By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Early polls are showing that current Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is the favorite to become the next governor in the state when the election is held in November of 2023.
Perhaps that is the reason there was such a big turnout of people at a fundraiser dinner held in Slidell at Middendorf’s restaurant recently, a showing that included most of the top public officials currently holding St. Tammany offices.
Former La. Sen. A.G. Crowe is heading the St. Tammany campaign efforts for Nungesser, who has not officially announced his plans to run, but privately—and in front of small crowds—unequivocally states his intentions to seek the office.
“We have not held any official announcement press conference just yet,” he told the Slidell gathering. “We will probably do that in January, but in the meantime, we are not waiting to get to work, and we’re already holding events all over the state.”
Nungesser spoke with The Slidell Independent before taking the microphone and said he sees Louisiana falling behind other states, something that won’t change until someone becomes governor and makes the hard decisions for “real change.”
“We’ve been behind other states for too long,” he said. “If we don’t elect someone who really wants to change things, then we will keep falling further and further behind.”
Nungesser was perhaps the most active lieutenant governor in Louisiana ever, securing over $5 million for tourism efforts, and constantly making appearances all over the state for beautification efforts. He also tackled the growing homeless problem in New Orleans that he said is hurting the industry, noting that tourism is the fourth highest industry in the state in terms of tax dollars brought here.
When asked what his top priorities as governor would be, he listed “crime, economic development, education and poverty.”
“Education has to be tackled in a major way like never before,” he said. “We can’t have our third graders unable to read, but to do it right is a seven-to-nine-year journey and that means funding it in a way to stick with the program for that long.
“The answer is not to just give teachers a pay raise every four years,” he added. “We’ve got to make sure our teachers are doing the job and rewarded by results.”
As for the crime situation he cited a recent case in New Orleans where someone was arrested for the 61st time and had never served any time in jail.
“We can’t let that kind of thing happen in our state,” he said. “But it will take a governor with passion and a work ethic to get it done. And I will promise you that no one will outwork us in this campaign, nor working as governor to make our state better.”
Nungesser was introduced to the crowd by Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer, who spent many years with Nungesser serving in the Louisiana Legislature and together at the state level.
“Billy is a born and bred true representative of Louisiana,” Cromer said about Nungessor’s lifelong state roots. “He has done so many things for Louisiana and that makes him the perfect candidate to become the Louisiana governor.”
Nungesser converted a $7,500 loan from his mother into a portable building company that grew to employ more than 200 local workers and reached $20 million in sales. His idea helped house offshore oil workers and solved the housing problem the industry had faced.
He was later elected parish president in Plaquemines Parish, then won the election to become the Louisiana lieutenant governor.