Harahan voters will pick a new mayor on Nov. 3, choosing between a longtime city councilman and a real estate investor who has clashed with city hall over a building permit dispute. Eric Chatelain and Carol Logreco, both Republicans, qualified this fall to replace Mayor Tim Baudier, who cannot seek another term because of term limits.
Baudier, who is term-limited and announced on social media that he would run for the Jefferson Parish Council District 2 seat instead, did not respond to a request for comment, according to NOLA.com. The open seat has drawn two candidates with sharply different résumés: Chatelain, a 49-year-old electrician and business owner born and raised in Harahan, and Logreco, a 63-year-old former flight attendant turned landlord who has lived in the small Jefferson Parish city since childhood.
Harahan sits on the east bank of Jefferson Parish at a curve in the Mississippi River, a compact community of roughly 9,000 residents packed into about 2 square miles, per the same report. That small-town scale has shaped both candidates' pitches, even as they disagree on how the city has been run.
An 11-Year Councilman Makes His Second Run at the Top Job
Chatelain is no newcomer to Harahan politics. He served on the city council from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2019 through this year, and he left the council once before, in 2014, to run unsuccessfully for mayor against Tina Miceli. Because of term limits, he cannot run for council again, which helped push him toward another mayoral bid.
Outside of politics, Chatelain co-owns Chatelain Services, an electrical contracting company he runs with his brother, along with a property holdings company and Uncle Matt's Bar & Patio on Hickory Avenue. He declined an interview for the NOLA.com report and instead supplied written answers, telling the outlet that his prior political experience would help him advance ongoing city projects and launch new initiatives from the start of his term. He said the city cannot afford to lose momentum.
If elected, Chatelain said he would focus on securing additional parish, state, federal and private funding for infrastructure rehabilitation, parks, public safety and senior-center accessibility. He has also identified a new dog park and a better venue for the Harahan Farmers Market at Zeringue Park as goals.
A Landlord Who Says City Hall Plays Favorites
Logreco describes herself as a real estate investor, realtor and property manager who owns several apartment buildings on Hickory Avenue. Before her career in property, she worked as a customer service agent for Southwest Airlines. She currently serves on Harahan's board of adjustments, which handles zoning variances and appeals, and this is not her first run for office — she lost a 2022 bid for city council against eight other candidates, including Chatelain.
Logreco holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Louisiana State University New Orleans and has lived in Harahan since childhood. She said she hopes future generations can experience the same small-town feel she grew up with, and argued that her business background and community support could make up for her lack of political experience.
Permit Dispute Becomes a Campaign Flashpoint
Central to Logreco's case against the current city leadership is a lawsuit she filed against the city in 2025 over a building permit for a neighboring property, which she said had ordinance violations. She has alleged that city leaders used their positions to favor friends in recent years and said officials must be responsible to citizens rather than friends.
Chatelain pushed back on that characterization, saying the lawsuit was resolved through council action and that he was not aware of facts supporting Logreco's allegations about favoritism. If elected, Logreco said she would prioritize transparency and accountability by hiring a forensic accountant to audit city finances and by holding regular town halls. She has also said she would work to launch a Harahan business association to address business owners' needs with the city.
Money in the Race
Campaign finance reports covering the period show Chatelain's campaign raised $13,900 between April 28 and Sept. 24, spent about $25,100 and reported $41,300 in cash on hand, with about $30,000 remaining heading into the final campaign month. Logreco's campaign, by comparison, raised $13,700 from the start of the year through Sept. 24 and spent about $10,800, leaving roughly $2,900 in cash on hand entering the final stretch — a gap she has narrowed in part by lending her own campaign $11,000.
What's on the Ballot Alongside the Mayor's Race
The mayoral contest is one piece of a packed Harahan ballot this fall. Five candidates — Linda Domangue, Lionel Hotard III, Craig Johnston, Michael Ricks and Carrie Wheeler — qualified for city council seats, according to the earlier NOLA.com report on qualifying for Jefferson Parish races.
Election day is Nov. 3, held alongside the U.S. congressional races. Early voting runs Oct. 20-27, excluding Sunday, Oct. 25, with hours from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at all locations, according to the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. All registered Jefferson Parish voters are eligible to cast an early ballot, and anyone voting early must bring a valid photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport or military ID.
The race follows a tense period in Harahan politics; a 2025 report described infighting between the mayor and council. Whoever wins in November will take over from Baudier, who defeated incumbent Mayor Tina Miceli in the 2018 race by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin, according to a report from The Advocate at the time.
