By KEVIN CHIRISlidell news bureauSLIDELL – Two years ofdetermination to becomethe next chief of police forSlidell paid off for TommyWilliams on Saturday night.The veteran from the U.S.Navy and two different police departments put all thattogether in a campaign forchief that actually started almost two years ago, knowing that two-term incumbentchief Randy Fandal wouldnot be running when theMay, 2026, election camealong.Williams had only one opponent when Slidell voterswent to the ballot box onSaturday, an SPD officer hehas known for years. BrianNicaud, like Williams, hadover 30 years of experiencewith the police, but did notannounce his intentions torun for chief until late lastyear.(See Williams, Pg. 6A)The Sheriff’s Office hosted the annual National Police Memorial Weekwhen officers who have died in the line of duty are remembered. St. Tammany had representatives from most all parish police agencies in attendance. Placing the rose for Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Grant Candies is his wife,Courtney Candies, as family and the sheriff look on. (From left) SheriffRandy Smith, Candies’ mother, Betty Jean Freeman. His step-mother LoriCandies, and his father, Mark Candies, who works for the St. Charles Sheriff’s Office. More photos on page 8A. (Staff photo by Kevin Chiri.)Denham, Abney provideAt-Large surprise finishesTwo years of campaigningleads to chief of police jobBy KEVIN CHIRISlidell news bureauSLIDELL – Residentsliving on Christian Lanein Slidell, just off RobertBoulevard, are up inarms over a plan to turna former church daycarecenter into a homelesswomen’s shelter.However, the latest actions from city officialsare making it look morethan challenging for theshelter to ever open atthat location, eventhough there are othersimilar commercial operations nearby.(See Shelter, Pg. 9A)HomelessshelterdeniedBy KEVIN CHIRISlidell news bureauSLIDELL – As most attention on Saturdaynight was for the big winners in the Slidellcity elections, a troubling result from threeother ballot items has parish officials veryconcerned about the big vote in November tofund public safety agencies.St. Tammany government has been facing amounting financial crunch for years, nowthreatening the very safety of North Shoreresidents since the District Attorney’s Officeand court operation at the Justice Center hasalready endured 30 percent funding cuts in2026, and now faces a possible 55 percent cutin operational funding for 2027 if new revenueis not found.Without new revenue being found, D.A.Collin Sims and judges in the 22nd DistrictCourt have promised a near shutdown in civilcases or filings such as divorces, lawsuits andchild custody cases, as well as a big slowdown in prosecution of criminals, which couldlead to some being released into the community.(See Lighting, Pg. 8A)Serious concernfollows vote defeatHonoring Fallen OfficersBy KEVIN CHIRISlidell news bureauSLIDELL – Election surprises.Maybe they shouldn’t be calledsurprises since so many predictionsseem to end up with the so-calledexperts upside down at times, butthe results from the Slidell CityCouncil At-Large election on Saturday night would definitely fall intothe “surprise” category.With two open seats for At-Largepositions on the council, only oneincumbent was trying to earn a second term in that spot.Jeff Burgoyne was finishing hisfirst At-Large term and qualified toseek a second term, while the otherAt-Large representative, BillBorchert, declined to run for reelection.That brought in three other CityCouncil incumbents to qualify, whowere term limited out from their district seats, along with a fifth candidate in newcomer Tommy Abney.(See Denham, Pg. 7A)Five new faceswin council seatsLighting districts all failCouncil has final sayBy KEVIN CHIRISlidell news bureauSLIDELL – They mightneed to get some extrachairs when the orientationsession is held next monthfor freshman Slidell CityCouncil members.That’s because the election this past Saturday nightfor council seats resulted ina big change for the nextfour years with five new individuals elected to sit inthe council chambers.When qualifying was heldfor the May, 2026, Slidell cityelections, only two CityCouncil members managedto win re-election unopposed as Nick DiSanti inDistrict ‘D’ and Trey Brownfield in District ‘F’ managedto win without having tocampaign for their secondterms.(See Council, Pg. 6A)Williams wins in a runawayNow covering Covington and Mandeville news!Thursday, May 21, 2026 Vol. 17/No. 21TODAY’S INSPIRATION“By faith we understand that the entire universe wasformed at God’s command, that what we now seedid not come from anything that can be seen.” —Hebrews 11:3 1171 Robert Blvd985-259-8630Royalavian.comHours: Mon-Fri: 10-6Sat: 10-4 Sun: Noon-4Owner Michelle Carollo Come see our huge showroom - We are the ‘Buc-ee’s’ of the Bird World!LIVE BIRDSDOG FOODDOG, CAT, AND RABBIT SUPPLIESTOYSCAGES & MORE!‘The difference is that I have beenworking this campaign for two years…it’s about showing leadership and Ibelieve the community saw that as abig difference.’--SPD Chief Tommy Williams flffi fi ! ffififfi fi fl fifl ffffl ffi \" ffififfi fi fi ffi ffi #$ \" ffififfi fi fl fi ffi ffififfi '&fl% fi ! ffififfi ffi \" ffififfi fl fl fl Tommy Williams accepts the perfect gift from his dad afterwinning the chief election on Saturday night. Wyatt Williamswas a 35-year Slidell police officer, then served as City Marshal to lead the way for his son becoming the new SPD 1chief. (Staff photo by Kevin Chiri.)Leslie DenhamTom Abney
Page 2A Thursday, May 21, 2026 THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTSLIDELL – A 21-year-old Slidell manwas killed in an earlymorning motorcyclecrash, State Police officials reported, whenhe lost control of hisbike on Highway 11near Lake Pontchartrain.Troop L SpokesmanMarc Gremillion saidthat at approximately3 a.m. on Thursday,May 14, Gavin B. Dietrich was driving a2025 Kawasaki NinjaZX 10R south on USHighway 11 nearNorth Lakeview Driveat a high rate of speedwhile approaching aright-hand curve. For reasons stillunder investigation,Dietrich failed to negotiate the curve andran off the left side ofthe roadway into agravel parking lot,and over an embankment. Dietrich wasejected from the motorcycle and struckthe coastal shorelineriprap.The preliminary investigation revealedthat the crash occurred at approximately 3 a.m., thoughit was not reporteduntil later in the day. Dietrich, whose helmet use is unknown atthis time, sustainedserious injuries anddied on the scene. Aspart of the ongoing investigation, a routinetoxicology samplewas obtained foranalysis. This crashremains under investigation, Gremillionsaid.Troopers wish to remind motorists to always make gooddecisions while operating a motor vehicleand when riding motorcycles, utilizeproper safety equipment, such as DOTapproved helmets.Motorcyclist loses lifein tragic accidentSLIDELL – DistrictAttorney Collin Simsannounced that a St.Tammany ParishGrand Jury has indicted Keyoka Motley,39, of Slidell, on thefollowing charge:•1 Count of TheftValued at $25,000 orMoreThe charge stemsfrom activity occurring between August1, 2022, and June 30,2025. Motley is accused of misappropriation or taking offunds belonging tothe State of Louisianaby deliberately understating income toreceive SNAP benefits, with the intent topermanently deprivethe state of propertyvalued at $25,000 ormore.The Louisiana Department of Health,Fraud and RecoveryUnit, investigated thecase. Chief of Criminal Division DougFreese presented thecase to the grand juryfor the District Attorney’s Office.Following this indictment, Motley willbe scheduled for aformal arraignment inthe 22nd Judicial District Court, where shewill enter a plea.Slidell woman indicted for theftvia SNAP totaling over $25KKeyoka MotleyTommy WilliamsRemembering America’s Heroes This Memorial DayY 1OYLMA 21THROUGHJULY 3Open to kids,teens and adML, CAN Tults!SCAN THELEARN MSUMMEOO ABOUTE QR CODE TMORE ABOUTER READINGaei iReceivea prifor reg ster nEarn morprizes!Sign tbr nMze ng!SUMMER READINGSTTAM ORG/SUMMERREADING
Thursday, May 21, 2026 Page 3ASLIDELL -- As Memorial Day weekend approaches and families acrossSt. Tammany Parish prepare to travel,gather with loved ones and enjoy timeon the water, Sheriff Randy Smith isreminding residents to make safety apriority both on the road and on thewaterways.The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is participating in the national“Click It or Ticket” campaign duringthe Memorial Day holiday period. Aspart of the campaign, deputies willconduct increased seat belt enforcement patrols in neighborhoods andalong local highways now throughJune 1.The additional enforcement ismade possible through funding provided by the Louisiana HighwaySafety Commission, which also supports DWI and underage alcohol enforcement efforts throughout the year.“Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and we knowmany families will be traveling orspending time outdoors,” SheriffRandy Smith said. “Our goal is simple;we want everyone to enjoy the holiday and make it home safely. Wearingyour seat belt and making sure children are properly secured in age-appropriate safety seats can save lives.”In addition to roadway enforcement, the STPSO Marine Division willincrease patrols on parish waterwaysthroughout the holiday weekend.Deputies will be proactively monitoring rivers, lakes and other waterwaysto ensure compliance with state andlocal boating regulations and to promote safe boating practices.Sheriff Smith reminds boaters thatthe same laws that apply on the roadalso apply on the water, particularlywhen it comes to impaired operation.Boaters are also encouraged to payattention to no wake zones, remainaware of surrounding watercraft andensure vessels are equipped with therequired personal flotation devices.With increased boating traffic expected throughout the holiday weekend, deputies specially trained inmarine enforcement and water rescues will be on patrol and ready to respond to emergencies if needed.“We want everyone to have fun thissummer,” Sheriff Smith said. “But wealso want everyone to be safe.Whether you’re driving across theparish or spending the day on thewater, make smart choices, stay alert,wear your seat belt and never operatea vehicle or watercraft while impaired.”STPSO encouraging safe travel,boating as summer kicks offTHE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT'&%$#&&\"!\" #fiff\"fflffi$\"flff%ffi210/.-,+*)-('&-%$#&\"!' fiffffl-ffifl 2fl) '-fl . !!'&%$#&&\"!\"fi#\"flff%ffi/1.-fl*+-%$#&-(\"!' fiffffl-ffifl ffifl) '-fl . !!' #$&#\" \" %fi%ff\"$fl'-)+--!&+\"\"\"'fffi\"#ff#$ffffl'flff- flffl'fi$ -fi+#+ff -! -!$&!ff+- ff!fl) -(flff-+*)* -fl*+* -*+**+*ffflffl'* -fifffl)ff+*fl*+fl -)!fl- flffl' \"\"\"#&%ffi\"#ffiff\"#,fl$ '*-,+$!+0-+fl+ff-)fl'-(+fl$+**-++fffffl$*+**-)!-( --\"flff) ff+fl)-+*-/-fl'&-\"!*)-'*fffl'+*-+)+&SLIDELL – The monthly installmentof “Reveille,” a community meetingthat is open to all, will be held on Friday, May 29, at Saint August Maison,located at 153 Robert St. in OldeTowne.There is no charge to attend, withdoors opening at 7:30 and the meeting beginning at 8.This month’s meeting will featurethe Northshore Community Foundation, a parishwide non-profit thatraises money and supports numerousexcellent community organizations,as well as providing scholarships tostudents. This month’s meeting issponsored by the Northshore Business Council.Reveille was started one year agoby Parish Councilman Jeff Corbin andLa. Rep. Stephanie Berault to give locals an opportunity to get together ina town hall concept where anyone hasa chance to announce news, opinionsor speak their mind.The event is held at the same location, usually on the last Friday of eachmonth, although some date changesmay occur.‘Reveille’ meeting set for May 29
