Zachary Police Chief David McDavid announced his candidacy for Mayor in the Nov. 8 election. His official announcement follows.
After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, I am excited to be on the ballot this fall seeking your vote to serve as the next Mayor of Zachary.
Living in this community almost my entire life, I’ve seen it grow and thrive. I’ve also seen the challenges we’ve overcome and those that remain on the horizon. Whether it’s rapid housing growth or crime creeping in from neighboring communities, the next five years will determine the long-term future of Zachary.
Our community is like no other. As your Mayor, I will strive each day to the long view and ensure we leave our community better than we found it for our children and grandchildren. Today’s decisions impact tomorrow’s generations. I’ve been blessed to invest in the future of our city as a mentor for Zachary High School students through job shadowing for the last 20 years, and I’ve been a little league coach for more than 30 years.
As your police chief the last 11 years, I’ve seen the best of Zachary, but also confronted those who would try to do us harm. As a graduate of the FBI National Academy and DEA Drug Commanders School, I’ve trained with the best law enforcement officers in the world. I’ve also served as a member of the Delta Narcotics Task Force for more than three decades. It’s that type of training and commitment we need in leadership to keep violent criminals off our streets and out of our neighborhoods.
We also need leaders who are committed to our city’s collective future. I’ve worked for the City of Zachary in some capacity since I was 12 years old. In 1984 I was a volunteer firefighter and reserve police officer, in 1988 I became a full-time police officer, and in 2011 I became your Chief of Police. I’m a member of the Zachary Rotary Club and 1983 graduate of Zachary High School. Zachary is in my blood. Now, as I look to the next chapter of my career, I want to be your Mayor.
I am confident that with my depth of community knowledge, relationships, and vision, I can work with our next police chief, fire chief and city council to lead us into a brighter future. I am committed to working with the police department to prevent violent crime and keep drugs out of our community, working with the fire department to maintain our #1 fire rating and working on our flood and traffic prevention. I believe we can do all of this WITHOUT raising taxes. That’s my promise. If we don’t practice smart growth, our community will become less safe, have more traffic, and end up no better than Baton Rouge.
Our next Mayor needs to be a bridge builder, a planner and someone willing to get their hands dirty. I will roll up my sleeves every day and make your problems my problems. If elected, I will continue to be accessible and have an open-door policy.
I am more confident than ever that with the right leadership, Zachary’s best days are still ahead. As your Mayor, I am committed to making Zachary the best place to live, work and raise a family.
Together, we are Zachary!
