7th ward Marshal(Tangi) highest paid politician in state (230k)

PONCHATOULA---The woman who ran fourth in the field of seven who sought the 7th Ward Marshal’s Office in 2014 is calling foul after she says the winner—a man she personally endorsed—failed to keep his campaign promise to the voters.

Debbie Norwood, a veteran law enforcement officer and former candidate for 7th Ward Marshal, sent a letter on Monday to representatives from Tangipahoa Parish Government as well as the Cities of Hammond and Ponchatoula, calling on them to cut Marshal Pat Farris’ budget after she alleges Farris took home more than $230,000 in 2016—almost $150,000 more than he told voters he would accept, if elected to the office.

"as a taxpayer, we cannot allow this position in our parish once to once again be abused with this salary," Norwood told ActionNews17.com early Tuesday. "Take a look at the double retirement being sent, two different retirement plans, really!"LINK

The letter, dated April 17, re-sparks a controversy that erupted in the 2014 Marshal’s race when candidates took issue with the six-figure salary of then-Marshal Gordon Anderson, a 36-year veteran in the office. Several candidates pledged they would decrease the marshal’s salary, if elected. Farris was chief among them to campaign on that issue.

Yet Norwood alleges Farris, who is now serving in his third full year in a six-year term of office, has not matched his words with his actions on the salary issue.

“It may surprise you to learn that the highest paid elected official in Louisiana is not the Governor, U.S. Senator, or Supreme Court Chief Justice,” Norwood says, alleging that a series of public records “reveal that 7th Ward Marshal Pat Farris pays himself the highest salary of any politician in the state.”