I imagine there are a few new readers this week. The Slidell Independent has debuted this week in Mandeville and Covington, starting with over 30 locations where you can find our great local paper. And here is the best part—it is for FREE! Yea, you don’t hear that too often, do you? I have been in the Slidell news business since I was 18. That means I have been doing this for over 50 years, including a fiveyear stint when I also ran the Tammany West that some west-side folks might remember. Very similar to The Slidell Independent, but only lasted five years before we pulled it. Now, however, I am back to bringing great community news to the west side of our parish, mainly because I realize how important it is for every community to have a great local paper that reports everything our government officials are doing. I started in 1973 as a sports editor, later became a managing editor, then a publisher, then God did something pretty miraculous in January, 2009, when he led me to bring Slidell’s paper back to the east side community by founding The Slidell Independent. The former local paper went away following Hurricane Katrina, replaced with a parish paper called the St. Tammany News. Not only was Slidell not happy having westside news in the paper, but I am certain the Mandeville and Covington folks were mostly interested in their own news as well. Now, you can get both and I hope it is welcomed. This paper will begin carrying pages exclusive for Mandeville and Covington, and if there is a really big story from those cities it definitely could end up on our front page, but the main reason I am stretching our distribution is because we all need to be aware of what our parish government is doing. Three years ago, I added parish coverage to this paper, and I probably have more of that week-to-week on my front page than Slidell city news—all because there is so much of it. Parish government is doing a lot of things, and some of them needing scrutiny. The public needs to know and our paper covers the parish happenings very intensely, so much so that some top ranking parish officials quit answering my questions two years ago. Fortunately, that has been smoothed out and I now talk to every public official just fine, which guarantees you will see all the important news. Many of you are aware that our parish finances are in a mess, and I believe there has been very little public coverage of it in Mandeville, Covington and the other smaller cities in St. Tammany, and that is the number one reason I want this paper to be seen by more St. Tammany residents. The older I have gotten, the more responsible I feel with this paper to inform the public. I am the only person writing about every little thing the parish government is doing, and fortunately with a bit of experience behind me, I have no fear to write what I think is the truth. Additionally, I am a Christian and run this paper in a manner I trust God would be happy with. Our paper played a major role in the defeat of the proposed casino in eastern St. Tammany in 2021, and we probably printed over 200 stories over three years in the fight to get sexually explicit books out of easy access of kids at our public libraries. That issue is now behind us with the books in a restricted area—not banned. I’m proud of those stories, but there are always more important issues the public needs to know about and you can count on us to bring them to you. We are still adding business distribution sites to our list since it is the unique way we get the paper out. In Slidell we now have 130 distribution sites for the paper, plus we are free on our Facebook site and website so you can find us there also, every Thursday morning. All total, our readership is now over 23,000 a week. And of course, I would not be doing my job if I didn’t say that we would certainly appreciate any businesses that would like to support our work by running paid ads. You can contact me for either becoming a distribution site or for advertising. With that said, welcome west St. Tammany. I hope you come to love this paper the way I know many do in the rest of the parish. Kevin Chiri can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. There was a lot to like about the recent Slidell city elections, and it had little to do with who actually won or lost. Yes, Leslie Denham did win an At-Large seat on the City Council, and that was part of the story. But the real revelation from that victory only had a little to do with the fact she garnered 27 percent of the vote in a five-candidate run for two At-Large seats. The city elections wrapped up on Saturday with a new City Council ready to take office, as well as newly-elected Police Chief Tommy Williams. They will be sworn in on July 1. The first positive headline from the concluded elections was this: A host of candidates battled it out for City Council positions, or to become the next chief for Slidell, and there was virtually no dirty politicking involved. This was a clean election. Candidates operated with integrity and respect for each other and Social Media was—thankfully for once—quiet. Hopefully it stays that way when it comes to throwing mud since it seems too many people seem to enjoy it. Our elections proved once again there is no need for dirty campaigns or dirty elections. Sure, you can state differences in qualifications with every bit of strong words you want. Point out how great you are and what fewer reasons there are that your opponent should be elected, but you don’t have to stoop to the kind of stuff we have seen in past elections. And yes, that means in Slidell and St. Tammany Parish. Additionally, Denham made history for Slidell and won an election that said a lot—an awful lot about Slidell that was positive. She became the first woman, the first Democrat and the first African American to win an At-Large seat on the Slidell City Council. Why is that important? Because it shows that, despite the very occasional remark from someone, we are mostly a fair, respectful city that does not look at the skin color of someone, or their sex, or even their party. If a candidate is more qualified to win an election, then we should vote for them. And in the case of Denham, she was the only black, female, Democrat running against four Republican white guys! And the city residents, a large majority white, decided she was the best one to represent them. What a great statement for our city. We have seen church leaders, both black and white, hold hands and work together for years. They have talked about the way our community only looks at character, not color. The Saturday election proved that in a big way and our city residents should be proud of that. Page 4A Thursday, May 21, 2026 THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTSlidell Independent Submission GuidelinesThe Slidell Independent is interested in publishing your information and need pictures and/or stories submitted to the newspaper through e-mail. We run any newsworthy information for free, and generally have it in the paper within two weeks of the time it is submitted. Here is how you can have your information published in our paper: E-mail: [email protected] Please make your story a text file of some kind, preferably a Word file, then attach it to the email. Pictures should be saved as jpg files and also attached. Please try to minimize your pictures to one or two with each special event you send, unless it is something that requires more than a couple of pictures. If you do have multiple pictures to send, you might find it works better to send the pictures in two or three separate e-mails, so the file is not so large to overload the e-mail system. If you have a special event you would like reporter coverage for, please e-mail that in also, and we will consider it for our staff. We assign reporters to local schools for special events. If you have any further questions, call Publisher Kevin Chiri at 985-607-8852 or email him at [email protected] Slidell OpinionsEDITORIALThe Slidell Independent to hit stands on west sideBY KEVIN CHIRI The Slidell Independent Woodshed[WOOD-shed]\"A musician who woodsheds several times a day will soon become a master of her instrument.\" \"The Band’s guitarist Robbie Robertson woodshedded so insistently, he was known to take his guitar to the restroom.\"As a noun, “woodshed” typically describes an outdoor covered storage area for firewood — though it can also be a euphemism for an outhouse. Both places are located away from prying ears, so a woodshed naturally became a place a musician could practice for long periods without fear of exasperating nearby listeners. From this, “to woodshed” developed as a verb meaning “to practice a musical instrument.”“Woodshed” is a simple compound of “wood” and “shed,” a variant of “shade” derived from the Old English “sced.”English, 18th century — Part of Speech: VerbTo practice a musical instrument.What it meansAbout AcuityExamples of Acuity in a sentenceDid you Know?Origin:The Slidell Independent welcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Letters must be no longer than 500 words, and The Slidell Independent reserves the right to edit the letters as needed. Please e-mail letters to: [email protected]. ‘Letters to the Editor’Don’t look for racism in the city of Slidell THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT STAFFTHE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTP.O. BOX 3130 Slidell, La. 70459 985-607-8852 [email protected] Slidell Independent is a locally owned and operated newspaper that serves the eastern St. Tammany Parish area, including Slidell, Lacombe and Pearl River. It is distributed through free circulation in the eastern St. Tammany region, while also available for purchase at local stores. The Slidell Independent is published once a week on Thursday, distributed as an A.M. publication. Reproduction of any portion of the paper is not permitted without authorization of The Slidell Independent.‘Your Community, Your Slidell Newspaper’The Slidell IndependentKEVIN CHIRI: Editor and Publisher [email protected] JENNY WEISHEIT: News Editor [email protected]
THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT Thursday, May 21, 2026By KEVIN CHIRISlidell news bureauSLIDELL – Bruce and Ali Black havecertainly proven that two heads arebetter than one, especially when it istwo highly-creative marketing, videoproduction, and Social Media heads.The young couple were both working in their own business worlds ofmarketing, consulting and creatingadvertising campaigns for differentbusinesses. In 2023, after working on a few projects together they decided to partnerup in business, forming Laser ImageMarketing, a decision that proved tobe perfect as they combined talentsto start a production and advertisingcompany that has exploded in growthin only three years.“We are now a full-service marketing company that specializes in creating Social Media Ad campaigns,”Bruce said.Laser Image is not only handlingnearly 50 clients in that short amountof time, butare flying all around the countryworking with clients in seven statesalready.“The key to our success is that wecommunicate extensively with ourclients and make sure we create incredible story telling ads,” Ali said.“We sell their company as a whole,not just the services or products theyoffer.”They now have two office spaces inSlidell at 2259 Carey St. in OldeTowne, as well as an operations center at 141 Commercial Square inSlidell, while their Florida businessgrowth has already led to opening athird office in Lakeland, FL.“It’s really about the passion wehave for what we do. We love this kindof business,” added Ali. “Most importantly, we meet regularly with everyclient to review how their content isperforming and what their return oninvestment is.”The couple both brought different,but related talents to the business andBruce smiled when admitting, “I comein with so many crazy ideas for whatcan make a business stand out. Welaugh about it sometimes, but then alot of times it gives us something verydifferent and unique.“At the end of the day, we are veryclient focused and I think that is whywe are growing so quickly,” he added.Bruce graduated from Pope JohnPaul High School here in Slidell, LA.Ali graduated from Lafayette HighSchool and came to the New Orleansarea where she graduated from UNOwith a Film, Media and Communications degree.“Originally I wanted to be an actress,” she said with a smile. “But onmy very first movie, I worked directlywith big name celebrities, then I feltlike the success would never outweigh the lack of privacy. When I wasstill in college at ULL, mom wantedme to be a nurse, but after three yearsof nursing school, I knew that wasn’tright for me. So, I came to New Orleans to work on big budget moviesafter graduating UNO before eventually moving to Slidell after I’d had myfill of the traveling movie set life.”Both ended up with a full-time jobat Cross Gates with Ali working insales and Bruce as a club manager.After working on a few marketingprojects together, they realized theyhad similar career goals, and talent.Eventually they decided to take theleap and run Laser Image Marketingtogether full time. Their team has grown to nine employees in only three years becausethey put the clients first in everythingthey do. Bruce focuses on companygrowth, overseeing systems, andhelping clients make what he saysare, “smarter marketing decisions. Webuild their campaign, then connect itwith the people who are most interested in their services.”Ali has a background in data analytics and marketing strategy, helpinglead to a strong return on marketinginvestment for businesses.“After we did our own thing for awhile we realized that by combiningour strategic expertise and contentcreation skills, we could offer the bestmarketing packages,” Ali noted. “Notonly has it worked, but we love doingit together.”The couple has two children with athird on the way.For more information, find them online at:Laserimagemarketing.com'' ' ''' ' '' ' ' ''' ' ' '' 'fi fifi fi fifi fifi fi fi' ',+*)ffl'' ' ''' ' '' ' ' ''' ' ' '' 'fi fifi fi fifi fifi fi fi' '( +& %$#\" !#\"\"#&ff\" ffi( fl#&ff \"$'' ' ''' ' '' ' ' ''' ' ' '' 'fi fifi fi fifi fifi fi fi' '\" fi( !+(\"$ (\"'' ' ''' ' '' ' ' ''' ' ' '' 'fi fifi fi fifi fifi fi fi' '% fl fl%, fl% % ffi'' ' ''' ' '' ' ' ''' ' ' '' 'fi fifi fi fifi fifi fi fi' '\" &\" &\" fi '' ' ''' ' '' ' ' ''' ' ' '' 'fi fifi fi fifi fifi fi fi' 'fi#&(+fi +)fi &\" &\" #\"\" ##&( fi fi +& &\"+& \"! fffflffiflfflflffi ! ! ! \" fl ! fflffifl ffi ffl ! Laser Image might be headed by a young businessman and woman, butthe success has exploded in only three years, now operating in sevenstates. Co-founders and owners Ali and Bruce Black sit in one of their interview studios after a big grand opening in Olde Towne. In bottomphoto is Bruce’s grandfather, Tadeusz Kornecki from Poland, who startedan auto repair station years ago in that country, and obviously passed onthe business bug.‘Incredible story-telling ads,’key for marketing business ffi fl ffl ffi ff fi ff 2054 Gause Blv &%$ffi # \" ! ' \" 2054 G' fi vd. East S lidell | 98 \" # $ffi ($ ' & # &ffi & # ' v ffi on| L \" 85 445 1042 ffi )*# # \" # $ffi ! 85-445-1042 | L ngogroup.net &ffi \" # $ffi \" &ffi - ,&+'#ngoSLIDELL BUSINESS News and NotesPage 5ALaser Image growthexplodes in three years
Page 6A Thursday, May 21, 2026 THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTWILLIAMS: New police chief elected(From Pg. 1A)Meanwhile, Williams made it clearto the community many months agothat he had his sights set on the policechief job, something that made a cleardifference when final vote totals camein Saturday night. Williams secured 65percent of the vote, compared to 35percent for Nicaud, for a runaway victory.“I know we both have many years ofpolice experience, but I think the difference is that I have been workingthis campaign for two years, plus I hadmilitary experience as well, and in theend I chose a career path to becomea supervisor. It’s about showing leadership and I believe the communitysaw that as a big difference,” Williamssaid during his campaign party at theSadie Jane events venue in Slidell.If you didn’t know who was winningby checking the vote totals it wouldhave been just as clear when pullinginto the parking lot for Williams’ campaign victory party. The crowd of rowdy supporters forWilliams was estimated at over 400and the excitement rivaled any of thevictory parties in St. Tammany Parishfor the biggest elections held for toppositions such as parish president,sheriff or district attorney—considered the three top jobs.When Williams finally came downfrom his private room where hewatched the vote totals come in, thecrowd exploded with applause andTV cameras followed him as he andhis wife Susan worked their waythrough the mass of people, shakinghands and passing out hugs.Finally at the podium to thank hissupporters, Williams maintained thesame talking points he has had for 24months.“This is about building strongercommunity partnerships, recruitingand retaining the best officers andembracing smart modern data drivenpolicing strategies and technology tokeep our citizens safe, and responsetimes fast,” he noted, thanking Fandalfor maintaining a strong foundation inthe department, keeping Slidell anextremely safe city, even as New Orleans criminals have tested the watershere.“Thank you for the trust and support,” Williams added. “I am deeplyhonored to stand here tonight as yournext Slidell chief of police. Tonight wecelebrate, but tomorrow, the real workbegins. This victory belongs to all ofus.”Williams said the congratulationsfrom the public for his victory were offthe charts. By Monday he had received “exactly 814 text messages ofcongratulations,” he said with a laugh.“It’s been pretty amazing.”However, by Monday it was time towork as Williams was meeting withoutgoing and incoming shifts at thepolice department since his transitioninto the job will begin June 1 as interim Chief of Police Daniel Seuzeneau passes the baton.Williams said he had a meetingwith all the captains at the SPD, andironically, “they were all captains Iworked under in years past.“Going forward, I have my visionand plan for this department and I willget right to work on this,” he said.The official inauguration forWilliams, along with all elected Slidellcity officials, will occur on July 1.There was no public statement fromNicaud posted following the election.Susan and Tommy Williams, with former SlidellPolice Chief, and now Slidell Mayor Randy Fandal.Staff photos by Kevin ChiriTommy Williams with Chris Bell, newly announcedto run for sheriff in 2027.Reed and Fanci Ingram, with Sadie Jane ownerand host for the night, Louis Ochoa.SadieJaneheadchefRobertCondon.Bruce Swilley, Darrell Schmidt, Wyatt Williams, Robert Crowell and David Cougle.Having a happy laugh with Donna Bach is new ChiefTommy Williams.CCST President Rick Franzo congratulating Williamsafter the final numbers came in.Already greeting babies? WillWilliams run formayor after servingas chief for eightyears? He has already stated theanswer is an emphatic “no.”Susan Williams stands by her man, new Chief Tommy Williams, as he gotthrough several TV interviews the night of the big win.COUNCIL: Five new faces to sit on council(From Pg. 1A)However, that was the end of theeasy run to victory as five incumbents faced opposition, with onlytwo of them winning.Among those was former District‘A’ rep Leslie Denham, who faced astiff race for the two At-Large seats,but managed to defeat three incumbents. Joining her with an At-Largevictory was newcomer TommyAbney, while incumbents DavidDenham, Kenny Tamborella and JeffBurgoyne were defeated in their attempts to move from a district position to the At-Large seat.Other than Denham, only District‘C’ representative Megan Haggertywon an election as an incumbent,defeating Belinda Parker Brown bya 70 to 30 percent margin.Five new faces will take theirseats as council members afterbeing sworn in on July 1, includingAbney as an At-Large, LandonWashington in District ‘A,’ SeanFadley in District ‘B,’ Shawn Jones inDistrict ‘E,’ and Tim Rogers in District ‘G.’Washington defeated Rene Arcemont in the District ‘A’ race as hetook over for the position previously held by Denham, who servedtwo terms in the majority AfricanAmerican district. Washington, sonof former City Councilman LionelWashington, a highly-respectedearly black official for the city, willbe followed by his son who secureda strong victory with 69 percent ofthe vote.Fadley faced Fabian Hartley inDistrict ‘B,’ two newcomers to theelection process in the city, and wonthe seat with a 55 to 45 percent margin.In District ‘E,’ another close raceended with victory for Shawn Jonesover Nick Spadoni in a 54 to 46 percent final count, while Rogersscored a solid victory in District ‘G’over John Grigg with 62 percent ofthe vote.
THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT Thursday, May 21, 2026 Page 7AStaff photos by Kevin ChiriDENHAM: At-Large seats see new faces(From Pg. 1A)With four total incumbents running,it seemed to be a toss up about whomight emerge in either of the top twopositions, not to mention Abney seenas the outsider who had lots of workto do if he wanted to defeat wellknown city officials.The final results left plenty of followers with surprises on their faces asAbney shocked the incumbents bywinning one At-Large seat, whileLeslie Denham took the other one,with those two winners out distancingthe other three by a wide margin inwhat was supposed to be a very closerun to the finish.Denham and Abney ended up taking the first and second place spots inthe voting, respectively, with Denhamgetting 27 percent and Abney getting26. Denham edged out Abney for firstby only 124 votes.The other three incumbents werenearly 10 percent behind the frontrunners as former District ‘E’ representative Kenny Tamborella took thirdwith 18 percent, David Dunham fromDistrict ‘B’ took fourth with 15 percentand Burgoyne took fifth with 14 percent.Abney, a lifelong local resident whois retired, has become active in thelocal business and political scene inrecent years, and ran for a districtcouncil seat last year, but lost. He admitted he wanted to become involvedin city government and decided totake on what many thought was a bigchallenge this year, entering the AtLarge race against the four incumbents.Abney was seen campaigning hardfrom over a year ago in a way thatclearly paid off. He and his team ofsupporters had to canvas the entirecity to talk to voters since the At-Largeseats are voted on by everyone in thecity limits. A devout Christian, Abneysaid he believes his sincerity whenmeeting people at their homesproved to be a critical key.“First of all, I always wear a crossand a lot of people would open theirdoor and immediately ask if I was aChristian. And I think that helpedthem see I was being honest and sincere in my interest to be on the council and make Slidell a better place,”he said. “I always want to glorify Godin all I do and that’s why I wear thecross.”Abney said he felt good about therace after seeing the early voting results on Saturday, already noticingthat he and Denham were out in frontwith a fair margin to spare.“I said from the beginning that nobody was going to outwork me andthat’s what we did, especially anamazing team of supporters I had,” hesaid. “I couldn’t have done it withoutthem.“Once I won the spot the congratulations have been endless,” he added.“It’s really been overwhelming.”Denham became the first woman,the first Democrat and first AfricanAmerican to win a city of Slidell AtLarge seat.She believed it would be a veryclose race, “especially among thefour incumbents,” she stated. “It’s veryhumbling to have won, and to win witha margin like I did. It think it wasabout my integrity, my character andthe way I have done the work in thecommunity. People knew me prettymuch when I was out campaigning.”Denham has been involved in a hostof community activities such as KeepSlidell Beautiful and Olde Towne’sMain Street, among others.“The community involvement wasprobably the difference,” she added.“And I appreciated seeing that theSlidell community voted me in citywide. They didn’t look at anything except the qualifications.”Abney, who has never served inpublic office, said his number one priority will be to get the city permitsdepartment revamped, somethingmany other public officials havepromised on the city and parish level,but still without overwhelming results.“I’ve been doing research aboutother cities and how they approach it.I’ve seen some cities that offer a complete permit process online,” he said.“We must make the permit processfor businesses easier and that will bemy top goal.”Denham agreed with Abney that“our permitting department needs tobe better. I have seen us improve it inrecent years, but I still think there ismore we can do to make it easier forbusinesses to open here. I still hearcomplaints once in a while.”David Dunham with his family, (from left),Leighton, Tomasina and Dalton.Tomasina and David Dunham with grandkids, Dalton Jr., and Hazel.Kenny and Dana Tamborella (standing,) along with friends Rob Hellfrich,Sydney Tamborella, Lisa Fonseca, Gina Neubeck and Tommy Fonseca.Sophia Ferrara, Kenny and Dana Tamborella, and Ron Tamborella.Kenny and Dana Tamborella with their children, Sydney, Anthony andWhitney.Fefe and Tommy Abney, with their son Tim,and daughter Alexa.Tommy Abneywith Mike McClelland,Lonny Garcia,Linda andKevin Young.Larry Gillio, Carole Gillio, Fefe and Tommy Abney, Angelina Valuri andDarrell Marcev.Jeff Burgoyne with family, including Samantha holding baby Eleanor, Jeffand Kim Burgoyne, and Bianca and Christian Burgoyne.Brian Mull, Jeff Burgoyne, Emily Mull, Wayne Boudreaux, Kim Burgoyneand Kaitlyn White-Greer.
