[9/20/04]In area Louisiana elections, St. Joseph and Newellton voters will decide on a mayor and alderman today in addition to voting to amend their constitution to ban same-sex marriages.

St. Joseph voters will also decide on a police chief.

In races where three candidates are running and no candidate wins over half the vote, the run-off election will be Nov. 2, the same day as national elections.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Tensas, Madison and East Carroll parishes.

In St. Joseph, incumbent Mayor Ed Brown faces Robert Osborn and Harrison Rinehart.

In Newellton, Jesse J. Turner is challenging incumbent Mayor Alex Davis.

For St. Joseph police chief, Karney Thomas is running against incumbent Johnny Gales.

Two St. Joseph aldermen face opposition. District D alderman Thelma Bradford is running against Thedore Jackson and District A alderman Albert “Buddy” Tindell Jr. is opposed by Herman Watson.

District B alderman Jack Grace Jr., District C alderman Jimmy Clark and District E alderman Diane Yarrington are unopposed.

No alderman in Newellton face opposition. Incumbents Kenneth Morgan, Edwin Britt, Billy Mitchell, Clara Bass and David Delaney are on the ballot.

In the school board District 1 race, Larry W. Foster is running unopposed. No other school board races are on the ballot.

All of the elected positions are for four-year terms.

Waterproof citizens will also decide a tax increase to bolster the police department’s budget. The levy will be a 10-year, 14-mill increase.