FERRIDAY — The two men who first faced off in the 2004 Ferriday mayoral run-off election are headed for a rematch this Saturday.

In the Feb. 9 primary, former mayor Glen McGlothin captured approximately 48 percent of the vote, while incumbent mayor Gene Allen carried approximately 33 percent of the ballots.

The remaining votes were spread across a field of five other candidates.

Both men said they have been campaigning hard since the primary.

“I have seen a lot of enthusiasm about the election,” Allen said.

The candidates both said that the main concern residents have presented them is the Ferriday Police Department.

“Mostly they talk about the police department,” Allen said. “Everybody is really satisfied with the management of the city.”

McGlothin said he has heard a lot of complaints about the number of tickets written in Ferriday.

“People are going to get tickets, but I think you have to temper the way you do the tickets with the severity of the crime,” McGlothin said. “You don’t have to give somebody with a seat belt violation the third degree. People are going around Ferriday, and the busiest roads in Ferriday are the bypasses.”

People avoiding Ferriday for overzealous ticket writing has hurt the town because people aren’t coming into town to spend money, McGlothin said.

Another issue of great importance for both candidates is the Ferriday water system.

“The water is a whole lot better but we have a lot of issues that need to be addressed,” Allen said. “We need to continue to get the storage tank at the water plant fixed.”

The water system should just be overhauled, McGlothin said.

“The last three administrations have all lost money on the water plan,” McGlothin said. “It’s just the nature of the beast. It’s because of where we get the water. We’ve been doing the same thing since 1987, so we have got to do something different.”

Ferriday water is pumped from Old River through an intake structure at Marengo Bend.

McGlothin said he is a proponent of drilling a well, and he said he would ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture to match some existing funds already in place to fund the project.

Allen said he would work to continue to complete a recreation deal already being worked on in Ferriday, and McGlothin said he would always be accessible to the people of the town and would work to spur economic development.

For the undecided voter, Allen said he would tell them to check his record.

“This city has been very progressive under this administration,” Allen said. “We have paid our bills, done a lot with the water, worked with the youth and are working on rebuilding the structure of the town.”

To that same undecided voter, McGlothin pointed to the complaints he has heard from voters.

“Do you want that to stay the same or do you want that to change?” McGlothin said.