SLIDELL – The final seat on the Slidell City Council has been settled, and it came a few weeks earlier than was expected.
City elections in Slidell were held on March 26, and all the key seats on the council were decided other than a runoff that was set on April 30 for District ‘D’ between Nick DiSanti and Sean Morrison.
However, Morrison announced over the weekend that he decided to concede the election, eliminating the need for the runoff. His public announcement will be official sometime this week when papers are filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State.
The District ‘D’ election was the most competitive out of any City Council races, with four candidates lined up to vie for the seat left vacant after former Councilman Val Vanney passed away last summer.
In the primary, DiSanti almost won outright as he drew 47 percent of the vote, with Morrison making the runoff with 24 percent.
However, Morrison made the decision to opt out of the race, stating he believed the public had spoken about “wanting to move in a different direction.”
Morrison was the only Democrat in the race, while DiSanti and one other entry were both Republicans, and a fourth candidate was Independent.
DiSanti said he had several people suggest they thought Morrison might pull out due to the large deficit, and also after one of the other candidates endorsed DiSanti. But he admits it was still a surprise to win without the runoff election.
“Yes, I was pretty surprised to hear he conceded, but then all this politics stuff is new to me, and I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said. “Sean called me, and we had a very nice conversation. He wished me good luck in the position.”
Morrison added in his online concession speech that “I am proud of the campaign we ran. We kept it about people, not politics, and I loved getting to talk to so many of my neighbors. We had big plans for Slidell, but….ultimately, we’re in good hands. I have known Nick for years and I know he will work hard for us and do a great job.”
DiSanti said he now moves forward with the business of educating himself on city issues.
“It’s a pretty significant learning curve to get up to speed on all the issues the council faces,” he remarked. “My goal is to listen and learn.”
In DiSanti’s campaign he said his top goals would be safety for the citizens of Slidell, both in terms of flood control and law enforcement.
DiSanti, who served the past five years as president of the Palm Lake Homeowners Association, spearheaded a big change in flooding improvement there, a traditionally high-flood area of Slidell, as he helped dozens of homeowners get their houses raised through federal programs.
He also wants to support improvements in Olde Towne, adding more sidewalks for walkability, bike paths and using golf carts there for travel.
DiSanti said that when he saw three others qualify for the District ‘D’ race “I considered not running since I knew four people would be difficult. But ultimately, I decided to go forward, and thanks to a great team of volunteers who helped me, I can look ahead to working with another great team on the City Council.”