The two candidates for the Oct. 17 special election to fill the District 9 seat on the St. Tammany Parish School Board got down to brass tacks last Wednesday as they met at Clearwood Junior High to debate the issues.

Randy Caire and Robin Mullett gave their views on school budgets, security and other subjects to a small audience gathered in the Clearwood cafeteria.

A special election was called for District 9 to fill the seat left vacant by Carmen Johnson who resigned earlier this year to due to conflicts with her job. The board appointed Mike Gambrell through an application process to the seat. At the time, Gambrell said he would run for the seat in the special Oct. 17 election. However, he later said he would not run due to a conflict of interest with his work.

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Originally there were three candidates, Caire, Mullett and Rachel Jones, but Jones dropped out of the race last month.

District 9 runs from the northeast side of Slidell, following old Military Road up to Pearl River. There are two public schools in District 9, Clearwood Junior High and Whispering Forest Elementary. School board spokesperson Meredith Mendez said even though there are only two schools in the area, many students in District 9 attend public schools in other districts.

Caire, father of three, told voters Wednesday his experience in law enforcement and as a justice of the peace made him qualified to work on the school board. He is now a construction consultant and owns National Professional Services.

Mullett, also a mother of three, said that her experience working as a volunteer and paraprofessional in St. Tammany public schools for 20 years gives her experience to handle the business of the school board.

Both candidates said that they are familiar with working with large budgets. Mullett has worked on Project Graduation several times, and that has a large budget. Caire said in his business, he is familiar with multi-million dollar budgets for building projects.

Both said security is paramount in the schools. Mullett said that installing security cameras in schools was cost-beneficial, but thought that other means of security should be involved, such as doing background checks. She is in favor of school staff and faculty being trained in rapid response for crisis management.

“I think there can be more, but we don’t want our children to be in a prison,” Mullett said.

Caire said the cameras were a good idea, but they are only there to catch the act of crime, not a real deterrent. He said school security plans depend on the school and the district.

“I will bring preventative programs to the schools,” Caire said. “For me the most important thing is to listen to the teachers and principals. They know what is really going on.”

Caire has two daughters that go to Whispering Forest, and one son that goes to St. Margaret Mary School. When asked why his son goes to a private school, he said it was part of the custody agreement between him and his ex-wife.

Mullett’s children went to schools outside District 9, but that was because she did not live in the district at the time. When her family moved into the district, the School Board gave her permission to send her children to out of district schools.

In his closing statement, Caire said he said he would always be there for both parents and students, and that he would be an independent voice on the school board.

“No politicians pull my chains,” Caire said.

Mullet, who was recently endorsed by the Alliance for Good Government, said she has worked tirelessly for children in the parish for 20 years. She cited her years in the PTA, the Junior Auxiliary, and as a tutor in schools.

“I’m proud for what I’ve done. I believe I am the right candidate,” Mullett said.

Early voting was yesterday, but District 9 voters can go to the polls Oct. 17.