Waveland Mayoral Election

December 3, 2018

Election season may be over for most of South Mississippi, but one very important vote is still on the ballot for tomorrow in Waveland.

On December 4^th, Waveland residents will have three choices for mayor: incumbent Mike Smith, Jay Trapani, and Tommy Longo.

Current Waveland Mayor Mike Smith is seeking his second term. Before becoming the mayor, he was fire chief. “If they will put a little bit more trust in me since I’ve been here 31 years, we will certainly see a double difference I think in four years than you see today.”

Smith says he wants to continue the growth of Waveland with projects he’s already started such as a new community center, a town green, and enhancing downtown and Coleman Avenue. “We’re moving forward. It may not be at as rapid of a rate as other cities, but one issue that Waveland faces that other cities apparently do not is the elevation.”

Also on the ballot is Tommy Longo. Longo was born and raised in Waveland and served as mayor from 1998-2010. He held the city together after Hurricane Katrina. Since leaving the mayor’s seat, he has been traveling and helping mayors across the country with disaster relief. “I love the city of Waveland and I felt why mentor and put my efforts around the country when I should be doing it right here at home.”

If elected again, Longo wants to develop downtown Waveland and to focus on the city. “The mayor’s focus has to be the community and the citizens. It has to be working with the board, bringing the board together. It also has to be bringing in a team that is second to none, which in past administrations I have always done.”

Longtime Waveland businessman Jay Trapani is also running for mayor. “I actually had people come knocking on my door asking me to do this because they were looking for somebody that has the business background to make a change.”

Trapani is the executive director of Hope Haven, a children’s advocacy center. He wants to use his 35 years of business experience as mayor. “I think it’s just time for an aggressive business man who understands the inside workings of government to sit down and come up with some new ideas, create a strategic plan for growth. So I think I can do that for the city and move Waveland forward.”

There will also be an alderman vote on the ballot for Waveland residents. The polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.