COMMUNITY Leader BY LIESEL SCHMIDT
Mayor. Wikipedia defines the word as “the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town.” With that title comes a great deal of responsibility, and for Greg Cromer, it is one he wears with great humility and respect. As the mayor of Slidell since 2018, Cromer has seen the city through some of the most trying times in recent history. Political unrest, racial tension, economic crises, hurricanes, and a worldwide pandemic have all befallen the nation, impacting the city at a cellular level that would challenge even the strongest leadership. Through it all, Cromer has never lost sight of his mission, which is to guide his city with strength and courage.
MR. MAYOR GREG CROMER
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SOCIAL NORTHSHORE
Beginning his political career in 2002, Cromer spent the next 16 years working his way through various aspects of the inner workings of local and state government, serving as a member of Board of Zoning Adjustment as well as the Slidell City Council from 2002 to 2008 before he moved on to the Louisiana House of Representatives. Serving there from 2008 until 2018, he left the HOR to take office as mayor. “I decided to run for mayor when I was on the City Council,” Cromer recalls. “I served under Mayor Ben Morris and saw what a good job he did, especially during the Katrina crisis, and realized that I could do the job. I decided then that I wanted to serve our community in that capacity and would do my best to do an even better job.” Setting such high goals for himself at the outset of his mayoral career, Cromer was determined to deliver— regardless of the challenges that he might face. “I have tried to bring a calm, confident message to our community whenever we have been faced with adversity,” he says. “During the storm season, we regularly aired videos on our city website and Facebook pages that presented pertinent information needed for our citizens to make sound, informed decisions regarding safety. We’ve also been actively working to change the perception that doing business in Slidell is difficult by presenting ours as a business-friendly community, one that is open and welcoming to folks that want to invest in us. Another great challenge presented in an IT infrastructure that was outdated or nonexistent; and we are now developing a new IT infrastructure to support a modern, ‘connected’ city.”