By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Four candidates who all boast years of law enforcement experience have lined up for the Slidell chief of police election set for November 8 in the city.
With the early departure of six-year Slidell Chief Randy Smith, who won election as the first new sheriff for St. Tammany Parish in 20 years, there are two years left on his term that will be filled by the election in four months.
Announced so far as planning to run are Slidell Police Department Capt. Kevin O’Neill, former Slidell Police officers Tommy Benasco and Randy Fandal, and St. Tammany Sheriff’s Officer Jimmie Estes, who all hope to lead the pack in the election as law enforcement veterans with a combined total of over 110 years of experience.
The question when the election comes will not be a matter of whether any of the candidates have experience in police work, but who is the best leader with real plans for improvement in the nationally accredited department.
“We all have law enforcement experience, but I think mine is most valuable since I’ve been with the Slidell Police Department for all 30-plus years,” said O’Neill.
Fandal, who spent 10 years with the Slidell Police Department to start his career, then finished over 20 years with State Police before retiring in 2011 with an eye on running for Slidell chief, said his experience trumps the others since he has training at the state level that none of the rest can offer.
Estes, at 68 years of age, is the most experienced of all with 37 years at three different agencies, while Benasco may have the least experience of all with 22 years, but cites the fact he has worked in most of the different departments with the SPD.
Fandal was the earliest out of the gate in announcing his intent to run, going public immediately after Smith won the sheriff’s election last November. A lifelong Slidell resident, he was spreading the word about his candidacy by the end of 2015 with signs, bumper stickers and more.
“I have had a plan to run for Slidell chief of police for probably 20 years, but needed to wait until I could retire from State Police,” he said. “Now is the right timing and I wanted to do this because I have lived my entire life in Slidell and want to give something back to the community where I have grown up with my family.”
Fandal, 56, does have broad experience from his days with State Police, heading the state drug interdiction program, supervising patrols, narcotics investigations and more. He said his top focus as Slidell chief would be to establish a “pro-active” stance towards what he calls a “threatening criminal element” on the borders of Slidell. He cited criminals in the New Orleans area always looking for opportunities in St. Tammany.
“We need a strong department to keep this city safe. By displaying a highly visible police presence during daily patrols we can send a message to stay away from Slidell if you are a criminal,” he added.
All four candidates acknowledged a key issue in trying to get better police pay for Slidell officers since the SPD rates near the bottom of starting pay among regional law enforcement agencies.
“Teachers start at $46,000 so how can we only pay $31,000 to men and women who put their life on the line every day?” Benasco asked.
He was critical of the City Council and mayor for spending $90,000 last year for a new Mardi Gras reviewing stand while officers made a low level of pay, and he said the city administration needs to find the money one way or another to increase salaries for officers.
“The money is there—we always have a supplemental budget of a million or two—we need to not worry with budgeting so conservatively and use that money for police pay,” he added.
Benasco, 52, has an established platform that includes higher police visibility, addressing the panhandler problem locally and getting more involved with young people through local organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club.
O’Neill spent his entire police career with the SPD and said his connection to the local force and the Slidell community gives him an edge over the other candidates in terms of being the most qualified person for the job.
O’Neill, 55, said it’s critical for the City Council and mayor to find a way to improve police pay, an issue that will be among his top priorities, while he said “traffic” is the number one complaint from the public and something he will address with different ideas for increasing police visibility.
He plans to add one motorcycle to the patrol division and wants to increase the reserve force to add more officers on the streets in a way that doesn’t cost more money.
“The reserves are one of the most important assets for us so we need to increase those numbers to at least 50,” he said.
Estes talked about the drug problem at the top of his priority list and wants to join with others who are offering help to addicts as opposed to throwing them in jail.
He believes the city needs to be more vigilant in keeping criminals from the South Shore from coming to Slidell, something that can be aided by encouraging more help from residents to call in tips.
“People in neighborhoods here know where drugs are being dealt,” he said. “I want to work closer with those groups and go get the dealers.”
Whoever wins the Nov. 8 election will have to run again in two years when the usual 2018 elections are held for Slidell city offices.