Two Republicans are facing off in Bay St. Louis mayor's race. What are their priorities?
Incumbent Mayor Mike Favre and Councilman-at-Large Gary Knoblock are running in a primary election next week that will choose Bay St. Louis' next leader.
Primary voters will decide the race because both candidates are Republicans and face no challengers in the general election.
Municipal primaries will be held Tuesday across the state. Primary runoffs are scheduled April 22 for races with three or more candidates in which no one receives most of the votes. The general election is June 3.
The Republican primary will be the most competitive race in Bay St. Louis. Four Republicans are running for council-at-large. City council races in wards 4, 5 and 6 are each between two Republicans. Candidates in wards 1 and 3 are running unopposed. The Ward 2 race is between a Republican and Democrat and will be decided in June.
Both mayoral candidates have histories in city politics: Favre was councilman-at-large before he was elected mayor in 2017, and Knoblock filled the councilman-at-large seat that year.
Whoever voters choose will lead one of the most popular, fast-growing cities on the Mississippi Coast. The next mayor will also confront questions over infrastructure and growth being raised in communities across the region.
Favre said the city has restored its financial stability and improved quality of life during his eight years in office.
He said he would keep striving for balanced growth by preserving neighborhoods and ensuring new development does not outpace infrastructure.
Favre is advocating for more recreational opportunities in Bay St. Louis and said the city had taken good steps already by building pickleball courts. He said he wants to maintain low tax rates, address road and drainage repairs and listen to feedback from citizens. He also vowed to keep fulfilling goals for responsible growth outlined in the city's latest comprehensive plan.
Favre was born and raised in Bay St. Louis. He ran for mayor as a Democrat in 2017 and joined the state's Republican Party in 2021.
He said he is running again to keep city leadership transparent and accessible.
'We've done what we said we would do,' Favre said. 'As we move forward, we will continue to be that way and work very hard for our citizens and provide them with the best life that they can have in our city.'
Knoblock said he would work to keep taxes down by reducing the city's debt.
He also wants the city to enforce ordinances equally everywhere. He said the noise ordinance, for example, needs better enforcement downtown where bars play loud music at night.
Knoblock is advocating for consistent maintenance on drainage, roads, lighting and city buildings. He said he is against high density development and is vowing to push for fiscal responsibility and transparency.
He said he is challenging Favre because he thought city spending was rising too fast and wants to avoid tax increases.
'There's a lack of enforcement of city ordinances, that was another thing that pushed me,' he said. 'I just think I can do a better job.'
Knoblock was a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, before moving to Bay St. Louis three decades ago. He also owns a business called Lightning Quick Signs. He grew up in New Orleans and said he was drawn to Bay St. Louis by his parents, who fell in love with the city and moved there from Louisiana.
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