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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 soon in this upcoming election.

To date the field includes current mayor Ollie Tyler and seven wannabes.

As the incumbent Tyler has a built in advantage. And to date she is the only woman in the race. A Democrat, Tyler is the oldest candidate by a considerable margin. She will be 74 in January of next year.

In contrast, Adrian Perkins is the youngest candidate at age 32. Perkins, like Tyler, is a black Democrat. He was the first to have a public announcement and the first candidate to have billboards. 

Perkins is a West Point graduate and he has served three combat tours. He graduated from Harvard Law School last month.

Lee O. Savage, a white Republican, had a public announcement the same week as Perkins. Savage is the only candidate with a campaign headquarters.

Savage is the manager of a Shreveport heating and air conditioning company. He is 62. He is a graduate of LSU Shreveport.

Jim Taliaferro has recently jumped into the race. He ran unsuccessfully for Shreveport City Marshal in 2014 against Charlie Caldwell. He served in the Navy and the Air Force.

A white Republican, Taliaferro is 65.

John Paul Young, the son of Caddo Juvenile Judge Paul Young, is also in the race. Young is the first candidate to have yard signs.

Young is the co-owner of a popular eclectic restaurant, The Levee. He is best known for constructing over 50 gardens in private yards, churches, schoolyards, community centers, and parks with over 1,000 fruit trees. He is white and will qualify as “no party”.

Ray Smith announced his candidacy at Superior Grill restaurant. Smith is currently a sheriff’s deputy in Jefferson Parish. He is an Army veteran.

Smith, age 37, is a graduate of LSU Shreveport. He is white and he will qualify as “no party”.

Ken Kreft is also in the race. Kreft, age 70, is white. He will qualify as “no party”. 

Kreft has a master’s degree and he previously served in the U.S. Army. He is attempting to qualify by obtaining 750 signatures on a mayoral petition.

Tremecious Dixon recently announced for mayor. A black Democrat, Dixon is 47. He is a real estate developer.

The candidates certainly provide many contrasts.

There are three black Democrats, two white Republicans, three white no party candidates. They range from 32 to 73. 

All are male except for Tyler.

Four candidates are military veterans.

All of the candidates have college degrees except for two. Several have more than one sheepskin.

Only two candidates have previously been a political candidate.

If local politics is one’s favorite sport, the rest the year will be exciting. And for John Q. Public they will certainly be defining as far as Shreveport’s next four years. 

(Candidates who announced after the press deadline of May 31 were not listed.)
 

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 that his administration, especially in the area of crime prevention, was a success. Without debating his conclusions, the relevance of what was then, versus now, is very questionable.

Many of the factors attributed to crime like unemployment and urban blight existed during Glover’s terms in city hall. His administration did little, if anything, to address these issues.

If Glover’s goal was to put himself in the public eye, then his column may have achieved that purpose. He is now a state representative.

If it was to pander to local law enforcement, then his results were mixed. Many ranks and file police officers do not share his opinion of former police chiefs Henry Whitehorn and Willie Shaw.

Maybe Glover wanted to set the table for a mayoral campaign by his protégé and former mayoral assistant, Steven Jackson. Both Jackson and Glover have been constant critics of the Tyler administration. Tyler did not keep Jackson in city hall after taking office.

Hopefully, Shreveport crime will be an issue all mayoral candidates address. Until such time as Glover becomes a candidate, his pronouncements on crime are at best a detraction. If Jackson jumps in the race, presumably he will speak for himself.

Glover offered no solutions, and in fact painted a message of despair for Shreveport. Thankfully, most citizens are focusing on the current mayoral election and looking to the future. Glover would do well to put the past behind him just like most voters will do so in November.

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 she is re-elected this year and in 2022. And the same is true for Barry Rachal.

Steve Raill, Mary Trammel, and Jasmine Green could serve 16 consecutive years.

Five of the board members are limited to 2 more four-year terms. They are Margaret Brown, Susannah Poljack, Dr. Bonita Douzart, Raymond Green, Denee’ Locke, and John Albritton. 

Durwood Hendricks, who was appointed this year, can serve 3 consecutive four-year terms.

Members of the Caddo Commission can serve 3 consecutive four-year terms. Shreveport City Council members may only serve 2 consecutive four-year terms.

The school board elections are in November along with the Shreveport mayor and council members.

The Caddo School district operates 58 traditional school campuses and 4 charter/alternative programs for a total of 62 schools. The number of students for the 2017-2018 school year was over 40,000.

The school board budget is approximately $490 million annually.

