.5
Hispanic or Latino 13.4 4.7

Presidential Voting Pattern, Jefferson Parish[4]
Year Democratic Vote Republican Vote
2012 70,384 102,536
2008 65,096 113,191
2004 72,136 117,882
2000 70,411 105,003

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Voter and candidate information

The Jefferson Parish School Board consists of nine partisan members who serve four year terms. All of the members are elected concurrently by district. This means that regular school board elections are held every four years with all nine members being up for re-election at that time. Additionally, all members are elected by an area or district which they represent. Board membership became term limited with terms starting on or after January 2010. Any member who, at the end of his or her term, has served more than two and one-half terms in the last three consecutive terms cannot be re-elected in the following term. However, they can be re-elected following the one term break.[5]

The primary election was held on November 4, 2014. Louisiana does not conduct typical primary elections. Instead, all candidates running for a local, state, or federal office appear on the same ballot in either October (in odd-numbered years) or November (in even-numbered years), regardless of their partisan affiliations. If a candidate wins a simple majority of all votes cast for the office (i.e., 50 percent, plus one vote), he or she wins the election outright. If no candidate meets that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a second election in either November (in odd-numbered years) or December (in even-numbered years), regardless of their partisan affiliations. In that election, the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes wins. Ballotpedia refers to Louisiana's electoral system as the Louisiana majority-vote system. It is also commonly referred to as a jungle primary. Because it is possible for a candidate to win election in the first round of voting, Louisiana's nominating contest is not a traditional primary.

Note: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed HB17 into law by on Jan. 22, 2024, creating closed partisan primaries and primary runoffs for Congress, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Louisiana Public Service Commission and Louisiana Supreme Court beginning in 2026.


School board candidates were required to file a Notice of Candidacy or Qualifying Form during the qualifying period which ran from August 20, 2014, to August 22, 2014. At the same time, they were required to either pay a qualifying fee of $115 or submit a nominating petition with 100 valid signatures.[6]

To vote in the primary election, voters were required to register by October 6, 2014. Early voting ran between October 21, 2014, and October 28, 2014. Voters were required to be registered by November 5, 2014, to vote in the general election. The general election early voting period ran from November 22, 2014, to November 29, 2014.[7]

Elections

2014

Candidates

District 1

Grey.png Mark Morgan Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent

Republican Party Charles "Ken" Bradley - Withdrew

District 2

Democratic Party Rickeem Jackson
Democratic Party Ricky Johnson Green check mark transparent.png

Candidate defeated in the primary election:
Democratic Party April Williams

District 3

Republican Party Ray St. Pierre Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent

Republican Party Raymond "Ray" Griffin Jr.
Democratic Party Phillip Huskey - Disqualified
Republican Party Etta Licciardi - Withdrew

  • District 2 incumbent

District 4

Republican Party Melinda Bourgeois Green check mark transparent.png
Republican Party Glenn Mayeaux

District 5

Democratic Party Cedric Floyd Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent

Democratic Party Karen M. Barnes
Democratic Party Sharlayne Jackson-Prevost

District 6

Republican Party Larry Dale Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent

Democratic Party Meladie Munch

District 7

Republican Party Mark Jacobs

  • Incumbent

Republican Party Melinda Doucet Green check mark transparent.png

Candidates defeated in the primary election:
Libertarian Party Jo Ann Scott
Democratic Party Deborah Armstrong - Withdrew

District 8

Republican Party Mike Delesdernier

  • Incumbent

Republican Party Marion "Coach" Bonura Green check mark transparent.png
Republican Party Denise Carpenter - Withdrew

District 9

Republican Party Sandy Denapolis-Bosarge Green check mark transparent.png

  • Incumbent

Republican Party Eugene "Gene" Katsanis
Republican Party Connie Montgomery - Withdrew

Election results

District 2: General election
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRicky Johnson 54% 5,290
     Democratic Rickeem Jackson 46% 4,499
Total Votes 9,789
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed December 30, 2014
District 7: General election
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMelinda Doucet 52.7% 6,832
     Republican Mark Jacobs Incumbent 47.3% 6,129
Total Votes 12,961
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed December 30, 2014
District 1

Mark Morgan (I) was re-elected without opposition on September 5, 2014, when his challenger, Charles "Ken" Bradley (R), withdrew from the race.

District 2
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 2 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRicky Johnson 38.1% 3,979
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngRickeem Jackson 34.2% 3,572
     Democratic April Williams 27.7% 2,887
Total Votes 10,438
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 3
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 3 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRay St. Pierre Incumbent 64.7% 7,529
     Republican Raymond "Ray" Griffin Jr. 35.3% 4,105
Total Votes 11,634
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 4
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 4 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMelinda Bourgeois 63.6% 8,513
     Republican Glenn Mayeaux 36.4% 4,876
Total Votes 13,389
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 5
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 5 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngCedric Floyd Incumbent 55.5% 6,788
     Democratic Sharlayne Jackson-Prevost 23.5% 2,869
     Democratic Karen M. Barnes 21% 2,563
Total Votes 12,220
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 6
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 6 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLarry Dale Incumbent 56.6% 6,980
     Democratic Meladie Munch 43.4% 5,354
Total Votes 12,334
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 7
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 7 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMelinda Doucet 45.6% 6,731
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMark Jacobs Incumbent 42.5% 6,276
     Libertarian Jo Ann Scott 11.9% 1,758
Total Votes 14,765
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 8
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 8 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMarion "Coach" Bonura 55.3% 7,707
     Republican Mike Delesdernier Incumbent 44.7% 6,231
Total Votes 13,938
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014
District 9
Jefferson Parish Public Schools, District 9 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSandy Denapolis-Bosarge Incumbent 55.5% 5,897
     Republican Eugene "Gene" Katsanis 44.5% 4,722
Total Votes 10,619
Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 4, 2014

