A funny happened at Government Plaza over this past weekend.
Brian Crawford, Shreveport Chief Administrative Officer, packed up his gear, left his city cell phone on his desk and departed his big swank office at city hall.
He left for parts unknown—as to future employment.
And guess when the mayor’s staff was informed that the CAO had left the building?
How about at the weekly Monday am weekly staff meeting of the mayor, department heads and CAO and staff? Oh, and then the word starting seeping out to the general public.
Tyler officially informed the City Council of Crawford’s resignation at the Monday, December 10 work session.
If this sounds sorta like the Alan Crump saga of retiring and then going on medical leave, then keep reading.
Guess when Crawford gave his resignation letter to Tyler?
How about November 21.
That was 16 days before Crawford’s last day—Friday, December 7.
That was 17 days before the Saturday, December 8 general election when Tyler was trounced at the polls by Adrian Perkins.
And lastly that was 19 days before the Monday staff meeting, and before advising the council and the general public.
Hmmm…what’s wrong with this story?
Of course, Tyler has the right to keep secrets, even government secrets.
And certainly, she must have believed that word of Crawford’s departure would hurt her chances of re-election.
It was common knowledge that when she was hand chosen by the downtown crowd in 2013 to run for mayor that the only condition was that she name Crawford as her CAO.
But is that the way city hall should conduct business?
Tyler had touted throughout her campaign that she had proven experience and success as mayor.
Obviously, Shreveport voters did not buy into her campaign mantra.
If anyone still had a question in their mind about their vote on Monday of this week, the Crawford secret revelation should resolve any doubts.
Tyler has only a few days left as Mayor. Perkins is sworn in on Saturday, December 29.
How Tyler conducts business at city hall from this day forward will be remembered as her legacy to the city.
Currently, she is in a big time slump---the Crump escapade, the resounding defeat, and now the Crawford coverup.
Being true to her word about making the Perkins transition successful will help repair her reputation.
(This column was published in The Inquisitor on Friday, December 14, 2018)