Military Road Alliance to Hold Parish Candidates’ Forum October 15th, 2014

Slidell, LA – The Military Road Alliance (M.R.A.), an umbrella organization of 13 homeowner associations in eastern St. Tammany Parish, will hold a Parish Candidates’ Forum on Wednesday, October 15.  The forum, which is open to the public at large, will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Boyet Jr. High Cafeteria, just off N. Pearl St., east of Slidell. For GPS users, the physical address is 59295 Rebel Dr., Slidell, LA 70461. [Directions at the end of this article.]

The forum will begin at 6:00 p.m. with all candidates for Constable in Ward 8 and at 6:30 p.m., the candidates for the Slidell City Court judgeship. 

At 7:00 p.m. the M.R.A. forum will continue with the candidates for St. Tammany Parish District Attorney.

All candidates for each office have been invited, including: Montgomery Hoover and Floyd Trascher for Constable, Ward 8; D’Andrea Chatman and Jim Lamz, for Slidell City Court Judge; and Alan Black, Roy Burns, Warren Montgomery, and Brian Trainor for District Attorney.

Moderators for the evening event will be St. Tammany Parish District 9 Councilman Gene Bellisario, who will facilitate the forum segments for the Constable and Slidell City Court Judge candidates. M.R.A. Vice President Jay Hilker will moderate the forum segment focusing on the District Attorney candidates.

Members of the M.R. A. will serve as runners, screeners and time keepers. The forum will open with brief introductions by each candidate, followed by a set of questions from the M.R.A.

Each part of the forum will then be followed by questions from the audience. The M.R.A. has been conducting political forums for many years, going back to its inception in 1979.  The M.R.A. traditionally takes audience questions via written cards, which are then screened for duplication and propriety by the M.R.A. screeners, prior to presentation to the candidates.

It is important to note that according to its by-laws, the M.R.A. does not endorse individual candidates for office. This forum is a public service by the M.R.A. to provide information to the community prior to voting.

The M.R.A. forum and all M.R.A. meetings are always open to the public as well as member subdivision delegates.  All citizens are invited to this particular informational event.

Directions to Boyet Jr. High:  Take Gause Blvd. East of Slidell, and turn onto North Pearl St., at the stoplight by a Rite Aid on the left. Go two very short blocks, and at the second stop sign, make a left turn onto Stone St. Proceed straight ahead to Rebel Dr.  Facing the school, bear left for parking near the Boyet cafeteria, at the left front of the circular drive. There is ample parking in several areas:  the front of the school, to the far right in the teachers’ parking lot, and left to the side and back of the school.

If there are further questions about this forum, please direct them to Gene and Mary K. Bellisario by phone, 985-641-2268, or by email, bayouduo97@charter.net.