The City of Slidell elected a new mayor, congratulations Freddy Drennan and filled two out of three city council seats – Sam Abney, District “B” and Jay Newcomb, District “F” on March 27th. The Police Chief and City Council District “C” remain open in a run-off. Although the Chamber does not endorse candidates, the board feels it is important to provide information to our members and the community to allow the citizens of Slidell to make smart decisions in electing our government.
The Public Policy Committee is active in creating awareness to the membership. All candidates, even the non-opposed, were invited to the chamber for personal twenty minute interviews of the same 5 to 6 questions. Additional questions were also presented for written responses and answered by the candidates. For complete responses, please visit our website at www.estchamber.com.
All four of the run-off candidates participated in the Public Policy Interview process. The Run-Off Candidates for the Chief of Police include Ben Morris and Randy Smith, both republicans. District “C” run-off candidates are Warren Crockett, Republican, and Buddy Lloyd, Democrat.
During the interviews, Ben Morris expressed “The City of Slidell cannot afford to take a step back or sideways, but primarily a step back with the police department would not be good for Slidell.” Ben explained, “Crime is at all time low. Drugs are always at the forefront and traffic. Traffic is not a threat, just the nature of the beast. The police department is the best in the state.” “As the Chief of the Police, the most important factors are having a good education system and a low crime rate that opens the door to economic development. We have one of the finest cultural arts departments for a city our size. All events are supported by the police department. The police department is a key factor to supporting the city.” Ben is familiar with the history of the department and the city and he says that is why he is running for Chief of Police.
Randy Smith explained he is running for Chief of Police because he is concerned about the quality of life that we have in Slidell and he wants to continue to serve, keep the citizens safe, and work to manage the tax dollars wisely. Two things to move the department forward that Randy is passionate about is technology and community policing. Officers put their lives on the line and he feels that the Slidell Police Department needs better equipment, including laptop computers in patrol cars for safety issues. “Having the laptops, they can stay on the streets and not have to go to office to do reports.” Randy feels strongly about getting the police department more involved in the community, he explained “Community policing and getting the Slidell Police Department more into the community, through schools, homeowners associations, and neighborhood watch will help with obtaining information from the citizens of the community.”
District “C” incumbent, Warren Crockett, is aware that a big issue in District C is encroachment of business into the neighborhoods. He understands that zoning needs to be evaluated to promote business, but reviewed to keep the quality of life people in Slidell expect. Warren understands that “Businesses need to grow, but traffic needs to be evaluated and buffer zones need to be put in place. It has to be a balance between the residences and the business to keep everyone happy.” Warren Crockett’s vision of Slidell is to see it grow economically and keep families here. He wants to see a thriving city and growth of VoTech system to develop non-college bound students. “We need a good tax base to move the city forward. Property tax cannot be the only use to depend upon.” “Small business is the heartbeat of America, but we need to attract business for industry and make money other than retail. Textron is good for the city and we need more business like them. Public private partnerships are a good avenue to market Slidell and get industry to come into Slidell.”
Buddy Lloyd has many new ideas to bring to the council including “finding a way for Slidell to be more business friendly and in saying that, it needs to be not so difficult when people want to move to Slidell to open a business and people need a reason to choose Slidell.” Buddy Lloyd envisions Slidell as a community that offers good job opportunities and streets that are not in disrepair, zoning that is friendly to business yet protects its residential areas and provides recreational opportunities. Buddy feels that things listed in the Master Plan, like sidewalks, need to be made. “People need to have inter-connectability amongst the residences and enforcement of codes so that people are aware of the rules and that they apply to everyone.”
The final elections will take place on May 1st. The time period to request a mail ballot from the Registrar is through April 27th, with the deadline for the Registrar to receive the mail ballot April 30th. Early Voting begins April 17 and ends April 24th.
Turn out for the March 27th voting day was very low. Some people believe their single vote does not count, this has been proven wrong in many elections, including the mayoral election in Mandeville, where it was decided by four (4) votes. If every person believes that his or her vote doesn't matter, the sheer volume of non-voters will destroy the democratic process. Make sure your vote is counted and your voice is heard – May 1st cast your vote!
Check out the chamber website for upcoming chamber events, including our $10,000 Giveaway Party! Tickets are only $100 per couple for a night of food, dancing and fun and your chance to win $10,000! Mark your calendar for May 7th! www.estchamber.com