As the largest recipient of taxpayer dollars in Caddo Parish, the CPSB is indeed an important position. The school board generally receives less publicity than the Shreveport City Council or the Caddo Commission. And similarly, the “political importance’ assigned to serve as school board member is the least appreciated.

Many citizens believe that the longtime board incumbents should be replaced since the quality of Caddo public education has not improved substantially during their terms. Unfortunately, most of these longtime members will probably have no opposition this year.

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 the merrier.

She starts with a strong residual base from her slam-dunk victory in the 2014 runoff. And despite some leakage in support she still is in the catbird’s seat.

Despite the constant complaints about crime, Tyler has an almost overwhelming arsenal of political pluses.

She has name recognition. She is probably better known to Shreveport voters than all of the other announced candidates collectively.

As mayor, raising money for her re-election campaign will not be that difficult. Practically every company that does business with the Shreveport will feel compelled to contribute to her re-election campaign. And so will the political appointees that Tyler has made in the last three-plus years.

Much like her recent press conferences for a three-year progress report and the grant for Shreveport Common, Tyler can generate positive publicity virtually any time she so chooses.

Additionally, she can closet herself from the negative press by not being available.

A good example is her response to the recent shooting of the four-year-old.  She was too busy to meet with Councilmen Willie Bradford and Jerry Bowman in the days after the homicide when they both had substantial television coverage lamenting the event.

Political spin is also very easy for an incumbent.

After the crime summit with Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator, her comments praised Shreveport police officers and the spirit of cooperation.  She ducked the issue was to why extra law enforcement help was needed.

Tyler’s administrative staff of Africa Price, director of public relations and communications, Arlena Acree, director of economic development and film, and Tari Bradford, executive assistant for governmental affairs, (and others) cannot actively work for the re election of their boss. However their efforts promoting the accomplishments of the Tyler as mayor have the same practical effect.

The same is true for the staff of Chief Administrative Officer Brian Crawford, and to some exact City Attorney Will Bradford.

Political patronage begins the first day an elected official takes office. Re-election has been high on Tyler=s agenda since she moved into City Hall in late 2013.

And like any well established politician. Tyler likes her surroundings.  Undoubtedly she will pull out all the political stops to stay at government plaza for another four years.

To those seeking to unseat Tyler, good luck! It will be a hard mountain to climb that should not be under estimated.

Tyler’s pinnacle seat is a major advantage that is almost impossible to overcome.

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 the
city that are contiguous to the city limits. In essence, sheriff deputies will move into neighborhoods that are adjacent to the city limits.

Prator’s announcement was after what he called “an unvarnished” discussion of the recent spate of Shreveport murders. Meeting in his office was Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler, Shreveport Police Chief Alan Crump, Shreveport City Councilmen Willie Bradford and Jerry Bowman, Caddo Commissioners Louis Johnson and Mike Middleton, and members of Prator’s top staff.

Prator did not specify a start date for the patrols. 

He did say the Caddo Commission had agreed to help fund the additional costs of this enforcement effort. The Commission has not voted on any additional funding for Prator, although Commissioner Louis Johnson has publicly stated he will vote for funding Prator. Whether or not he made an unauthorized commitment on behalf of the Commission is unknown. 

No mention was made of the City of Shreveport picking up part of the tab. 

Prator emphasized that crime was down in the Parish and that he did not want to jeopardize parish residents to more crime by the patrols. Presumably, overtime officers will provide these services, which will, of course, increase the costs. Whether or not funding for additional fuel costs, wear and tear on the sheriff vehicles (plus additional depreciation from increased mileage) and other related law enforcement costs will be reimbursed was not detailed.

At a follow-up meeting of law enforcement officials, the actual details of the city patrols by sheriff deputies were reviewed. These topics included 911 calls that go directly to the Shreveport Police Department (SPD) that will need to be re-routed to the Caddo Parish Sheriff Office (CPSO).

Sheriff deputies are authorized law enforcement officers and thus they can exercise the same powers of their SPD counterparts. As Prator noted, Shreveport is in Caddo Parish and thus his office has law enforcement authority within the city limits as well as in the parish outside Shreveport.

With Caddo deputies patrolling the city, SPD can concentrate its law enforcement efforts in the higher crime areas of the city. Presumably more cars on the streets will deter crime in these neighborhoods. Whether or not higher SPD visibility in some areas will push the “bad guys” to other areas is an open question.

Many Shreveport citizens are just as concerned about the unsolved serious crimes (like murder) as they are about the frequency of these crimes. Many hope and believe that bringing the “criminals to justice” will not only get the perpetrators off the streets, but also be a deterrent to future crime. Unfortunately, the list of major unsolved crimes is growing.

