This is the fourth in a series of candidate question and answer features St. Tammany News will run before the upcoming elections. Each candidate was asked a series of the same five questions.

Jay Edward Newcomb has been an educator at Slidell High School for the past 19 years. In answer to some questions from the League of Women Voters, Newcomb said, “ The training and experience I have received from teaching and coaching for the past 22 years has helped to prepare me for this position in city government.”

He was the inaugural director of St. Luke’s Summer Day Camp. He has coached boys basketball, swimming, softball and tennis as well as assisting at numerous other activities at the school throughout the years.

NEWCOMB

Newcomb has a B. S. degree in secondary mathematics education from Louisiana Tech. He is a lifelong Republican and a member of the National Rifle Association.

He has been married to his wife Peggy for 22 years and has three children: Casey, 26; Natalie, 20; and Abby, 16.

This is his first time running for public office.

What do you think is the biggest problem facing your district?

The largest issue in District F depends upon your location. Wimbledon Estates is surrounded on three sides by drainage arteries, therefore the quick, efficient flow of rainwater is their greatest concern. Many streets in Fountain Estates and Castle Manor were repaired after the last major bond issue (late ‘90’s) but some work still needs to be done. Audubon Drive seeks a return to concrete panels after years and years of overlay by asphalt. Suncrest, being a PUD, has its own unique set of issues as it relates to those services that are city funded and those that are home-owner financed. Tanglewood has some issues with street flooding and want to retain the quality of the neighborhood.

What can be done to protect Slidell from future hurricanes? What we can do is try to minimize the impact of the next storm to threaten our city. We only need to look at the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile for examples. Chile was infinitely more prepared and suffered far less loss of life and property. Preparation is the key. This may entail cutting dangerous trees or limbs, maintaining or improving our drainage arteries, or citizens’ helping to keep the storm drains clean on their streets. I believe much has been done in this area but much more can be done also.

Do you think the city’s finances are in good shape? If not, what can be done to improve them? The City of Slidell presently finds itself in a tight budgetary condition. Actual tax revenues are down 7 percent from the same time last year and though the budget as adopted anticipated a 4 percent drop. The revised estimate for 2010 is a 9 percent decrease. It is imperative then that the impending cuts be as fair to all departments as possible and maintains the quality of service we have come to expect. Neither hard times nor good times last forever. We can use this time of inconvenience as a lesson for future budgeting.

What can be done to improve the quality of life in Slidell? This issue is an important one. Many people have relocated to the Northshore and Slidell in particular for this reason alone. The term encompasses a wide variety of variables. Quality public and private education, opportunities in the arts, friendly neighborhoods, affordable housing, low crime rates, family friendly activities, and so forth. These same attributes that attract people also attract business; therefore maintaining quality of life is maintaining the life of the city. I would love to see the Tammany Trace extend its route through Heritage Park and into Olde Towne. Usage by residents on this side of the parish would grow exponentially.

What can be done to bring more jobs to the city? The actual incorporated limits of Slidell have very little land remaining for new commercial construction. The infrastructure work at Summit Fremaux will be completed and ready for occupants. The economic downturn has certainly altered that vision from its original concept. But it is still a viable and valuable piece of Slidell’s future. It is times like these that force us to be creative in our thinking and planning. Retail certainly brings in regional tax dollars but those jobs are then suspect to a time like the present. Long term, high tech, environmentally friendly jobs are needed. The return of the Slidell campus of the Louisiana Technical College is absolutely vital also.