By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With the runoff election looming Saturday, candidates vying for legislative seats to represent the River Parishes in the state House of Representatives are entering their final push to garner votes.

St. John the Baptist, St. James and St. Charles parishes are split into four House districts, 56, 57, 58 and 81, all of which are in runoffs Saturday.

In District 56, Destrehan residents Greg Miller, Republican, and Ganesier “Ram Ramachandran, Democrat, will face off in the runoff. Miller, who was 110 votes from winning the election outright, picked up about 50 percent of the vote, while Ramachandran garnered 39 percent. The winner will replace Gary Smith, who vacated the seat for a successful run for state Senate.

Miller, who said he has the endorsement of third-place finisher Emile Garlepied as well as financial support from the Republican party, earned more than 6,500 votes in the primary, the most of any candidate in any state representative race. He said the results were “a real confidence boost” for the runoff. Miller also has endorsements from Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. David Vitter and various political action committees.

Ramachandran, a former St. Charles Council member, said despite the wide lead his opponent amassed in the primary, he should not be counted out in Saturday’s runoff. Ramachandran has garnered endorsements from U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, the Louisiana Chemical Association, the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, the Louisiana Fund for Children and Public Education, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Teachers.

Miller said the biggest concern for residents continues to be adequate hurricane protection, particularly on the east bank of St. John Parish and the west bank of St. Charles Parish, and also fiscal responsibility. He said residents are interested in making sure tax dollars get spent wisely.

Ramachandran said his campaign will continue to focus on education, specifically when it comes to getting young children to embrace learning at a young age.

“I want to develop a system similar to one found in Singapore where children as young as three are using computers in the classroom.” Ramachandran said. “It is important to get young children ready for the education process early so we do not lose them in the long run.”

The 56th District encompasses much of St. Charles Parish except for Hahnville, Boutte, Killona and parts of Luling and St. Rose. The easternmost portions of LaPlace are also included in the district.

The race for District 57 pits St. John School Board member Russ Wise against St. John attorney Randal Gaines.

Gaines, a democrat, pulled in 42 percent of the vote, while Wise, a registered independent, received 29 percent. The remainder was divided among the three other candidates in the race.

Gaines has received endorsements from Landrieu, as well as U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond. He also has support from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Educators’ Fund for Children and Public Education.

Wise, meanwhile, has received endorsements from the Louisiana School Boards Association’s Political Action Committee and the National Association of Social Workers.

Both candidates have touted a broad appeal that crosses both parish lines and racial lines. Both also stressed that the campaign is about issues that affect all residents and that the race does not boil down to black versus white.

Wise has stressed the importance of industry growth along the Mississippi River and the potential for the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro areas to grow together and meet in the middle within the River Parishes. Gaines is committed to fighting for improvements to the education in the state. He is looking to create educational opportunities by revitalizing the public school system and creating career opportunities.

District 57 includes the entire east bank of St. John Parish except for a small section of eastern LaPlace. It also encompasses the towns of Gramercy and Lutcher, as well as a portion of the Paulina area in St. James Parish.

In District 58, democrats Dwayne “Gully” Bailey and Ed Price will face off in the race to represent most of the west bank of St. James Parish and the unincorporated portions of the east bank of St. James. Price garnered 47 percent of the vote, while Bailey earned about 29 percent of the vote.

Bailey said he will look to cut state expenses by redirecting emergency room visits that are non-emergencies to the proper health care centers, reducing pet projects, and using some rainy day funds and tax amnesties to help balance the budget.

Price said that the state should look at every item in the budget, seeking ways to cut spending.

He said he is not in favor of raising taxes and noted the state needs to look at a constitutional convention to restructure the tax system.

The seat that covers the most ground is in District 81, which includes Garyville, Mt. Airy and parts of Reserve in St. John Parish, as well as portions of St. James, Ascension and Livingston parishes. That race pits Republican Clay Schexnayder of Gonzales against Democrat Kevin Hull of Denham Springs. Schexnayder gathered about 57 percent of the vote, while Hull garnered about 28 percent.

Schexnayder said his priorities are focusing more on family values, cutting state government and lowering taxes. Hull said he also supports growing the economy and creating jobs, but added that he would not support cutting state government jobs at the expense of reducing services.

Whoever is elected to the state seats will receive an annual base salary of around $22,800, which includes a $500 unvouchered monthly expense account.