A former New Orleans police superintendent who expressed interest in running for St. Tammany Parish sheriff in this fall's special election says he will not run after all.
Ronal Serpas confirmed to WWL on Monday that he will not seek the office, despite saying last month that he was interested in running for the post last month after Randy Smith resigned from office.
Smith's resignation came amid his guilty plea in connection with a May steakhouse brawl in which he attacked a blogger who had been critical of him.
"A decisive factor in considering a run for Sheriff is the impact on my decade-long consulting engagement," Serpas said. "Campaigning would require permanently ending that successful relationship, regardless of the election outcome. For that reason, I will not be a candidate. Thank you for your support."
In addition to leading the NOPD, Serpas is the former head of the Washington State Police and Nashville Metro Police Department. Currently, he is a professor of practice in criminology and justice at Loyola University.
So far, one candidate has announced that he is running for the seat. Former U. S. Marshal Scott Illing declared his candidacy on July 13.
