Parish president election
SLIDELL – The news from a week ago that Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer is expected to run against incumbent Mike Cooper in the next parish president election didn’t bring any big reaction from the current leader of St. Tammany Parish, although he did have a comment about the surprising news.
The Slidell Independent reported last week that Cromer is planning to challenge Cooper in the November 2023 election for parish president, barring any unexpected changes in the coming months.
Cromer will likely make an official announcement about the decision sometime later this summer.
Cooper, who is finishing the third year of his first term as parish president, has faced many challenges so far with COVID, eight tropical storms in his first year, the defeat of a sales tax election to fund law enforcement, a critical financial crisis that shows no end in sight, conflict over a potential building moratorium in the parish, and an ongoing dispute with east Slidell residents for their water supply, one that created such an uproar with several parish council members that Cooper issued a public call for an apology.
Meanwhile, Cromer was re-elected in March with no opposition after a first term with a multitude of positive actions that have made him perhaps the most popular public official on the east side of the parish. Even though he is now looking at a second term, Cromer has received so many requests from business leaders to run for parish president against Cooper that he is apparently poised to do just that.
Cooper was asked if he would like to comment about the news in The Slidell Independent that Cromer, a longtime friend, is planning to run against him next year. His response made it clear he is not surprised to have opposition.
“In both offices I have had the privilege of holding, I have always assumed that I would have opponents in future elections,” said Cooper. “Whether it’s Greg Cromer or someone else, I view a re-election campaign as an opportunity to tout our accomplishments on behalf of the people of St. Tammany Parish.
“When I was Mayor of Covington and since I’ve been Parish President, I’ve had a good and productive relationship with Greg. I expect that to continue, regardless of what he decides to do politically,” he added.
Cromer did not confirm nor deny the story carried by The Independent but did acknowledge the support he is receiving for his candidacy for parish president.
“I am flattered by the requests from many people that I run for parish president,” Cromer said, confirming he has been approached about the possibility since 2021.
While he is not ready to officially confirm the news, sources to The Slidell Independent state Cromer is merely getting things lined up to make an official announcement at the right time. Most political observers believe that candidates who want to challenge Cooper will make that known more than a year before the election, since they need to begin holding campaign fundraisers.
Parish Council President Mike Lorino has also seriously considered running for parish president, the Independent has learned, but the decision by Cromer to step into the race is expected to make him reconsider, although some political experts still believe he may be a third entry.