Page 8A Thursday, May 21, 2026 THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTSheriff Randy Smith and Slidell Chief of Police Daniel Seuzeneau standwith others during the presentation of colors.Staff photosby Kevin ChiriThe St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office hosted the annual ceremony for the National Police Memorial Week, where any St. Tammany police officerswho died in the line of duty were remembered and honored. The eventwas packed with police officers from most parish agencies, including StatePolice and the municipal departments. Sheriff Randy Smith made openingremarks and pointed out the fact that 111 officers died in the U.S. during2025, with 36 already killed this year, two of them in Louisiana. “If you takethe life of a police officer you should receive the death sentence,” Smithsaid. The St. Tammany S.O. is still recovering from the loss of one of theirofficers last year, Sgt. Grant Candies, who was killed as he tried to stop afleeing car when he threw spike strips onto the interstate. The car veeredto the right and struck Candies on March 23, 2025. For the 19 officers remembered, a rose was placed on a wreath to commemorate their service.Remembering St. Tammany’s FallenSlidell Chief of Police Daniel Seuzeneau watches as Sanda Breitkreutz,sister of SPD Sgt. Theresa Simon, places the rose. Watching is KevinSimon and Breitkreutz’s father.Pearl River Chief Jack Sessions helps the family of Capt. Steven Gaudetplace the rose, after he was killed on duty on July 16, 2020. Family members include Gaudet’s son Landon Gaudet, Gaudet’s sisterStephanie Gaudet, and niece Haleugh Brown. Slidell Chief of Police Daniel Seuzeneau watchesas Levi Seals putsthe rose on thewreath in memory ofhis father, SPD Officer Jason Seals.In the background isJason Seals’ sister,Jamie Seals, and theofficers’s fatherMike Seals.Steve Brownlee,from Kilts ofMany Colors,played the bagpipe as he escorted in thewreath.LIGHTING: Vote defeat leaves serious concerns(From Pg. 1A)The hope has been pinned on a November ballot item when parish voters will be asked to fund a third-centsales tax, which parish officials statewill not increase taxes since government has been cutting taxes in severalother areas the past two years.“Whatever we ask for, it will be revenue neutral or better for taxpayers,”promised Parish Councilman Joe Impastato, a leader in the quest for somekind of funding mechanism that willsave public safety agencies.However, parish officials had plentyof worry after watching results of theSaturday elections that included threelighting districts in St. Tammany, allthat cost taxpayers a minisculeamount of money each year to essentially “keep the lights on in neighborhoods.”All three measures failed, and in avery big way, sending a message topublic officials that the vocal outcryon Social Media about the sales taxplan might already be showing up.“These were just small tax renewalsto keep the lights on in many neighborhoods around St. TammanyParish,” said Parish CouncilmanArthur Laughlin. “This is really something to worry about if it is telling usthe public is going to vote ‘no’ on anytax item, no matter what it is.”Lighting District #4 is a huge area inthe parish that covers many of thenon-municipal neighborhoods. It wasvoted down with 74 percent saying“no,” as 2,409 of the 3,234 voters whobothered to turn out turned thumbsdown, with only 825 saying “yes.”Laughlin lives in District #4 andsaid he only pays $8 a year on a$100,000 house, meaning 66 cents amonth so the rural area will havestreet lights.“I’m so afraid that people are voting‘no’ without knowing what they arevoting on,” he said. “People areblindly voting anything down and I’llbet most don’t know the lights will beturned off in December.”Laughlin said there might be a silver lining in the neighborhoodsgoing dark since, “the governmenthas endured this money shortage foryears by maintaining most of the services and quality of life we have. Thepublic has not felt any real pain fromit, but when they see the neighborhoods are dark now, I’ll bet we get alot of calls. But at that point, it’s too latesince we can’t put this on the ballotagain for six months.”Lighting District #9 was defeatedwith a 68 percent to 32 percent margin, and Lighting District #16 alsowent down big, with 61 percent votingagainst it. District #9 is in the generalarea of eastern St. Tammany Parish,while District #16 covers areas inwestern St. Tammany. Anyone who lives within the citylimits of any municipality will not beaffected by lighting district votessince the cities pay for street lights.Laughlin said there was very littlepublic education about the lightingdistrict votes “because the parish hasno money for it. We did Social Mediaposts, but that was all we could do.”Parish Councilman Jeff Corbinechoed the thoughts of others, notingsome districts will see the lights go offin June, then others will see themturned off in December or early nextyear.“When people see the lights go offand find their neighborhoods darkthey will finally see the ramificationsof what we keep talking about withcertain services,” he said. “If you wantthe great quality of life we have here,you have to be willing to pay something for it. And lighting districts areso very inexpensive to have.“This really is something to worryabout for the November vote for public safety,” he added. “We will need anamazing education campaign if thesales tax is going to pass.”The only millage renewals or taxvotes of any kind to pass were for theTown of Pearl River, where the residents decided they still wanted to beable to flush their toilets and approved the 10-year measure for aquarter-cent sales tax that will bringin approximately $300,000 a year forsewer maintenance and operations.Voters said “yes” by a 68 to 32 percentmargin.In Fire District #11, a 10-mill renewal for 10 years was passed with 63percent in favor.With Gratitude to America’s HeroesSlidell City Council.At-Large member of thme the trust to serve you aand now later in life you havI have been a local resident myheas ane showny entire lifen Tim.Tommy Brunell.And of course... my wife Fefe and my sor, r. Ira Pitfield, and TSpecial thanks to my election team:Eric McElveen, Curtis Camper, Dr
THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT Page 9ASHELTER: Homeless shelter denied by P&ZSLIDELL – The Slidell Families inNeed organization will be raisingmoney with a special fundraiser onSaturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 3p.m.Named “Cars & Daiquiris” and presented at Castaways, 3000 Pontchartrain Dr., there will be a car, truck andmotorcycle show, as well as live musicby the Crowe Brothers Band. BBQburgers and other food will be forsale by the Great Escape Café, andanyone wanting to enter their vehiclein the show can do so for a $20 entryfee.There will also be other prizes, raffles and a 50/50 drawing.For more information, call Karen at985-768-2084.Four Northshore High School alumni recently graduated fromLSUHSC school of medicine. From left, Matthew Bratton ’18, SydneyLestage McManus ’18, Madeline Plunkett ’17, Mason Calico ’16.‘Cars & Daiquiris’ to raise moneyfor families in need on May 30Thursday, May 21, 2026NHS alumni graduate from LSUHSC(From Pg. 1A)The Slidell Planning & Zoning Department met on Monday night andlistened to mostly negative commentsfrom neighbors and two City Councilofficials regarding the possible shelter. In the end, the P&Z officials denied the rezoning application by a 3-0vote, with one member being absent.The matter now moves on to the fullCity Council on June 23, where thecouncil could still overturn the Planning & Zoning decision, but it seemsunlikely considering the thoughts expressed by the two council membersrepresenting that area.Current City Councilwoman CindiKing and incoming City CouncilmanTim Rogers both displayed feelingsthat suggest the support for the shelter will not be there, and the full council usually supports the representingcouncil member in situations like this.Two council members are having ahand in the matter since King is currently the councilwoman representingthat district, but Rogers just won election on Saturday night to replace herand will be sworn in on July 1.“I have talked to my constituents inthat area and they are certainly not forit,” Rogers said. “And my objective asa council member is to listen to whatmy constituents want and supportthem the best I can.”First Christian Church, located atthe corner of Christian Lane andRobert Boulevard, owns the currentlyvacant daycare center, but wants todonate it to Community ChristianConcern (CCC) in Slidell, which already operates a homeless men’sshelter in Olde Towne.CCC Executive Director BrendaWright spoke at the meeting andnoted they have “successfully operated a men’s shelter in Olde Townefor over 15 years with no significantissues or complaints in the neighborhood.”Christian Lane is a short street thatis zoned for residential towards theback, then commercial toward thefront half. There are only nine homeson the street, along with several rentaltownhouses before the commercialzone kicks in, starting with the daycare. Additionally, there are several otherbusinesses closer to Robert Boulevard that some residents fought tokeep out from the start. They includea WIC clinic, psychiatric clinic, anddrug rehab center.James and Theresa Braud have livedon the street for many years andbrought the intended rezoning andhomeless women’s shelter to the public, as well as speaking at the P&Zmeeting. They got a petition signedby eight of the nine homeownersthere, with the only one not signingbeing an employee from the church.