Endorsements for the March 26 municipal elections
14th March 2022 · 0 Comments
Early voting started on Saturday, March 12, to decide the next Orleans Second City Court Clerk to fill the unexpired term of Darren Lombard, as well as multiple offices in Kenner – and a Fire Department tax election in Harahan. The Kenner elections are of particular note. The suburban city has been besieged by negative press in recent months, suffering potential contractual malfeasance, and the chance for new leadership should not be ignored by the electorate. Early voting lasts until Saturday, March 19, with election day one week later. Voters in Algiers, Kenner, and Harahan should not forget to cast a ballot. Millions of dollars and the future of important municipal offices are at stake.
Orleans Parish
Clerk – 2nd City Court: Jordan Bridges
Jordan Bridges brought up the obvious question to our editors, why has not the Algiers Clerk of Court’s office been digitized? Why cannot one file online with ease, or interact by the Internet, as other Clerk’s offices do? Bridges not only brings cost-effective plans to put documents online in just a few months, but he seeks to open access to the office to the working public, with late hours at least once per week. He also seeks to put a regional NOPD substation in the Courthouse, to encourage greater public safety in Algiers Point, and he wants to return free notarial services to the public through the Clerk’s office.
Bridges wants to use the “Bully Pulpit” of his office to bring attention to the often-forgotten neighborhoods of Orleans Parish’s West Bank. He seeks to use the advocacy resources of his office to help fight the epidemic of evictions facing Algiers, while still being sensitive to property owners – some of whom have not been paid rent in over a year. Bridges wants to do the job of clerk, pledging, “I am filling a two-year, unexpired term…Give me a two-year test. If I don’t keep my promises in that time, vote me out of office.” Our editors believe that Bridges should have a chance to implement these reforms, and we encourage West Bank voters to give him a two-year “trial” period in the clerk’s office.
Jefferson Parish
Mayor – City of Kenner: Michael Glaser Sr.
Kenner stands at a crossroads of history, and the city needs a quiet, steady hand at the helm. There has been too much excitement of late, too many scandals, too many declarations of political warfare. It is time for some calm, conscientious management of Louisiana’s Sixth Largest City. If Kenner does not develop a plan for its future re-definition, it will fall into the urban decay of exurbs which has plagued many parts of Jefferson Parish. Young families will leave, and crime and hopelessness will be their replacement. Glaser, the outgoing Chief of Police, sees this looming danger, and has a series of carefully reasoned plans to bring about a Kenner Renaissance.
Chief of Police – City of Kenner: Keith Conley
If there is a better candidate running for any office in Louisiana in this cycle, our editors have not found a superior contender to Keith Conley. A two-decade veteran of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, he has spent his retirement as an attorney engaging in public service, from councilmember to parish CAO. Conley resembles a “walking encyclopedia” of Jefferson Parish policy. No one has a better comprehensive view of the responsibilities and challenges of a modern municipal police force than he.
Reflecting this, Conley has predicated his run for Chief on a long-overdue reform. He seeks to purchase police body cameras to protect both the peace officers and public with oversight. Putting body cameras ubiquitously on cops constitutes a costly set of acquisitions, but the expense stands as a critical expenditure, as Conley maintains. In a city with over a third of its population African American, and a history of less than sensitive racial relations, the transparency of cameras on cops removes quite a lot of public doubt of the intentions of the Kenner Police.
Councilman – District 1, City of Kenner: No Endorsement
Our Editors have decided to wait for the runoff to make a recommendation in this race.
Councilman – District 2, City of Kenner: “Ronnie” Scharwath
He protected nuclear weapons and the people of Kenner as a Fire Fighter. Scharwath is the only veteran running for office in Kenner this season, and he stands doubly so. He served in the 400th Missile Security Squadron of the U.S. Air Force, and then, worked his way from Fireman to Provisional District Chief of the Kenner Fire Department. His expertise on investing and improving the Fire Department could prove critical for both Kenner’s safety in the coming decades, and the maintenance of the city’s affordable insurance rates. A long-time volunteer coach and substitute teacher, Scharwath also displays a sensitivity to the needs of Kenner Recreation, and how those programs literally save children – and create productive adults. His ideas on neighborhood atmospheric reform in District 2 will also provide a guiding light if elected to the Kenner Council.
Councilman – District 3, City of Kenner: “Joey” LaHatte III
A local attorney and civic activist, Mr. LaHatte brings a passion for redefining Williams Blvd. ascetically and commercially. He wishes the major traffic artery to receive a proverbial “face lift” with a comprehensive strategy of improving the appearance and layout of this city’s defining thoroughfare. It stands as part of LaHatte’s strategy of improving the entrances and amenities of surrounding neighborhoods – in order to draw a new and young population of homeowners to Kenner.
LaHatte deserves notable praise for his ideas and efforts to finally have Laketown reach its potential. Kenner’s development of the park, thanks to the Treasure Chest Casino moving inland, offers the chance to develop a marina (in the vacated dockage) as well as a real boardwalk and entertainment venue. LaHatte shared some concrete ideas to develop both with our editors. He should be given the chance to implement them in office.
Councilman – District 5, City of Kenner: Brian Brennan
Mr. Brennan stands as the intellectual heart of the current Council, and may be the only councilmanic candidate truly deserving of a second term. Representing a district that runs up to the St. Charles Parish border, he understands how the challenges of urban decay threaten viable neighborhoods, and has put forward quality of life reforms that stand to keep the streets of his constituency viable for new homeowners moving in. Brennan also demonstrated to our editors a strong focus on Kenner’s coming budgetary cliff. The city budget has overspent by millions since Hurricane Ida, and Brennan was the loudest critic of this over-expenditure. He presented substantive plans to return Louisiana’s Sixth Largest city to fiscal balance, without robbing essential services – such as parks and playgrounds – of critical funds.
City of Harahan – 0.8% S&U Tax – CC – Perp.: VOTE YES
Normally, our editors are skeptical about taxes put on the ballot when no other municipal or parish office – or anything else – goes before the electorate. However, we do not hesitate to support this levy, which would provide an estimated $753,644 to the city’s Fire Department. If approved, the tax would come into effect on July 1, 2022, due to the fact that increased financing is needed immediately so the Harahan Fire Department can keep its high rating and certifications. Should those be down-graded, property insurance costs in Harahan would skyrocket (even higher than they have in recent months). It is a choice. Pay 0.8 percent , a piddling sum on goods and services, or pay hundreds more in property and casualty homeowners insurance? That is why time is of the essence in enacting this tax.
This article originally published in the March 14, 2022 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
