Get To Know Your Candidate John Gallaher For East St. Tammany City Marshal

For John Gallaher, some of the most meaningful moments outside his law enforcement career happened on a soccer field, coaching his four daughters.

During an interview with The Rabbit Hole, Gallaher discussed his family, decades in law enforcement and why he is running for marshal of the City Court of East St. Tammany.

Gallaher said he spent roughly 14 to 15 years coaching youth soccer. His teams experienced everything from difficult seasons to state championships, and he said one daughter’s team finished second in the nation.

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He considers the opportunity to coach all four daughters a blessing, even if it meant missing a few fishing trips.

“At the end of the day, I can fish after they’ve gotten older and grown up,” he said.

An outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing, Gallaher said spending time with his children has remained a priority throughout his career.

Asked to describe himself in one word, he chose “genuine.”

“I am who I am, and nobody will ever outwork me,” he said. “And I believe, and I’ve taught my daughters this, if you want something, you have to work hard for it.”

Gallaher said his law enforcement career began in 1989 as a reserve officer with the Slidell Police Department. He became a full-time officer in 1991 and was selected as a canine handler about a year and a half later.

Working with police dogs became a major part of his career. He said he earned certification as a trainer and continued helping supervise the division after his own time as a handler.

After retiring from the department in 2021, Gallaher worked as an investigator for the district attorney’s office. His assignments included work connected to the Slidell courthouse and later domestic violence investigations in Covington.

He said that experience helped motivate his decision to run for marshal.

Gallaher describes himself as a first-time candidate who sees opportunities to improve the office’s equipment, communication and responsiveness. His proposals include better vehicles, radios for deputy marshals and an independent audit upon taking office.

He emphasized that requesting an audit would be a matter of understanding the office’s operations, rather than an allegation that anyone had acted improperly.

Gallaher said he has met with other marshals to learn how they operate their offices. If elected, he would also want to learn existing procedures from the current marshal before deciding what to change.

“A fool doesn’t listen to experience and knowledge,” he said, explaining that he wants to draw from different perspectives while making his own decisions.

He said current deputy marshals would be evaluated on their work and willingness to help improve the office, rather than face an automatic replacement of personnel.

Asked what residents should expect after his first year, Gallaher said the proposals he discussed during the campaign should be underway or implemented. He welcomed the idea of a follow-up interview to review that progress.

“I’m genuinely running to improve the office,” he said.