“How can the continued degradation of the neighborhood and thisconcentration of undesirable properties not deteriorate property values?”she said. “We are already upset overthe fact high density housing hasbeen allowed on a single-family housing street without the neighbor’sknowledge. We are a small street. Howmuch are residents expected tobear?”Braud said the effect on the homesthere has been obvious as one homeowner tried for five years unsuccessfully to sell his home. She also addedthat five of the residents are in their80s.After attending the meeting, eventhough there was a victory with thedenial by the board, “my husbandand I were so upset we couldn’t go tosleep. And we understand there is aneed for this, but this is not the placefor it.”James Braud said he suggested thechurch donate the property to theCCC, let them sell it for what he believed would be over $200,000, thenuse the money somewhere else torenovate a building. However, he saidhe heard through others that thechurch will only donate the buildingto the CCC if the shelter is opened onthat location. “We recently saw the city of Slidellreported there are over 200 vacantcommercial properties in the city,” hesaid. “There must be a lot of placesthey could go.“And don’t suggest the men’s shelter is in a similar situation as ours. Theclosest residence to the men’s shelteris several lots away and there is onlyone of them. It’s not the same thing,”he said.Early plans indicated the shelterwould house between six and 12 people, there could be an unlimited timeof staying there and security wouldbe provided. But Theresa Braud saida lot of those issues are now up in theair.“Now they aren’t sure how manypeople will be there, then they said nosecurity, they won’t say if trans womenwill be there, and we don’t know ifkids will be allowed or not,” she said.“Also, there will be people with drugproblems there. It’s all very upsettingto be facing this after the other businesses that came in so close.”Braud said she understands theproblem of the homeless since sheand her husband took in a homelessteen years ago, and raised himthrough college.“We got a call one night that a boywas by himself at a stop sign and hadnowhere to go,” she said. “We wentright down there and got him, and helived with us for several years beforegoing to college, so we have a heartfor the homeless and know there is aproblem. But this is not the same asOlde Towne.”Parish Councilman David Couglespoke at the meeting and echoedthose thoughts.“I cannot comment about the appropriateness of the location, but onlythat we absolutely need a women'sshelter for the Slidell and Pearl Riverarea. 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Page 10A THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTHaAOPEN at 1 OPEN at 11am 7 daysWE ARE BAAuthentic MexicMargaritaappy Hour Everya weekACK!an foodasy day: 2-6OPEN at 11am, 7 days In former SteakhouseBack area of a weekTSaltgrasse building -Town CenterSoutheastern Louisiana University’s College of Science and Technology honored its distinguished students at the college’s annual honors convocation May 6. Recognized were, from left,Kathryn Jones of Mandeville, Outstanding Graduating SeniorAward in Mathematics; James Garcia of Covington, OutstandingGraduating Senior Award in Physics; and Savannah Cousins ofMadisonville, Outstanding Graduating Senior Award in Biological Sciences.The Pearl River Fire Department showed up to provide their own supportfor the day.Nature onthe Geauxbroughtsome“fun”creaturesto showoff.Lacy Ellzey, owner of Lemon Tree Recycling, was among the tea contestentries.MichaelKeller,with theZig Zagsband,rocked itout on hisacousticguitar.Earth Day celebratedwith tree giveawayThursday, May 21, 2026The Pearl River Museum sponsored a “Sweet Tea & Free Trees”day when free trees were given out in conjunction with EarthDay. They also had a sweet team competition, live music,hands-on interactive booths for kids and food for sale. SLU honors Slidell students
Page 11ATetlow opens Haus of Ink TattooThursday, May 21, 2026SLIDELL — Haus of Ink Tattoo, amodern private tattoo studio located at 1325 Englewood Dr. inSlidell, officially celebrated itsgrand opening on April 25, 2026.Owned by 29-year-old artistand mother of two, MadelineWilliams, the studio offers aclean, safe, and welcoming environment with a focus on customtattoo work. Williams is joined byfellow artist Samantha Tetlow, andtogether they provide a personalized, appointment-only experience tailored to each client.Haus of Ink Tattoo aims to bringa fresh, client-focused approachto the local tattoo community, emphasizing comfort, professionalism, and high-quality artistry.“I’m excited to be serving theSlidell community and creating aspace where clients feel comfortable and confident,” Williamssaid.The studio is now accepting appointments. You can bookthrough the website at www.hausofinktattoo.comSLIDELL -- M. DwayneWall, Registrar of Voters,announces the last dayto register to vote inperson for the June 27,2026 2nd Party Primary/Municipal General Election is Wednesday, May27, 2026. Anyone interested inregistering to vote inperson will need Identification with a parishaddress. Office hourson that day will be 8a.m. to 4:30 p.m. TheSlidell Office will beclosed for lunch from 1p.m. to 2 p.m. If registering to vote onlinethrough Geaux Vote Online Registration, the lastday is Saturday, June 6,2026. The Covington officeis located at 601 N. Jefferson Ave., and theSlidell Office is locatedat 520 Old Spanish TrailSuit 2F. Registration to vote ending May 27SLIDELL – Volunteers are beingsought for the annual Memorial Dayevent at the Southeast Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetery in Slidell, set forMonday, May 25, at 11 a.m.This event is to honor the veteranswho died in service and to rememberthose who died after service.Volunteers are needed to help setup and clean up after the event, aswell as an opportunity for organizations to be involved in the wreathpresentation during the ceremony.For more information and to signup, go online to: [email protected] Day event set for May 25SLIDELL -- St. Tammany Parish Library (STPL)’s 2026 Summer ReadingChallenge (SRC), “Unearth a Story,”will begin for all ages on May 21. Patrons can register using the onlinetool Beanstack or in person at any ofthe library’s 12 branches.To celebrate the start of SRC, the library will host two kickoff partiesfrom 4 to 7 p.m. on both sides of theparish.•Thursday, May 21: MadisonvilleBranch (1123 Main St.)•Friday, May 22: Slidell Branch (555Robert Blvd.)Kickoff party attendees will get afirst look at this summer’s excitingspecial guests, performances, programs and more. With this year’stheme, Unearth a Story, the library hasbeen dino-fied with dinosaur-themeddecorations, crafts and events.Both kickoff parties are free andopen to the public and will be filledwith dinosaur fun. The Dinosaur Experience will be at both events, withseveral shows in the large meetingrooms to accommodate audience demand. The traveling rock experience,We Dig, will present on geodes, giveaway gemstones and will have a babydino for guests to meet.Families can also enjoy popcorn,cotton candy, and Blue Bell ice creamwhile visiting several community tables. Parents wanting to learn aboutswim safety should visit the GoldfishSwim School and the Department ofHealth tables for more information.Other guests will include 94.7 theLake radio station, the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service and the Daughters ofthe American Revolution.STPL provides riveting learning andentertainment opportunities for residents throughout the Summer Reading Challenge. This initiativepromotes engagement in literary andcreative activities across all agegroups. Primarily, the SRC serves tomitigate the \"Summer Slide,\" preventing the loss of academic knowledgein school-aged children during theirbreak. Furthermore, the program provides lifelong learning for all ages, offering teens and adults a variety ofage-appropriate classes and specialguest presentations.Visit the library’s Summer Readingpage at sttammanylibrary.org/SummerReading to learn more about thechallenge, register, and view all theupcoming programs in the SummerReading Guide.Library to unearth story with dinosaur-themed summer reading challengeTHE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT Featuring our greFROM THE S LVA FAFOR OVER 30 YESERVING SLIDELL’S BEST SEALV GGIO F1194 HarboTuesday 11 a.mFriday &11 a.m.Su11 a.mClosed985.64 eatAMILYEARSEAFOODLor Dr. - Slidell- Thursday:m. - 9 p.m.& Saturday:. - 10 p.m.ndaym. - 9 p.m.d Monday41.0464 Featu uring our gre eat EXTRA!! EXTRA!!THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTWILL PUT YOUR BUSINESSIN FRONT OF OVER20,000 READERSEACH WEEK!Best News Coverage in St. Tammany Parish.The most affordable way to reach customers just got better!Our free paper on Facebook now has 35,000+ visitors a month, and those numbers are growing.Our regular free paper, available at 130 business locations in eastern St. Tammany, has 10,000 weekly readers. No papers thrown on driveways.Why advertise with us?The Slidell Independent puts you infront of 20,000+ people every week. If you want an affordable way to reach customers…If you need to build your brand name…If you want great exposure for your business…If you want a free half page business story published…LOOKING FOR RESULTS?Weekly Rates As Low As $75 a weekDining Guide: $30 a weekFor More Information on Advertising Rates:Email: [email protected]: 985-774-1352Slidell City CouncilMay 18, 7:00—Planning and Zoning. Council ChambersMay 26, 6:30—City Council.Council Chambers.June 9, 6:30—City Council. Council Chambers.June 10, 5:00—Olde TownePreservation. Council Chambers.June 15, 7:00--Planning & Zoning.Council Chambers.June 23, 6:30—City Council.Council Chambers.--Council Chambers—2045 Second St.--Slidell Auditorium, 2056 SecondSt.St. Tammany School BoardJune 4, 6:00—Committee as aWhole. (Slidell)June 11, 6:00--Full Board meeting.(Slidell)--Unless designated elsewhere,meetings at C.J. Schoen Bld., 321 N.Theard, Covington.** Slidell meetings: Robert C.Brooks Education Complex, 2544Sgt. Alfred Dr., Slidell.St. Tammany Parish CouncilMay 27, 1:30—Agenda Review.June 4, 6:00—Parish Council.---Parish Council Chambers,21490 Koop Dr., Mandeville.Fire District #1Board of CommissionersJune 16, 6 p.m., Towers BuildingSt. Tammany Levee BoardJune 17, 6:00--Committee meetings start at 5p.m.--All meetings at Slidell Auditorium, 2056 2nd St., Slidell.St. Tammany Library BoardJune 1, 6:30—Regular meeting.--Parish Council Chambers,21490 Koop Dr., Mandeville.Upcoming Meetings
