Local pastor Michael Harris is committing to a vow of public service by running in the DeRidder mayoral race.

He interviewed with the American Press on Monday to discuss his vision for DeRidder and his sights are set on a city built on transparency, integrity and honesty. A city that prioritizes community connection, starting with prioritizing children and seniors. A city that bustles economically.

Harris was born and raised in DeRidder. He served in the military, traveling the world to places like Paris, Italy, Switzerland, Iraq, Honduras, Kuwait, Dubai and the Republic of Panama. He enlisted in 2000 and retired as an Army Capt. in 2013 after sustaining an injury in Iraq.

“I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve seen the world, and I’ve learned a lot of things about how we can, how our city can do better.”

During his time in Panama, he became drawn to ministry and “gave his life to God.” He delivered food and medicines to the citizens during his service and witnessed their state of living.

“There were people there that didn’t have food, didn’t have shoes — children playing in the dumps, trash dumps, and trying to find food in the trash dumps.”

He and his fellow servicemen started an outreach program in Panama that is still active to this day, he said

“I just began to love to serve.”

This experience transmuted into a passion for community service in his hometown. In addition to being a pastor at New Hope Holiness Church, he volunteers to work with the youth, coaching basketball and football.

In 2018, he was asked by then-incumbent City Councilman-at-large Haywood Steele to run for his seat. Harris said that while he was not initially motivated to serve in a public capacity, Steele’s persistence moved him.

“He continued to ask and began to share with me some value that I could bring to our city with my past, my history, especially being born and raised in the city.”

He was elected, but his position was challenged after former DeRidder Mayor Ron Roberts filed a complaint that Harris “did not have a domiciliary residence within city limits, which is required by the DeRidder City Charter” within the “one year period before the qualification of the office,” the American Press reported in 2018.

Harris holds two residences, one inside city limits and one outside. He said during the interview that he lived in the house outside of city limits for “six months to a year” (and is listed on Airbnb), but now lives on Lake Court Street in DeRidder.

After legal battles, Harris submitted his letter of resignation in February 2019.

“I didn’t want to drag our city through all that stuff.”

Six years later, Harris is committed to serving the people who wanted him in office.

“I feel that I should have a right to come home and run for public office in the city in which I was born and raised,” he explained. “This guy stole the votes of all those people that voted for me. So, now I feel obligated to run again to let those people know that their voting was not in vain and no one can steal your votes.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in homeland security, both from Northwestern University.

Platform

His campaign is focused on supporting vulnerable populations in DeRidder — seniors, youth and the disabled — through community-based policing to connect residents with law enforcement.

For children in DeRidder, Harris wants to provide resources, activities and places to go. One program that he would like to reinstate is the ride-along program with the DeRidder Police Department, where officers volunteer and interact with students and young athletes.

“The kids would understand that police officers are people, too. They’re parents, they’re sons, they’re daughters,” he said. “But unless we get ourselves to work with each other, we’ll always have this great divide, and it doesn’t have to be that way, especially in a small town like DeRidder.”

He also aims to create a cultural shift in the way DeRidder’s youth is treated.

“I don’t think that we give them enough direction as adults. We talk more about our children than to them. We’ll say how bad they are and focus on the issues instead of how good they are… and it will make them feel as though their future is not so great.”

Harris advocates for handicap-accessible infrastructure in town, including upgrading sidewalks and railroad crossings to ensure safety for disabled citizens and installing ramps in every public building.

Ultimately, his platform is built on transparency, a practice that introduces “integrity, honesty.”

“I learned this in the military. Show them the truth, and when they can see it now everybody will want to be a part of it,” he explained. “They can now see what’s going on with not just the money, but with what I do, how I go to work? How do I represent them in Baton Rouge?”

On his first day on the job, economic transparency would be his priority.

“I have to find out where the money is, and I will put it one a monitor inside city hall so we will all know what the budget is, where the money is going, where it’s coming from and where it’s going,” he said. “And that can happen.”

He would also take steps to keep the partnership between the city administration and city council a well-oiled machine. He doesn’t want to “reinvent the wheel,” instead “keep it rolling in the right direction.”

“I’ll get with every councilman, and we will sit down, and I want to hear what they’re working on and where they are on each project,” he said. “If they do not have a project, I will give them one.”

Harris said he strives for an administration that promotes unity and productivity.

“There’s no other place I want to be, I just believe that we can make it better. No name-calling. No belittling anybody. No degrading anybody. Just, we can make it better.”