How much the sheriff deputy patrols will decrease crime and improve arrests in unsolved crimes are questions yet to be answered. 

The big elephant in the room is how long the deputies will patrol within the city limits. And what happens when the patrols cease.

To say the sheriff deputy patrols is a band-aid solution to a major problem is an understatement.

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 Flooding in the Caddo Parish regions of Northwest Louisiana,” this report is sixty plus pages of findings compiled by candidates for Masters of Public Service & Administration at Texas A&M University.

To put in mildly, it is not a good read.

The study reviewed in detail the June 2015 and the March 2016 flooding.

Both floods, plus the more recent flooding of low lying areas along the Red River, are attributable to heavy rainfall in the river’s floodplain, siltation, and urbanization.

The Red River deposits annually 1.6 million cubic yards of wet sediment each year in the navigation channel at Pool 5, which is just north of Shreveport.

The Army Corp of Engineers (“Corp”) maintains fifteen flood control reservoirs along the Red River to assist in managing water flow. These provide the release of specific amounts of water to flow in the river. 

This system works well for day-to-day water management. Flooding problems occur during massive storms or with multiple smaller storms across the states that contain the Red River.

The heavy siltation of the Red has not only changed the river’s structure but also raised the level of the river bed. The Corp does not have sufficient funding to maintain needed dredging to complement its system of locks, dams, and reservoirs.

Urbanization along the Red also creates additional flooding issues. The removal of vegetation, dispersion of soil, grading of the land surface and construction of drainage networks increase runoff into the river. 

Together, siltation and urbanization decrease the capacity of the river to handle flowing water. Thus, the water levels of the river rise, even during normal periods, much less heavy rainfall intervals.

The construction of Lock and Dam #5 at the Port of Shreveport Bossier has also contributed to the build-up of silt in the river bed. The rock dikes built by the Corp to stabilize the river’s channel have also contributed to the silt problem and restricted water flow to the floodplain. 

Since the construction of Lock and Dam #5, the river’s elevation at the river gauge at the Railroad Bridge has increased by over two feet.

Bottom line, the storage capacity of the river has decreased due to siltation and urbanization factors. Urbanization can be restricted from further growth. However, reversal of the current drainage into the Red River is not easily mitigated.

Year-round dredging would decrease the likelihood of future flooding. Economically this is not feasible.

Bottomline, there is no relief in sight. The Red River will flood again, and again, and again.
 

published in The Forum News

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 of Louisiana has major budget problems and recently sent eviction notices to nursing home residents. Is it realistic to think the state will sign off to either build or lease a municipal complex which Pratt says is the critical component of the project?

The total facility members of Bossier Parish Community College, Southern University Shreveport and Louisiana State University Shreveport number less than 350. Is it realistic to believe a high tech teaching facility with a 350 member facility will be established at Cross Bayou?

Shreveport has been losing population in recent years. Is it realistic to expect 10,000 (or more) residents to re-locate to live in the planned 5,000 unit residential complex?

The proposed MOU states that the proposed “project requires significant public infrastructure improvements.” Is it realistic to think Shreveport will invest in this project rather than continue to improve its substandard infrastructure?

Pratt’s assertion that GDC “has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in time and money” on the project is not relevant. Pratt’s group was not solicited to do anything on Cross Bayou.

And the fact that there has been other studies on Cross Bayou is also a meaningless argument. 

Pratt fails to acknowledge that the sports complex was not going to be built until a lease had been signed to help make the bond payments for construction of the facility. His project has no source of funding at this date to generate income to fund the inevitable bond payments for infrastructure that the City will need to make at Cross Bayou.

Bottom line, the City does not have any obligation to GDC or any other unsolicited group that comes forward with a development plan. This is especially true for a proposal that has big dreams, suspect economics, and very little support by Shreveport citizens.
 

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 has partnered with Caddo Commissioner Steven Jackson to ask the Parish to fund a $1 million high tech crime detection system. They have not bothered to talk to Mayor Tyler or Shreveport Police Chief Crump to see if this system is even wanted.

Bradford has also requested that Governor John Bel Edwards provide law enforcement assistance to Shreveport.

Bradford has also sponsored a Council resolution pushing Tyler to sign a requested Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Cross Bayou. The vote will be Tuesday, May 22.

The MOU clearly states that significant public (as in the City of Shreveport) infrastructure improvements will be needed to complete the proposed project. 

Bradford represents the Martin Luther King (MLK) area of Shreveport. He has repeatedly advised the Council that this area is like a third world country with deteriorating streets, open drainage ditches and urban blight. 

