FLASH: ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in’

Mandeville Daily considers return, providing context for important issues only

Sucette Harbor causes heated debate in Old Mandeville

-Editorial-

I did it for a year. I was bothered by the demise of the small-town newspaper so I started Mandeville Daily. I’m a software developer by day, working from home full-time. I’m very blessed, no doubt. But in my youth I was a reporter and editor at a couple of small-town newspapers, including the now-defunct St. Tammany News-Banner in Covington.

And more recently, for about a year — from March 2021 to February 2022 — I conducted an experiment of sorts. I provided news coverage of the Mandeville City Council, just like I used to do as a kid in my early 20s, but this time it was for free and in my spare time. I’m not saying I was very good at it back in the day, nor would I claim to excel at it now, but I do believe I provided at least adequate coverage in 2021 and 2022.

During this time, I covered Mandeville City Council, distilling the roughly two-hour meetings down to five-minute reads as objectively as possible. Not an easy task. I received criticism from both supporters and detractors of Mayor Clay Madden, who was often in the spotlight at the time. I guess that means I was doing an OK job.

Alas, the experiment came to an end. I could no longer justify the personal and financial sacrifice just to fulfill some sense of civic duty.

While I truly wish Mandeville had real, consistent news coverage, there is a silver lining: the Information Age. These days one can watch every Mandeville City Council meeting on Facebook, not to mention the historic and planning & zoning commissions as well. Granted, the video production quality is inferior to that of other nearby municipalities such as Covington or Hammond, but nevertheless, it provides access to government that didn’t exist 30 years ago.

In the months after I ended my little project, I would occasionally encounter readers who expressed a desire that I continue my coverage. But the math really had not changed in my mind. I simply could not return to full-on City Council coverage.

However, in light of recent events where certain issues before the City Council have become legitimate hot-button topics, I have reconsidered my position… at least in part.

I will not return to providing contiguous Mandeville City Council meeting coverage. If you want that, watch the meetings on Facebook. In fact, why not show up at the meeting and express your dissent on issues you oppose?

But what I will do is consider writing stories on the most important and impactful issues coming before the City Council.

One such issue might be the red-hot Sucette Harbor project. It would be a complete makeover of the Mariner’s Village end of the lakefront, bringing a multi-story hotel, senior-living apartments, an events center, and a redesigned marina to the vacant site.

Critics say it would create a traffic nightmare and the project would ultimately be a bust, which they believe would later lead to officials changing the intended purpose of the facility rather than having it shutter. This, they say, could eventually open the door to gaming on the Mandeville lakefront.

Vocal detractors of the proposed project accuse the developers of having gaming in mind as their ultimate goal, while supporters of the venture say that charge is laughable and merely an attempt to gin up hostility.

Things became so heated at the May 25th City Council meeting in response to social media posts that someone made comparing alleged campaign contributions to “bribes” that Paul Harrison, an attorney representing the Sucette Harbor project developers, had strong language for those who might go too far in their opposition on social media:

“If someone defames me… online, you write it down. You will be sued the next day by my firm. Let’s be very clear about that… But you make an insinuation about MY integrity, you will get sued. That’s it.”

Sounds like the temperature is rising fast. Is Sucette Harbor good for Mandeville? It’s an interesting question and no doubt a firestorm has been ignited in the minds of many in the public. Maybe it is time that Mandeville Daily rise from its ashes.

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