Endorsements

Candidate endorsements
Candidate Jefferson
Chamber[8]
Committee for a
Better Jefferson[9]
Alliance for
Good Government[10]
Jefferson Federation
of Teachers[11]
District 2
Rickeem Jackson
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Ricky Johnson
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
April Williams
District 3
Ray St. Pierre
{{{1}}}
Raymond "Ray" Griffin Jr.
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
District 4
Melinda Bourgeois
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Glenn Mayeaux
{{{1}}}
District 5
Karen M. Barnes
Cedric Floyd
{{{1}}}
Sharlayne Jackson-Prevost
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
District 6
Meladie Munch
{{{1}}}
Larry Dale
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
District 7
Mark Jacobs
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Melinda Doucet
{{{1}}}
Jo Ann Scott
District 8
Mike Delesdernier
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Marion "Coach" Bonura
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
District 9
Sandy Denapolis-Bosarge
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}
Eugene "Gene" Katsanis
{{{1}}}
{{{1}}}

Campaign finance

Candidates received a total of $309,827.59 and spent a total of $194,583.30 during the election, according to the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program as of October 29, 2014. In addition to the candidates, the American Federation of Teachers formed a committee to support Floyd, Mayeaux, St. Pierre, Johnson and Munch, which is called AFT Committee for School Board Accountability in Jefferson Parish. The committee received a total of $446,150.00 and spent a total of $165,488.50 as of October 16, 2014. The following chart totals for receipts include monetary contributions, in-kind contributions and loans.[12]

District 1

In the District 1 race, Mark Morgan (I) received a total of $21,000.00 and spent a total of $6,132.46.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Mark Morgan $5,180.17 $21,000.00 $6,132.46 $20,047.68
District 2

In the District 2 race, candidates received a total of $16,693.00 and spent a total of $9,171.44.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Rickeem Jackson $0.00 $6,125.00 $3,485.75 $2,514.25
Ricky Johnson $0.00 $2,850.00 $939.83 $1,910.17
April Williams $0.00 $7,718.00 $4,745.86 $2,972.14
District 3

In the District 3 race, candidates received a total of $24,066.56 and spent a total of $51,619.57.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Ray St. Pierre $24,799.54 $17,816.56 $31,860.99 $10,755.11
Raymond "Ray" Griffin Jr. $0.00 $6,250.00 $1,905.21 $4,344.79
Phillip Huskey $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Etta Licciardi $39,575.02 $0.00 $17,853.37 $21,721.65
District 4

In the District 4 race, candidates received a total of $62,183.27 and spent a total of $31,845.94.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Melinda Bourgeois $0.00 $47,978.27 $22,568.16 $21,824.34
Glenn Mayeaux $0.00 $14,205.00 $9,277.78 $4,927.22
District 5

In the District 5 race, candidates received a total of $11,734.19 and spent a total of $5,975.12.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Cedric Floyd $0.00 $1,730.00 $254.00 $1,476.00
Karen M. Barnes $0.00 $1,754.19 $61.20 $747.95
Sharlayne Jackson-Prevost $0.00 $8,250.00 $5,659.92 $2,590.08
District 6

In the District 6 race, candidates received a total of $82,302.90 and spent a total of $36,065.23.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Larry Dale $34,370.10 $29,100.00 $11,614.84 $48,455.26
Meladie Munch $0.00 $53,202.90 $24,450.39 $27,842.73
District 7

In the District 7 race, candidates received a total of $28,559.00 and spent a total of $19,886.53.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Mark Jacobs $31,142.90 $21,400.00 $14,511.41 $38,031.49
Deborah Armstrong $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Melinda Doucet $0.00 $5,525.00 $3,873.47 $1,651.53
Jo Ann Scott $0.00 $1,634.00 $1,501.65 $132.38
District 8

In the District 8 race, candidates received a total of $41,671.74 and spent a total of $18,892.50.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Mike Delesdernier $29,892.74 $33,105.00 $13,524.44 $49,473.30
Marion "Coach" Bonura $0.00 $8,566.74 $5,368.06 $3,198.68
Denise Carpenter $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
District 9

In the District 9 race, candidates received a total of $21,616.93 and spent a total of $14,994.51.

Candidate Prior account
balance
Receipts Disbursements Cash on hand
Sandy Denapolis-Bosarge $38,119.10 $14,950.00 $13,646.97 $39,422.13
Eugene "Gene" Katsanis $0.00 $6,666.93 $1,347.54 $5,166.87
Connie Montgomery $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Past elections

What was at stake?

