SHOULD STEVEN JACKSON APPOINT HIMSELF TO A CADDO COMMISSION CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE?

It’s a question that began circulating on social media after the agenda for today's (Mon.) work session of the Caddo Commission was posted Friday. The meeting which will be live at 3:30 p.m. in the chambers at government plaza.

The commission has a Juvenile Justice Committee, chaired by Stormy Gage-Watts. Its other members include Roy Burrell, Jim Taliaferro, John-Paul Young and commission president Lyndon Johnson. The commission's website states that legislation relating Juvenile Court, Juvenile detention, community and faith-based juvenile programs are to be referred to this committee.

This committee recommended, and the full commission approved , the establishment of a Citizen Advisory Committee with the following charge:

a. Making recommendations to the Juvenile Justice Committee about Juvenile Detention Center expansion;
b. Alternatives to incarceration;
c. Expanding wraparound services, including, but not limited to a GED program;
d. Physical environments also be assessed, and
f. Any other recommendations if desired by the Juvenile Justice Committee. 

The committee is to have a maximum membership of 12, and the commissioners are to nominate and then approve its members. Although not a requirement, it is expected that nominations will primarily be from the districts of each commissioner .

Caddo Commissioner Steven Jackson has nominated himself to be the representative of his district 3. 

The general, if not overwhelming sentiment of government watchers, is that this is NOT a good idea for Jackson to serve on this citizen's advisory committee for many reasons:

1. Good government practices do NOT have elected officials serve on citizen advisory groups to advise that government entity:
2. An advisory committee member for this committee should be a parent and/or have significant involvement with parental/juvenile  organizations;
3. An elected official on such a committee gives the appearance of a closed shop versus an open forum for citizen input that could be unduly influenced by one of its members being an elected official on the entity that established the committee;

Surely there are many qualified people in Jackson's district who are well-qualified to serve on this committee. T o nominate himself, Jackson is in effect slamming his own constituents.