Page 12A Thursday, May 21, 2026 THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT(Editor's Note: The city of Slidell ispublishing the City Council minutesas a service to readers in the name oftransparency for residents, eventhough they are only legally bound torun the minutes in the Official Journal.The Slidell Independent is barredfrom bidding as the Official Journalbecause it is a free paper, however,city officials elected to run them inour publication to inform residents ofCity Council actions.)MinutesApril 28, 20266:30 P.M.Council President DiSanti called theregular meeting of the Slidell CityCouncil to order in the CouncilChambers. A quorum was present.PRESENT: Council Members BillBorchert, Jeff Burgoyne, Leslie Denham, David Dunham, Megan Haggerty, Nick DiSanti, KennyTamborella, Trey Brownfield andCindi KingABSENT: NoneALSO PRESENT: Mayor Randy Fandal, Acting Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau, Council Administrator ThomasReeves, Chief of Staff Mike Noto, andCity Attorney Thomas Schneidau The Council President opened theConsent Calendar for a public hearing. No one from the public appearedto speak. The Council Presidentclosed the public hearing on the Consent Calendar.Councilman Brownfield secondedby Councilwoman Haggerty made amotion to adopt the Consent Calendar.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDCONSENT CALENDARA. Approval of the Minutes of theApril 14, 2026 meeting.B. Proposed Ordinances:1. Item No. 26-04-3639: An ordinance providing for an administrativereorganization of the City of Slidell’sgovernmental offices by way of restatement and amendment of Chapter2, Article III, Division 2 of the City ofSlidell’s Code of Ordinances, (DiSanti/Brownfield, by request of Administration).2. Item No. 26-04-3640 - An ordinance approving updated job descriptions for the positions of CodeEnforcement Officer (with move to 80hour scale); Grease Trap Inspector(with move to 80 hour scale);CBO/CFM; Utility Technician; LegalAssistant; Legal Secretary III (with renaming); Administrative Secretary;Human Resources Manager; Buyer I;Buyer II; and Buyer III; reclassifyingthe positions of IT Support Specialistto IT Support Specialist II and Engineering Field Representative to Engineering Inspector II; approving thecreation of, and job descriptions for,the positions of IT Support SpecialistI; IT Support Specialist III; Human Resources Generalist; Engineering Inspector I; and Engineering InspectorIII; and removing from theposition/grade classification the position of Warehouse Specialist, (DiSanti/Brownfield, by request ofAdministration).3. Item No. 26-04-3641 - An ordinance approving updated job descriptions for the positions of CityEngineer and Director of Airport Operations; and approving the creationof, and job descriptions for, the positions of Director of Community Development and Director of InformationTechnology, (DiSanti/Brownfield, byrequest of Administration).Note: A Public Hearing will be heldon the above-listed ordinances onTuesday, May 26, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. inthe Council Chambers, 2045 SecondStreet, Suite 319.C. Proposed Resolution:1. R26-15: A resolution of the SlidellCity Council obligating funds to landand water conservation fund project,(DiSanti/Brownfield, by request of Administration).D. Reallocation of Funds:1. Reallocation for Municode:92190-62059-New Municode Update,Expenditure $20,000 Increase;929992-45010 Transfer in from General Fund, Revenue $20,000 Increase;10001-31921 Interest, Revenue$20,000 Increase; 109992-95092Transfer out to City Capital, Expenditure $20,000 Increase.E. Project Acceptance:Water Meter Replacement Project,Pedal Valves, Inc., Slidell File No. 200-75/Quote #23-P002REGULAR AGENDASPECIAL PRESENTATIONSThe Council President stated thatthe Special Presentation of SamanthaArcemont and the presentation byJudge Scott Gardner will not takeplace tonight. Also, Mr. Aultman, whois receiving special recognition, isrunning late. He asked Desire Line togive their presentation.Evelyn Campo of Desire Line appeared before the Council and presented Slidell’s vacant propertyassessment preliminary report, stating that the vacant property in Slidellis not in unusual proportion for a citythis size. A large portion of the vacantproperties are being maintained. Thecity’s administrative adjudicationprocess will enable abatement of unkept, vacant properties in an expedited manner. Uponrecommendation of CouncilwomanKing, Ms. Campo explained thatabandoned and vacant properties arenot the same. Abandoned propertiesare unsecured and unkept and posepublic safety issues. Vacant properties are not necessarily abandoned.As there was no further discussion,Councilman DiSanti thanked Ms.Campo for her report to the Council. Councilman Tamborella along withFire District 1 Firefighters Landry andMcCormick, presented a Certificateof Appreciation to Kenny Aultman, forhis bravery in rescuing an elderlyhandicapped woman from a housefire. Mr. Aultman received a standingovation for his bravery. DominickSpadoni, who also helped rescue Mrs.Walker, was not in attendance. PUBLIC HEARINGSA public hearing was opened, held,and closed prior to any action beingtaken on the following items.As advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3631, an ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Slidell, Chapter2, Article III, Division 4, Section 2-157(Mayor Compensation). No one fromthe public appeared to speak. TheCouncil President closed the publichearing. Councilman Borchert seconded by Councilman Dunham madea motion to postpone Item No. 26-03-3631, until the May 26, 2026, Councilmeeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIED As advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3632, an ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Slidell, Chapter2, Article III, Division 4, Section 2-157(Chief of Police Compensation). Noone from the public appeared tospeak. The Council President closedthe public hearing. CouncilmanBrownfield, seconded by Councilwoman Haggerty, made a motion topostpone Item No. 26-03-3632, untilthe May 26, 2026, Council meeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDAs advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3633, an ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Slidell, Chapter2, Article III, Division 4, Section 2-157(Council Member Compensation). Noone from the public appeared tospeak. The Council President closedthe public hearing. CouncilmanBorchert, seconded by CouncilmanDunham, made a motion to postponeItem No. 26-03-3633, until the May 26,2026, Council meeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDAs advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3634, an ordinance for the City of Slidell settingforth and designating the City’s millage rates, as required by Part II of Article VII of the Constitution ofLouisiana and other applicable law,for the purpose of maintenance andoperation of general government,garbage collection, a sewerage system, and public works, as well as forproviding for the payment of interestand principal on outstanding generalobligation bonds, in said City for thefiscal year 2026-2027. No one from thepublic appeared to speak. The Council President closed the public hearing. Councilman Brownfield,seconded by Councilwoman Denham, made a motion to postpone ItemNo. 26-03-3634, until the May 26, 2026,Council meeting. ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDAs advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3635, an ordinance amending Chapter 21 (Personnel), Article IV (Employee RetirementSystems), Section 21-82 (Municipalpolice employees’ retirement system)of the City’s Code of Ordinances toprovide for the limited City coverageof four (4%) percent of employee retirement contributions for those unelected City police departmentemployees participating in the Municipal Police Employees’ RetirementSystem or the Municipal EmployeesRetirement System. No one from thepublic appeared to speak. The Council President closed the public hearing. Councilman Borchert stated thathopefully there will be an amendment to include municipal employees. Councilman Borchert, secondedby Councilwoman Denham, made amotion to postpone Item No. 26-03-3635, until the May 26, 2026, Councilmeeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDAs advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3636, the Cityof Slidell Revenue, Expense, and Capital Budget for fiscal year 2026-2027.No one from the public appeared tospeak. The Council President closedthe public hearing. CouncilmanBrownfield explained to the publicthat the prior public hearings arebudget items and the Council postponed them to give both the publicand the Council a chance to review itall and ask questions. CouncilmanBrownfield seconded by Councilwoman Haggerty, made a motion topostpone Item No. 26-03-3636, untilthe May 26, 2026, Council meeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDAs advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3637, an ordinance providing a quarterly update tothe Unified Development Code andofficial Zoning Map (TXT2026-0001)as found in Exhibits A & B, as well asAmendment A, which replaces Exhibit B in its entirety. No one from thepublic appeared to speak. The Council President closed the public hearing. Councilman Burgoyne secondedby Councilman Dunham made a motion to postpone Item No. 26-03-3637and Amendment A, until the May 26,2026, Council meeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDAs advertised, a public hearing washeld on Item No. 26-03-3638, an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 3594to allow St. Tammany Parish HospitalService District No. 2, dba Slidell Memorial Hospital, to relocate its FitnessPark and to provide for ancillary matters in connection therewith. The following residents appeared before theCouncil and spoke in opposition toSlidell Memorial Hospital moving theFitness Park to Broadmoor and making the present Fitness Park a parkinglot: Greta Abadie, Patrick Lobre andCourtney Lobre. Chief Operating