By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Six months ago the furthest thing from Warren Montgomery’s mind was the idea of running for public office—much less a job considered the most powerful in St. Tammany Parish.
But in June of 2014, Montgomery said he began to see problems in the District Attorney’s Office for the 22nd Judicial Court and in less than two months, made a life-changing decision to run for D.A.
One of four candidates to qualify in August for the position, Montgomery surprised many observers by coming out of nowhere to finish second in the primary on Nov. 4.
He is now heading for a runoff on Dec. 6 against Brian Trainor to become the next District Attorney for St. Tammany and Washington parishes.
“Earlier this year I was feeling pretty good about my life and where it was at,” Montgomery said this week from his Covington office. “I had arrived to a comfortable place financially, my wife and I had bought a condo in Wyoming and from a personal perspective, we were where many of us want to be.”
But Montgomery said the ultimate decision to run for D.A. came after time he spent meditating on his responsibility “to do good with what abilities God had given me.”
When news stories began appearing this past summer about questionable financial practices by current D.A. Walter Reed, Montgomery said he had others who began to suggest he run for the position.
“I had been a prosecutor, I ran my own business and I had been a defense attorney,” he said. “I knew I had the experience the job required.
“I knew the office needed someone new who was an independent person, and not part of the political scene that has been in power there for so long,” he added. “When I saw the qualifications of the other candidates, I saw an opportunity for me to do good for the people of our communities. I spent a lot of time meditating on Scriptures and ultimately knew I needed to run.”
Montgomery, 59, worked for Ronald Reagan on his campaign and in his administration, then worked for the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney, and later started his private practice in Covington in 2003. Montgomery was in private business for many years operating the ICEE business for the Time Saver stores that his father founded, and has been heavily involved in a multitude of community organizations, specifically a heavy commitment to the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
He was the last candidate to go public about his intentions to qualify, but in the primary, polled a solid 27 percent of the vote to finish second to Trainor, with 40 percent. Alan Black and Roy Burns finished third and fourth, respectively, with a total of 33 percent—votes that both candidates are now vying for to win in the runoff on Dec. 6.
“A lot of people get into an election like this for the wrong reasons, and when you do that, you can ruin lives. If you want this kind of job for money, power, whatever, it won’t work,” Montgomery said. “I knew it was the right thing to do for me to run, and if I don’t get elected, our parish will be run by the same people who have been in power for a long time.”
Montgomery was quick to point to an ethical complaint against Trainor, filed against him the day after qualifying, for being a part of a lawsuit when he was the Chief Deputy for the Sheriff’s Office, questioning his role as an accident reconstruction expert.
“People want integrity in our criminal justice system and I don’t have any ethical complaints against me as Mr. Trainor does,” he said. “The idea of the chief deputy for the Sheriff’s Office making money in that kind of a situation opens the door for potential conflicts. It makes you wonder what else is out there.”
He also said his experience as a prosecutor is also an advantage he has over Trainor.
“I am known as Mr. Law Enforcement for my background trying felony cases,” he noted. “Mr. Trainor has never tried one felony case—do you want a general who has never fired a gun in a battle? He may be a good administrator, but he is very young and has no felony criminal experience.”
Montgomery’s motto in his campaign is “qualifications, not connections,” and he is doing his best to connect Trainor to the Reed administration after Trainor worked previously as an assistant D.A.
“Trainor is associated with the same people who have profited off our system,” he said. “He is not in favor of term limits, and I have promised to serve no more than two terms. If he is elected, it will be the same, good ole’ boy group running our system. That is not good for our community and it will be a mistake.”
Montgomery acknowledged his run from the back of the pack, noting “we did a poll early in the campaign and I was in last place. Then we never did another poll and I finished second.
“I believe it shows people heard my message and they wanted someone new and independent,” he said. “I bring law enforcement experience and independence to this job, and that’s what we need.”