Caddo Parish attorney Donna Frazier is dead wrong in saying that electronic meetings work well. Of course, that is the company line as a parish employee.
The Parish recently filed litigation challenging state legislation that regulates meetings of governing bodies during emergencies. Act 302 of the 2020 legislature limits the items that can be placed on a governing body's electronic meeting agenda during a declared emergency.
Until Monday of this week, the six black Caddo Commissioners refused to attend "live" meetings. Seemingly they believed that the safeguards in place for meetings of the Shreveport City Council and the Shreveport Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission were not sufficient.
The public who followed many Commission meetings on agenda items that were allowed under the emergency guidelines were subjected to horrible experiences.
Many times Commissioners were in their personal vehicles during the meetings.
Other times they were at their "real" jobs and occasionally interrupted those duties to handle commission business.
Viewers were also subjected to politically oriented backdrops for several commissioners. These "messages" were totally inappropriate and would not have been allowed during a "live' meeting.
Zoomers often experienced technical challenges from the Commissioners themselves and from the transmission of the meeting that were not of there making. Of course those members of the public without internet access were left out totally.
Watching commissioner have snacks and take care of personal business (opening a locked door for a spouse) or view home wardrobes that would not have made it to government plaza denigrated the process of government.
Zoom meetings also limited interaction by the public--both in addressing comments directly to the commissioners plus the opportunity to visit one on one with them. The same is true for personal interaction with key Commission employees who generally attended the meetings.
Now the Commission has filed suit to have the total freedom to decide when Zoom meetings are authorized. In other words, the Governor and the Legislature should have no authority over commission meetings.
The Parish lawsuit has many problems.
The first is the presumption that the power of the state should not apply to Caddo Parish.
Secondly, the Parish Home Rule Charter can not authorize any action inconsistent with or prohibited by state law. And that includes the recently enacted legislation.
Maybe its time for Commissioners who do not want to face the public in 'live" meetings to turn in their tickets and permanently stay home. That way they can continue to go shopping for groceries, go to medical appointments, and other events without the need to schedule around commission meetings.
The idea of a free state of Caddo is ludicrous.
John came to Shreveport in January of 1977 when he was transferred to Barksdale AFB.
He’s been active in Shreveport politics since deciding to make Shreveport his home.
John practiced law for 40 years and he now monitors local politics. He regularly attends Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission meetings.
John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times.
He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections.