By JOHN E. SETTLE JR.
It’s what is wrong with many politicians: They don’t think the rules apply to them, especially if they have previously held an elected office.
The Caddo Commission charter sets the qualifications of commissioners:
“A commissioner shall be a qualified elector of the parish and shall have resided and been legally domiciled in the district from which elected at least one year prior to qualification.”
This requirement applies to commissioners who are elected by voters and to commissioners who are appointed on an interim basis by the commission to fill a vacancy.
Ernest Baylor applied for the vacancy seat in Caddo District 6 resulting from the resignation of Lynn Cawthorne. Baylor listed a Cedar Grove address within the district.
However, Baylor does not live at that address and has not for many, many years. It’s a known fact that he actually lives in another commission district miles away from Cedar Grove.
Baylor’s voter registration does list the Cedar Grove address. But the voter registration address is not the determinative factor on legal domiciles. Other factors that courts consider include utility addresses, driver’s license addresses and actual pictures of comings and goings to a particular address.
Baylor previously ran for the District 6 address in 2019, and his campaign reports listed the same Cedar Grove address. He finished a distant third in that election, and his actual place of residence was probably a major factor.
Thankfully, Baylor was not given a free ride by the commission simply because he had previously served in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He only received one vote and that by a former House of Representatives cohort.
Baylor’s application for the commission seat speaks volumes about his personal ethics and respect for the rule of law. And to say it was fraudulent is a given.