We are in the thick of early voting for the City of Natchitoches Council-at-Large position and the citizens of Natchitoches have a choice.

The primary election results made a statement with 61 percent of those who went to the polls voting to have a new representative in the council-at-large position. In other words, just 39 percent of the voters were in favor of maintaining the status quo. Of that 61 percent, 29 percent of those votes were cast for the two candidates who did not advance to this runoff.

So, I ask the question of that 29 percent – will you go to the polls for this runoff and if so, will you be consistent with your voting stance a second time?

If the answer to both is “yes,” the math reflects that the City of Natchitoches will have a new Councilman-at-Large in Candidate #35 Greg Burke.

Most importantly, the citizens of Natchitoches will be electing someone who will work hard between every other Monday meetings, not just show up every other Monday; will stand by the mayor’s side offering support, advice, input and yes, a differing perspective if the situation calls for that; will have made unpopular decisions throughout his 26-year tenure as NSU’s Athletic Director with the understanding that at times, those decision were for the greater good; will be somebody who, as the “at large” councilman, has connections in all corners of Natchitoches; and most importantly, will pursue the privilege of being elected with extreme passion!

I have no grudge against my opponent, Betty Sawyer-Smith. She has been nothing but polite to me as we have crossed paths over the past few months. Yet, as I have said throughout my campaign and did so while visiting with residents on streets like Amanda, Mayfield, Collins, and Fern just this past weekend, if I did not think I was the best person for the job I should not have chosen to qualify on December 15. To that point, my website – gregburke.net – now has close to 3,000 views and offers perspective regarding my qualifications, my knowledge of the concerns facing our city, and my thoughts on addressing those issues.

To the voters – those who supported me in the primary as well as to that pivotal 29 percent – I am ready to be your next Councilman-at-Large and respectfully, and humbly, ask that you vote for Candidate #35, Greg Burke, during early voting (which ends this Saturday) or on the April 27 election day.

Paid for by the campaign to elect Greg Burke.