By Journal Staff
Rapides Parish voters elected a mayor, settled multiple highly contested municipal council races, and decided the future of several key infrastructure and emergency service property taxes on Saturday.
In Pineville, incumbent leadership secured a decisive victory, while voters across the parish’s rural districts delivered mixed results on a slate of fire protection and road tax renewals and millage adjustments.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting late Saturday night, here is a breakdown of how the ballots fell:
City of Pineville Municipal Elections
Mayor
Joseph “Joe” Bishop won reelection in a landslide, capturing 74% of the vote in a three-way race to avoid a runoff.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage |
| Joseph “Joe” Bishop | REP | 1,749 | 74% |
| “Chris” Camp | REP | 367 | 16% |
| Russell “Rusty” Murdock | REP | 232 | 10% |
| Total | 2,348 | 100% |
Council Member — District 1
“Greg” Aaron secured the District 1 seat outright, finishing with 57% of the total vote.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | Status |
| “Greg” Aaron | DEM | 156 | 57% | ELECTED |
| Randy G. O’Neal | NOPTY | 74 | 27% | Defeated |
| Danny “Dann” Eudy, Jr. | NOPTY | 42 | 15% | Defeated |
| Total | 272 | 100% |
Council Member — District 3
Hugh Halle claimed victory in District 3, defeating Peter Ford with a commanding 68% of the vote.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | Status |
| Hugh Halle | NOPTY | 261 | 68% | ELECTED |
| Peter Ford | REP | 122 | 32% | Defeated |
| Total | 383 | 100% |
Council Member — District 4
John Marcase easily retained his seat in District 4, pulling in 73% of the vote against challenger Celeste Mobley.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | Status |
| John Marcase | REP | 353 | 73% | ELECTED |
| Celeste Mobley | NOPTY | 133 | 27% | Defeated |
| Total | 486 | 100% |
Council Member — District 5
The race for District 5 is headed to a runoff. Mark A. Mertens led the field with 43% of the vote and will face Samantha Stanley, who secured 33%, in the upcoming general election.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | Status |
| Mark A. Mertens | REP | 349 | 43% | RUNOFF |
| Samantha Stanley | NOPTY | 264 | 33% | RUNOFF |
| “Tom” Murphy | REP | 195 | 24% | Defeated |
| Total | 808 | 100% |
Village of Creola
Aldermen
In the multi-parish race for Creola alderman, Bliss Wise won the seat over Crystal Hicks with 63% of the vote.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | Status |
| Bliss Wise | DEM | 5 | 63% | ELECTED |
| Crystal Hicks | REP | 3 | 38% | Defeated |
| Total | 8 | 100% |
Parish Propositions and Millages
Property owners across various parish segments voted on critical infrastructure and emergency service propositions, rejecting several new millage definitions while comfortably renewing existing funding streams.
Fire Protection District Measures
Voters flatly rejected a pair of “in-lieu” millage proposals for Fire Protection District No. 2 and its sub-service area. In District 19, a continuation failed by a razor-thin margin of just one vote. However, traditional renewals for Districts 4 and 7 passed by wide margins.
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Fire Protection District No. 2 (20 Mills In-Lieu): FAILED. Property owners rejected the 10-year millage adjust, with 56% voting against the measure.
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Service Area No. 1, Fire District No. 2 (25 Mills In-Lieu): FAILED. The sub-district tax was defeated, receiving 52% “No” votes.
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Fire Protection District No. 4 (15.34 Mills Renewal): PASSED. Voters strongly approved the 10-year operational renewal with 69% in favor.
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Fire Protection District No. 7 (14.26 Mills Renewal): PASSED. The 10-year renewal passed easily, securing 67% of the vote.
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Fire Protection District No. 19 (26.48 Mills Continuation): FAILED. In a remarkable cliffhanger, the 10-year continuation failed by a single vote, 45 to 44.
| Ballot Measure | Result | YES Votes | NO Votes | Total Votes |
| Fire Dist. No. 2 (20 Mills In-Lieu) | FAILED | 2,447 (44%) | 3,092 (56%) | 5,539 |
| Service Area 1, Fire Dist. 2 (25 Mills In-Lieu) | FAILED | 383 (48%) | 412 (52%) | 795 |
| Fire Dist. No. 4 (15.34 Mills Renewal) | PASSED | 1,834 (69%) | 806 (31%) | 2,640 |
| Fire Dist. No. 7 (14.26 Mills Renewal) | PASSED | 418 (67%) | 208 (33%) | 626 |
| Fire Dist. No. 19 (26.48 Mills Cont.) | FAILED | 44 (49%) | 45 (51%) | 89 |
Road District No. 2C
Property owners rejected a steep 54.49-mill renewal intended for public road and bridge maintenance across the district, with 55% of voters casting ballots against the measure.
| Ballot Measure | Result | YES Votes | NO Votes | Total Votes |
| Road Dist. No. 2C (54.49 Mills Renewal) | FAILED | 482 (45%) | 592 (55%) | 1,074 |