St. Tammany CHAMBERPAC supporting coroner recall efforts

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. ( WGNO ) — The St. Tammany Chamber Political Action Committee (CHAMBERPAC) is once again publicizing its support of the recall petition against the parish’s coroner, Dr. Christopher Tape, ahead of the submission deadline.

A CHAMBERPAC spokesperson says, so far, 21,000 signatures have been collected. Recall petitioners will need 35,057 signatures to submit the petition to the registrar’s office.

“Only 14,000 signatures are now needed for this recall to be a success,” said St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lacey Osborne.

CHAMBERPAC leadership say aside from the sexual assault charges against Tape that were dismissed in 2001, some of their concerns are recent .

“The primary reason we are supporting the recall is the elimination of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, which he eliminated immediately upon taking office, so despite any previous charges against him that were unresolved, that’s pretty irrelevant at this point, it’s about the services being provided to our citizens,” explained Osborne.

The CHAMBERPAC is hoping their efforts will help recall organizers meet their Oct. 13 deadline.

“We understand the odds,” said Osborne. “We would love for this recall to be successful, to be one of the first, but we recognize that it’s a challenge to collect that number.”

Terry King, an investigator with the group Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany (CCST) and opposer of the recall, also understands the odds.

He was among the people behind the recall efforts against disgraced former St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan.

“CCST wasn’t successful in getting that done with Galvan, and it was pretty high publicity concerning that, and some very strong reasons to do it, and we still couldn’t,” King said.

If the recall petition succeeds, there will be a vote on the Mar. 29 ballot of next year. If it fails, Tape will remain in office until Oct. 9, 2027, if he doesn’t seek re-election.

“It’s now or never,” said Osborne. “So, the CHAMBERPAC board is pushing together with our chamber board of directors, and really encouraging our citizens to step up.” Tape released the following statement:

“While some people are trying to force a costly and unnecessary recall election, I’m busy fulfilling my duties as coroner—serving the families of our parish, supporting staff and resources in our diverse responsibilities and guarding the public’s tax dollars fully and transparently. As I’ve said from the beginning of this undertaking, I’m confident the people of St. Tammany Parish will be satisfied and pleased with my job performance. So far, I haven’t heard from anyone who isn’t.”

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