Well... not actually. But possibly in the near future.
John Paul Young (JPY) as advised Erin McCarty by text this am that he was considering such a step. Erin announced it during her KEEL Mike and McCarty show.
Young, as in JPY, is not to be confused with Commissioner Greg Young. But to the credit of both they have been outspoken, in a good way, which is often rare, at Commission meetings.
JPY is serving his second term on the Commission which ends in 2027 and thus he can run for mayor without giving up this Commission seat. And he can run for a third term.
Mayor Tom Arceneaux has $350 thousand plus in his mayoral campaign fund as of this week. The had $158 grand as of Dec. 31, 2024. So, saying the bucks are flowing in is an understatement for an election that will be next November. JPY's campaign filing on Dec. 31, 2024, reflected $0 dollars, as in nothing.
JPY is a registered Republican. He is fiscally conservative and liberal on social issues. He has been a big advocate of the Pickleball Park the Commission is pursuing at a cost of $10 million.
As they say, JPY comes from "good stock". His dad is retired Caddo Juvenile Judge Paul Young who is highly respected not only in the legal community but across Caddo Parish as well. Judge Young has been very outspoken since he retired about the need for aggressive juvenile justice policies including a new pod at the Caddo Juvenile Detention Facility. And his son is no slaggart education wise with degrees from Caddo Magnet High, Columbia University, Cambridge University, Princeton University and a law degree from New York University. (This education info provided by AI).
JPY entrance in the 2026 mayor's race would certainly provide an interesting dynamic. In 2022 there were at least five "serious" candidates who raised money, set up websites, had yard signs and campaign committees including the sitting mayor, a Caddo Commissioner, a former City Council person and a retired state senator along with Tom Arcneneaux. Actually, there were 10 candidates at the beginning, which certainly helped Arceneaux.
More can be, and will be, written about the dynamics of a JPY candidacy in the 2026 mayor's race. The hot stove political talk has really been turned up with weeks with Mayor Toms re-election event and now JPY kicking election tires.
More to come.