Voters to pick Lockport mayor this weekend

Voters in Lockport will choose between a familiar face in local government and a political outsider for the town’s mayoral seat this weekend.

Local baseball and softball coach Ed “Coach Ed” Reinhardt and Division A Councilman Craig Rogers are on the ballot for Lockport’s top position. The two candidates are in a run-off to replace outgoing mayor Paul Champagne after a razor-thin primary on the Nov. 8 federal elections.

Reinhardt, a Democrat, earned 490 votes for 49 percent of the total votes cast that day. Rogers, a Republican, was just behind him, with 479 votes for 48 percent. Gene Breaux, no party, came in with a tiny yet significant 35 total votes on the day. Had Reinhardt won just 13 of Breaux’s votes, he would have avoided a run-off.

The race this Saturday features two candidates who each offer their own version of change. While Reinhardt is asking the public to trust someone from outside the current political regime to lead Lockport in a new direction, Rogers, a four-term councilman, is leaning on his vast experience in Lockport’s government to better assess the people’s needs and guide services to them.

Reinhardt said if elected he will bring a blue-collar work ethic to the position while also addressing work ethic in the town offices.

“We need to handle our roads better, we need to handle our sewage better, our drainage better, sidewalks [are] all damaged and blight all over town. I decided it’s time to take a step up, and I’m for the people. That’s what I’m getting here for, change, try to help the town and help our people,” Reinhardt said.

Rogers said his time spending the last four years as mayor pro tempore of the town has prepared him for all of the day-to-day responsibilities of the position. He also said he plans to use his abilities to find additional state and federal money to assist Lockport in improving its roads, sewage and drainage.

“I’m running for a different seat. I’m looking to bring my time, my talent, to the mayor’s position to bring about more change, to represent this community in a fashion where I can do a lot of good,” Rogers said.

“What experience I don’t have? Inside of the office? Come on. I can learn that, that ain’t no big deal. I ran my own business; I ought to be able to handle a bigger checkbook,” Reinhardt said.

Both candidates stressed the lean times Lockport is facing due to declining sales tax revenue in the face of a weakened economy. They each advocated for the obvious answer of bringing more businesses into Lockport to expand the tax base and provide a stimulus to the economy. Rogers said he would work with businesses to come to the area and but also acknowledged the role public works would play in attracting those companies.

“Make a business welcomed. Make them want to reinvest and be better for the community,” Rogers said. “That’s what it takes, it just takes a personal touch. That makes a big difference when it comes to trying to attract new business. But you got to make the corridor look good. You got to clean it up.”

Reinhardt is making a strong push to hire local whenever Lockport can to provide more work to residents and keep the money in the area. Reindhardt said he thinks this would save Lockport money, which could be used on public works.

“Really, it’s just getting in there and seeing where we stand at and going ahead and focus on trying to save money right away, cause times are kind of rough right now for everybody,” Reinhardt said. “And see if I can get some hometown people to get our streets and roads fixed, things like that. Get our town back and clean up the blight, mostly just taking care of our people and our town better than what’s been done.”

However, the town is still beholden to bid laws on many public projects and faced roadblocks in addressing blight. According to Rogers, Lockport only recently gained enhanced abilities to combat blight due to the state passing legislation to give municipalities more teeth in dealing with landowners.

Both men mentioned their experience owning businesses as credentials for Lockport’s top position. Reinhardt said his time running his own construction business prepared him for the hard work both inside and outside town hall.

“This is what it is: I’m a blue collar. I believe in working. I had my own business for 35 years, but I believe in getting out there and getting the work done. Office experience? Hey, I have that, too. It’s just going to be a little more of it, but that’s I can handle that too because I been there before,” Reinhardt said.

Rogers, who owns and operates a collection of auto parts stores in the Bayou Region, said one of his main talents in managing his business has been his ability to get the most out of his employees. He also cited his last eight years as councilman, when he would receive productivity reports on town employees to assess where they could best be utilized throughout the year. Rogers said taking a vested interest in employees’ work, and checking it out himself, has been the most effective way in bringing the best out of them, and he hoped to continue that as the manager of all the parish employees.

“You can’t gain the respect of your staff if they don’t think you care about them succeeding or don’t reward them for doing a good job. You have to go inspect the job, you have to pat them on the back,” Rogers said.

Reinhardt, who was skeptical of the support he would receive from the current and incoming council members, requested voters examine the town before voting.

“Let [voters] know before they cast that vote on Dec. 10 to please take a ride throughout the streets of Lockport to see for themselves the blight, the roads, the sidewalks and everything. See for themselves and use their own judgments and see everything was done in the last 16 years,” Reinhardt said.

While Rogers acknowledged his business experience in managing employees, he knows effecting change is not so simple in local government. He said his knowledge of the parish budget and how different levels of government work together would enable him to better address the issues currently facing Lockport.

“You can’t run it like a business. I can’t make a decision today and make it happen today. It don’t work that way. I have to get council approval. I do understand the Larson Act, knowing my powers and duties as mayor. I do know what my powers are and what my limitations are. That all had to be learned,” Rogers said

Mayor candidates