By Christian Roselund

The first post-Katrina election in New Orleans results in a runoff election in May to elect a city government.Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin finished first yesterday with a comfortable nine-point lead on Mitch Landrieu, but far short of the fifty percent needed to win the race outright. Nagin reacted to his success with
humor.

[Ray Nagin]: "I stand here before you a humble man, someone who never
thought that I would have this kind of support, after some of the
crazy things I've said."

New Orleans Criminal Sheriff Marlin Gusman won re-election easily,
despite a scandal over his failure to evacuate New Orleans' parish
prison during last fall's flooding. The composition of New Orleans
City Hall remains unknown, with four seats out of seven to be decided
in the May 20th runoff.

Roughly one hundred and fifty poll monitors were mobilized yesterday
in New Orleans by non-partisan groups including the NAACP.

Throughout the coming week elections officials will continue to count
some of the sixteen thousand absentee ballots that were mailed out but
they are unlikely to change the outcome of most races.

For Worker's Independent News, Christian Roselund, New Orleans.