His Cross Bayou resolution does not address these critical issues in his district, nor does it provide any tangential benefits for this area.

Parts of Queensborough suffer the same urban ills, and many streets look like Puerto Rico after the recent hurricane. Bradford shares this area with Council Jerry Bowman who has also taken the lead on labeling the city’s current murder rate a crisis.

Cedar Grove is another area of the city with poor streets, open drainage ditches, and urban blight. Other than a long bus ride, what will the Cross Bayou project provide for this depressed area?

Viewed through rose tinted glasses, the proposed development may benefit the City that may pay for all the infrastructure costs.

With unfiltered vision, it is apparent that signing the MOU is not prudent. It is going down a road that will be a dead end trail.

Simply put, this MOU distraction is certainly not needed when the City is struggling with crime, more crime, and more crime.
 

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.

That project was prompted by Tyler’s discussions with the New Orleans Pelicans, the professional basketball team that was seeking a home city for its G League basketball team.

The sports complex was to anchor a mixed-use project proposed by out-of-town developers.

Currently, a local group of developers operating as the Gateway Development Consortium has proposed a $1 billion project that would include an office building, housing, retail and a technical college. The office building, which the developers hope would house State of Louisiana employees, is the critical component of the project.

This group has asked that Tyler sign a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will be submitted to Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The city council is scheduled to vote on a resolution urging the mayor to execute the MOU at its next meeting on May 22.

Shreveport architect Bill Wiener has addressed the council several times on the development of Cross Bayou.
Wiener urges a series of public forums for Shreveport citizens to develop a common vision for development, the same process that was followed in the development of Shreveport’s Master Plan. This approach would allow citizens to create a program of what was wanted — and at what cost to Shreveport taxpayers.

Wiener says the next step would be to develop a detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) for national distribution. Then the mayor and the council could consider all RFP responses to determine future development of Cross Bayou.

Unlike the bid process, the RFP solicitation does not require acceptance of any proposal by governing authorities.

Wiener’s suggestions make practical sense and are consistent with well accepted land use principles. The current proposal by Gateway has many more questions than the sports complex project, and its costs to the public will be exponentially higher.

If the MOU is not executed, this project will most likely go by the boards. If that is the case, Tyler and the council should seriously consider Wiener’s recommendation. If not, future development proposals will most likely cause as much controversy as last year’s sports complex project and the current proposal.
 

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 non-binding memorandum of Understanding between the City of Shreveport and Gateway Development Consortium, LLC regarding the development of Cross Bayou…”

The Council will vote on the resolution on May 22.

Needless to say, this notion went over like a lead balloon with Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler.
And it was poorly received by Councilmen James Flurry, Oliver Jenkins and Michael Corbin.

The Gateway group wants the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help their development efforts for the $1 billion proposed project that includes a municipal complex, a high tech commercial college, retail establishments, and 5,000 residential units. The MOU is said to be necessary to get a commitment from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards for construction of the municipal project, which is the lynchpin for the entire development.

The MOU, which can be terminated at any time by either party, requires the City to make unspecified infrastructure improvements including streets, water lines, drainage and sidewalks. No costs estimates have been provided by Gateway for this construction.

Tyler expressed her reluctance to enter into such an agreement. She said that an MOU will create expectations that these can cause future problems for both her office and the Council.

Councilman Flurry asked what would be the taxpayer costs to Shreveport taxpayers for the infrastructure improvements.

Councilman Oliver Jenkins questioned the authority of the Council to advise the mayor on a discretionary administrative matter. He also said it was hard for him to vote on something that is not the final product.

Councilman Corbin was very vocal, stating that executing the MOU would send, “a negative message to those doing development in our city.” He reminded the Council that the City does not build streets, water and sewage mains and other infrastructure improvements for subdivisions built in the City.
The MOU vote has three primary aspects. 

The first is the separation of power between the mayor’s office (the executive branch) and the Council (the legislative branch). If approved, this resolution would set a precedent for future votes directing actions that should be taken by Shreveport’s mayor.

The second is the ultimate economic viability of a proposed development. Gateway has acknowledged that completion of the development will require the expenditure of tens of millions of tax payer dollars. 

And lastly, the Council should consider how such a vote will affect future private development in Shreveport. Currently developers are paying all of the costs of infrastructure for their projects.

This vote, much like the Cross Bayou sports complex vote, will be a defining one for Tyler and the Council. Tyler and a majority of the Council (Jerry Bowman, Stephanie Lynch, Bradford and Flurry) are up for re election this year. The MOU vote will no doubt be a major campaign issue this fall.