Jimmy Inman and Cody Ludwig rose to the top of a four-candidate field Saturday and will meet in a runoff next month to decide the District D seat on the Covington City Council.
Election returns showed that Inman led with 40% of the vote, followed by Ludwig, the incumbent, with 39%. Ben Guidry with 18% and Rene Ferrer with 3% trailed, complete but unofficial returns showed.
All the candidates are Republicans. The runoff is April 29.
The District D seat was the lone municipal race on the ballot in Covington. All other offices — mayor and six City Council positions — were won by candidates who ultimately ran unopposed.
The council races did have a little drama: Jerry Lee Coner, a former member and frequent candidate, signed up in January to seek one of the two at-large council posts, but he bowed out of the race after a court challenge of his legal residency.
That opened the way for incumbent at-large council members Larry Rolling and Rick Smith to be re-elected without having to mount a campaign.
Other council members elected without opposition were Peter Lewis, John Botsford, Joey Roberts and Mark Verret. Mayor Mark Johnson was re-elected to a second term.
But Ludwig, a Covington native who won the District D seat four years unopposed, drew three challengers this time around, each a first-time candidate.
Ludwig campaigned on her record as a council member, telling voters that she and her colleagues had handled a number of infratructure issues over the past four years, ranging from drainage to traffic.
But her opponents said the district needs better representation if it wants to thrive. And each said he would be the new voice needed on the council.
Inman, a longtime teacher and coach in St. Tammany public schools, said he wants to help grow the local economy, while pushing greater transparency and accountability in government.
