Author Archives: John Settle

Two things can be said about the upcoming mayor’s race this fall. In one sense, its still early for potential candidates. In another sense, its getting late for a candidate to throw a hat in the ring. Qualifying is July 18-20. The primary election is November 6. One can expect big things to start happening […]

Politics 101 says disregard comments by a former mayor about his successor. This should be the case with Cedric Glover’s recent column on Shreveport crime. Glover has never been shy in trumping his accomplishments as Shreveport’s first black mayor. And the former two-term mayor rarely lets facts hinder his oratory of self-adulation. Presumably, Glover believes […]

Until 2014, members of the Caddo Parish School Board (CPSB) were not term-limited. That means that could serve any number of consecutive four-year terms. But since 2012, they are limited to 3 consecutive four-year terms. Some of the Board members were “grandfathered”. Dottie Bell’s tenure on the board may total 20 years. This assumes that […]

Shreveport mayor wannabes need to accept a cold hard political fact. Incumbents have a major advantage over challengers. And it’s no different with Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler. Currently Adrian Perkins, Lee O. Savage, Jim Taliaferro, Ray Smith and John Paul Young have said they will qualify for the mayoral election. From Tyler’s perspective, the more […]

In the near future, Shreveport residents can expect to see more white and brown cars of the Caddo Sheriff’s office on Shreveport streets. Well, not all the streets.  Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator said sheriff deputy patrols will be in the areas of thecity that are contiguous to the city limits. In essence, sheriff deputies will […]

If anybody doubted director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (and Caddo Sheriff) Steve Prator when he said that it was a matter of “when” not “if” the Red River will flood again, a recent study confirms in spades this prediction. Titled “An Evaluation of the Causes, Consequences and Potential Solution to Increased Red River […]

Paul Pratt argues that it is time for the City of Shreveport to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Gateway Development Council. Actually its time for Pratt and his associates to take off their rose tinted glasses and acknowledge some realities about their proposed pie in the sky development at Cross Bayou. The state […]

If Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler or the Shreveport City Council had a magic wand, what would they wish for? A proposed billion dollar development on Cross Bayou or safe streets? Would they want to fund infrastructure improvements for Cross Bayou or for more law enforcement assistance to mitigate murders—and find the criminals? Councilman Willie Bradford […]

If government officials had a magic genie, they could wish for a clean slate on any proposed Cross Bayou development in downtown Shreveport.  Last year, the Shreveport City Council unanimously defeated (6-0) a request by Mayor Ollie Tyler to engage bond counsel to help float municipal bonds for a proposed sports complex at Cross Bayou. […]

So when did the Shreveport City Council start telling the Mayor what to do? That’s exactly what a resolution introduced by Councilman Willie Bradford attempts to accomplish. Bradford (not to be confused with city attorney Will Bradford) has introduced a resolution that reads that “the Shreveport City Council approves and authorizes the execution of a […]