Officer for Slidell Memorial Hospital,Jason Wilson, and Chief Legal Officer,Gil Ganacheau, appeared before theCouncil. Mr. Wilson explained thatthere is big growth going on at thehospital and parking is paramount.He stated that the hospital is committed to landscaping and lighting andthat the new fitness park will haveshade. Councilman Brownfield recommended that the parking lot be put onBroadmoor and the fitness park staywhere it is. Mr. Wilson explained thatthe parking lot needs to be close tothe hospital for their patients. Councilwoman King asked if Slidell Memorial officials have met with theresidents in Brugier Subdivision tosee what their concerns are. Councilwoman Denham and CouncilmanDunham both echoed CouncilwomanKing’s sentiments that a public meeting needs to be held by Slidell Memorial Hospital. CouncilwomanHaggerty apologized to the residents,namely Mrs. Abadie, for not meetingwith them regarding this matter. Shewould like this matter to be postponed until she can host a town hallmeeting along with Slidell Memorialofficials to answer any questions thepublic may have. CouncilwomanHaggerty stated that Slidell Memorialis more than willing to work with theCity on issues. Councilman Burgoyne agreed thata meeting is necessary, and that thenew fitness park needs to be exceptional.Former Councilman Buddy Lloydnext appeared before the Counciland gave historical information on thecountless hours spent writing legislation that created that park. He wenton to state that the property where thepark is now is zoned SPR, which doesnot allow a standalone parking lot inthat area. Mr. Lloyd stated that the introduced ordinance is very vagueand does not have language protecting the residents. He suggested a formal meeting between the City,Hospital Representatives and residents. Councilwoman Haggerty statedthat a hearing on the rezoning for thatarea is on the May 18, 2026, Planningand Zoning Agenda. She also statedthat there must be concessions fromboth sides.Councilwoman Denham thankedformer Councilman Buddy Lloyd forthe historical information that he provided tonight.Councilman Brownfield stated thatSMH is in partnership with one of thelargest nonprofits and that Ochsnerrecently received a 1-billion-dollarloan of which Slidell received not onepenny. Councilman DiSanti thanked all ofthe residents for coming to the meeting and letting their voices be heard.Councilwoman Haggerty secondedby Councilman Burgoyne made a motion to postpone Item 26-03-3638 untilthe June 9, 2026, Council meeting.ROLL CALL9 Yeas0 Nays0 AbsentCARRIEDLEGISLATIVE COMMENTSAND REPORTSCouncilman Borchert remindedeveryone that early voting starts onSaturday, May 2nd and runs throughSaturday, May 9th (excluding Sunday,May 3rd).Councilwoman Denham stated thatOlde Towne Main Street is hostingLemonpalooza on May 3rd with morning activities for children and eveningactivities for adults. More informationcan be found on Facebook. (See Minutes, Pg. 13A)
THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENT Thursday, May 21, 2026 Page 13AOpen Mond y - SuurbaWhiskey & Boundaybon MenurThursday Steak Night / Half Price BMimosa Brunch, starts 1Outside Patio Seating AvaiBottles of Wine(Select Bottles)0AM Sat & Sunlable (pet friendly)348 Robert Blvd. | Slidell, LAOur own 'Sedra BlenBreakfast & Lunch 7 DAYS A A 70458 | 985-288-4634fee' WEEK | 6am – 3pmnd CofA th ti MWE AREi f dE BACK!Happy Hour EvMargarAuthentic MeOPEN 7 DAYS A very day: 2-6ritasexican foodWEEK at 11AM Call Jenny at 985-607-8852 to advertise in this section. (From Pg. 12A)ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTSAND REPORTSMayor Fandal thanked the volunteers for attending the KSB Citywidecleanup last weekend. He went on tostate that D-Day for District B will beheld this Thursday. Also, the crosswalk at Fremaux and Front will finallybe open on May 3rd.Mayor Fandal stated that the City ofSlidell is kicking off a Mobility MasterPlan and encouraged everyone to attend the open house at City Hall onThursday, April 30th from 9:00 a.m. to7:00 p.m. to give ideas on movingthrough the community more safely.You can also take a survey online. POLICE CHIEF COMMENTSAND REPORTSChief Seuzeneau stated that theAcademy Graduation will take placenext Tuesday at Northshore Churchand all are welcome to attend. He willfollow up with an email with more details. He informed everyone that May7th is the National Day of Prayer.Lastly, Chief Seuzeneau stated thathe finally got plans and the bid package for the new Police Station. TheBid opening will be on June 4th at10:00 a.m. EXECUTIVE SESSIONThe Council President opened apublic hearing on the matter of JoseJimenez, Worker’s CompensationClaim. No one from the public appeared to speak. The Council President closed the public hearing.Councilman Dunham stated that heis abstaining from the Executive Session.Councilman Borchert seconded byCouncilman Tamborella made a motion to enter into Executive Session inthe matter of Jose Jimenez, Worker’sCompensation Claim.ROLL CALL8 Yeas0 Nays 1 Abstain (Dunham)CARRIED The Council entered into ExecutiveSession at 7:48 p.m. The council returned from Executive Session at 8:01 p.m.Councilman Borchert, seconded byCouncilman Brownfield, made a motion to accept the City Attorney’s recommendation in the matter of JoseJimenez, Worker’s CompensationClaim.ROLL CALL8 Yeas0 Nays 1 Abstain (Dunham)CARRIEDAs there was no further business,the meeting was adjourned at 8:02p.m.
(Editor’s Note: This isPart I of a three-part series)A long time ago, in agalaxy far, far away, therewere five bridges. I traversed those bridges. Fivedays a week. Twice a day.In all kinds of weather.With all shades of sunlightand darkness. For 30years! For 30 years, from Military Road, past the PearlChannels—West, WestMiddle, Middle, East Middle,and East---through the Stennis Wildlife buffer zone, passing briefly throughWaveland/Bay St Louis, thendown the beach to my officebehind the Island ViewCasino. I saw every speciesof bird, deer, hogs, snakes,coyotes, red wolves (twice),rabbits, nutria, otter, beaver,and many, many gators. I sawa very large, black cat once,fleeting as it ran across theroad in Stennis. I dare not venture a guess, but many RiverRats (an affectionate term forthose who lived on the Pearlin house boats) all claimthey’ve seen “panthers.” I drove east as the sun cameup and west as the sun set.I’ve photographed so manybeachscapes I store themseparately. I started the trekbefore there were cellphones! Or the Internet! Ohmy! Then one day, 4 years agoin May 2022, the bridgeswere suddenly and unexpected closed by theLouisiana DOT. “Safety” theysaid. “Severe rusting couldcause a collapse.”They were not on the radarfor closure. There were noplans-in-waiting. Traffic alongHwy 90 from New Orleansand Slidell to the Gulf Coastnow could only get there byone route—Interstate 10! All of us commuters whodepended on Highway 90now had another 15 minutesadded to our commute, 30minutes per day. 150 minutesper week. 600 minutes permonth or 10 hours per month.And (drumroll) 120 hours, orfive full workdays, per yearspent on I-10! I cannot calculate the cost in gas or wearand tear. How and why did this happen? The bridges and, indeed, Highway 90 over thePearl, was developed instages: a long, long time ago. •1926: Highway 90 was officially established as part ofthe U.S. Highway network,and the bridge across thePearl River betweenLouisiana and Mississippi wasopened.•1927: The original woodenbridge across St. Louis Bay onthe Mississippi Coast wascompleted.•1929–1930: The ChefMenteur Bridge (openedSeptember 1929) and theRigolets Bridge (opened June1930) were built, creating adirect, continuous, and freeroute between New Orleansand the Mississippi state line.•1933: The West Pearl RiverBridge was constructed, solidifying the route across theLouisiana-Mississippi border.That is correct: the WestPearl Bridge is approaching100 years old. The pictures onthis page today look likesomeone approaching 100.Quite frankly, it is amazingthey haven’t fallen in earlier.Amazingly the East Pearlbridge, a swing bridge allowing rockets to pass from Michoud, and other sites, ontheir way to Stennis SpaceCenter for testing, is STILL inworking order!! Currently theLouisiana DOT owns and operates most of the highwayand the Mississippi DOT hasjurisdiction on the Pearlington side (possibly) includingthe bridge. The fact that there are twojurisdictions is both good andbad, regarding rrrection, repair, or replacement of thebridges (and now the highway). Mississippi wanted alarge bridge, similar to the I10 crossing at the East Pearl.Such a structure would eliminate the need for a bridge attendant and reduce risk of acollision of the rocket-bargeswith the bridge. The problem? The most recent cost estimate is north of $300 millionjust for that bridge. That stillleaves bridge repairs for theWest, West Middle, Middle,and East Middle! So now you have the history. Next week I will delveinto the process. How andwho can solve this problem? Oh! By-the-way, I didn’teven mention the ChefMenteur Pass bridge—samevintage, same condition. Besure to tune in next week. Stanford A. Owen [email protected] ColumnPage 14A THE SLIDELL INDEPENDENTAbney Country AireAutumn LakesAvery EstatesBay RidgeBelle AcresBreckenridgeThe BluffsCornerstoneCross CreekCross GatesDoubloon Bayou EstatesForest RidgeFox HollowFrench Branch EstatesFrenchmen’s EstatesHoliday AcresHolly Ridge (at River Oaks)Kensington EstatesKingspointLake VillageLakeshore EstatesLakeshore VillagesThe LandingsMagnolia ForestMagnolia RidgeMeadow LakePirates HarborQuail RidgeRavenwoodRigolets EstatesRivercrestRiver GardensRiver OaksSummerfieldTaylor TraceThe SettlementTreasure IsleTurtle CreekWillow WoodPearl River Bridge—then, now and the futureA weekly news update on areas east of I-10 and I-59MILITARY ROAD TODAYThursday, May 21, 2026LA. SENATOR ROBERT “BOB” OWENDISTRICT #1250 Bouscaren St.—St. 201Slidell, LA. 70458100 Port Blvd.—St. 20Chalmette, LA [email protected]. Rep. Stephanie Berault District 761808 Front Street—St. 204Slidell, LA 70458(985) 640-9795 [email protected] This page sponsored by.....BY DR. STAN OWEN