2014

With all nine seats of the board up for election, the 2014 election was an opportunity for a shift in the board's partisan balance. Prior to the election, the board was comprised of seven Republicans and two Democrats. Democratic District 1 incumbent Mark Morgan switched parties to run as an independent, where he was re-elected without opposition. Due to redistricting, Republican District 2 incumbent Etta Licciardi was moved into District 3. Only Democratic candidates ran for the open seat. This left the board with a guaranteed three Republicans, two Democrats and one independent.

Beyond potential shifts in board partisanship, the election was also affected by residency challenges and redistricting.

Issues in the election

Redistricting
A map of the school board districts after the 2012 redistricting plan's approval.

The 2014 elections were the first to be affected by the redistricting plan approved by the school board in December 2012. The redistricting plan, which was developed by Redistricting LLC, was accepted with one modification. The board choose to keep the city of Westwego unified under District 1. There had been discussion of moving one predominately African-American precinct in Westwego to District 5, but it was ultimately decided against.[15] The map on the right shows the district boundaries for the 2014 election.

Candidate residency challenges

Two candidates faced challenges over whether or not they had met the residency requirements. Both Rickeem Jackson (D) in District 2 and Phillip Huskey (D) in District 3 had their candidacies challenged on this basis. The courts ruled in favor of Jackson and disqualified Huskey from the election.[16][17]

In Jackson's case, opponents to his candidacy cited the state law requiring candidates to live in the state for two years prior to their election. Jackson had been attending college in Pennsylvania, but argued in court that his intention had always been to return to Louisiana. He returned to Louisiana after graduating from college in May 2013. His attorney pointed out that he is the executive director of a local foundation started by his father, as well as an officer and director at his father's meat packing plant. The judge allowed Jackson to continue as a candidate in the race.[16]

Huskey, however, did not receive court approval for his candidacy. His opponents challenged him on the basis of not having domiciled in the district he was seeking election to, District 3, for the past year. Huskey's notice of candidacy and recent homestead exemptions demonstrated that he resides in District 1. While he did not appear in court to contest the challenge, Huskey later said that he had been asked by several people to drop out of the race after he qualified. He also claimed that it was a clerk of court official who told him that he should run in District 3. An attorney for the clerk of court responded to the claim by stating that the office does not give advice to candidates.[17]

Key deadlines

The following dates were key deadlines for the Jefferson Parish Public Schools election in 2014.[6][7][18]

Deadline Event
August 20-22, 2014 Qualifying period for candidates
October 5, 2014 30th day prior to election campaign finance report due
October 6, 2014 Last day to register to vote in the primary election
October 21, 2014 Early voting begins
October 25, 2014 10th day prior to election campaign finance report due
October 28, 2014 Early voting ends
November 4, 2014 Election Day
November 5, 2014 Last day to register to vote in general election
November 22, 2014 Early voting for general election begins
November 29, 2014 Early voting ends for general election
December 6, 2014 General election, if necessary
December 14, 2014 40th day after the election campaign finance report due

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Louisiana elections, 2014

This election shared the ballot with primary elections for the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, two down ballot state executive positions, 14 statewide ballot measures and judicial elections.[19]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Jefferson + Parish + Public + Schools + Louisiana"

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named runoff
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed September 3, 2014
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Quick Facts," accessed August 14, 2014
  4. Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed August 14, 2014
  5. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named term
  6. 6.0 6.1 Jefferson Parish Clerk of Courts, "Qualifying for Elected Office," accessed August 15, 2014
  7. 7.0 7.1 Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters, "Election Schedules," accessed August 15, 2014
  8. The Times-Picayune, "Jefferson Chamber endorses Jefferson Parish School Board candidates," September 30, 2014
  9. The Times-Picayune, "Jefferson Parish School Board endorsements from Committee for a Better Jefferson," October 21, 2014
  10. The Times-Picayune, "Jefferson Parish School Board endorsements announced by Alliance for Good Government," September 12, 2014
  11. Jefferson Federation of Teachers, "Jefferson Parish School Board Endorsements," accessed October 29, 2014
  12. Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Louisiana Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 29, 2014
  13. Jefferson Parish Clerk of Courts, "Election Results," accessed August 15, 2014
  14. 14.0 14.1 NOLA.com, "Jefferson Parish School Board members report campaign finances," March 29, 2012
  15. The Times-Picayune, "Jefferson Parish School Board approves redistricting plan, new turnaround network," January 10, 2012
  16. 16.0 16.1 The Times-Picayune, "Rickeem Jackson allowed to run for Jefferson Parish School Board, judge rules," September 2, 2014
  17. 17.0 17.1 The Times-Picayune, "Phillip Huskey disqualified by judge from Jefferson Parish School Board race," August 29, 2014
  18. Louisiana Ethics Commission, "SCHEDULE OF REPORTING AND FILING DATES PROPOSITION ELECTION: NOVEMBER 4, 2014," accessed August 15, 2014
  19. Jefferson Parish Clerk of Courts, "Election Calendar: 2014 Elections," accessed August 15, 2014