Republicans Lon Vicknair and Aaron Moak are both headed to a December runoff election for the mayor of Central.
On Tuesday, Lon Vicknair secured 35% of the vote, Aaron Moak secured 31% of the vote, Despo “D’Ann” Wells secured 23% of the vote and Geno Guercio secured 11% of the vote with all 24 precincts reporting but with no early votes in.
They will face off in a Dec. 12 runoff election to replace current mayor who decided not to seek reelection.
Moak has served over four and a half years on the parish Metro Council and also has served on the first Central City Council after the city incorporated in 2005.
Moak, who once was a firefighter in Central, has advocated on the Metro Council for the parish’s various fire departments, helping union leaders and fire chiefs get their property taxes to pass council votes. He’s also helped move forward several initiatives that support Emergency Medical Services and the Baton Rouge Police Department.
If Moak is elected mayor in December, an interim council member will need to be appointed to fill his seat within 20 days. Then, a special election would take place in April to fill the seat through the end of the term.
“I've always said that I would be going home back to Central,” Moak said In July. “I want to finish where I started.”
Vicknair was one of the first staffers Mayor-President Sid Edwards hired after he took office in January 2025. He has been on unpaid leave from his chief of staff role since he announced his campaign.
Prior to moving into Baton Rouge City Hall, Vicknair worked for PSC Group and served as a reserve officer for the Central Police Department.
Vicknair’s campaign focused on strengthening public safety, infrastructure improvements, responsible management of taxpayer dollars and “encouraging thoughtful growth” in Central while preserving the city’s “small-town character.”
“Central is not just where I live. It is home,” Vicknair said in July. “It is where families put down roots, where neighbors still help neighbors, and where faith, hard work, and personal responsibility still mean something. Those values are worth protecting.”
The upcoming December runoff is not the first time Moak and Vicknair faced off in an election. Both candidates ran for Moak’s current Metro Council seat in 2020, but Vicknair failed to make the runoff. Moak eventually won his seat over Democrat candidate Tenika James.
Staff writer Patrick Sloan-Turner contributed to this report.