JOHN E. SETTLE JR.
EDITOR FOCUS SB NEWS
Yes, Virginia, there are five contested Shreveport City Council elections this year.
And yes, the city council races are important. Collectively, they are as important as the mayor's race.
The city council must approve the city's operating budget. Thus, the city's purse strings are held by the council, not the mayor.
The city council also enacts city ordinances, and only council members can introduce them.
The city council must confirm the chief administrative officer, the chief financial officer, the city attorney and all the department heads. The council also approves appointments to many boards including the Port, the airport authority, MPC, etc.
The city council members are responsible for answering citizen inquiries from their respective districts.
District A : Incumbent councilwoman Tabatha Taylor has no opposition.
Questions have been raised if Taylor actually resides in District A versus District D with her paramour city attorney Ron Lattier.
District B has four candidates seeking to replace LeVette Fuller, who is running for mayor.
Gary Brooks and James Carstensen are white. Brooks is a Democrat, and Carstensen is a Republican.
Craig Lee and Mavice Hughes Thigpen also qualified in District B. Both are African American Democrats.
District C has three white candidates seeking to replace John Nickelson, who is not running for re-election. Joseph Carstensen is an Independent, Jim Taliaferro a Republican, and Rebecca Thomas is a Democrat.
In District D, incumbent Grayson Boucher was not challenged.
District E has three candidates seeking to be elected in the seat formerly held by James Flurry. Alan Jackson was appointed as the interim, and he is running for the four year seat.
Others in the District E race are Alvin Oliver and Tony Nations.
Jackson and Oliver are black Democrats. Nations is a white Republican.
In District F, incumbent James Green was not challenged.
District G has four candidates seeking to replace termed out Jerry Bowman Jr.
The candidates are Ursula Bowman, Carla Buntyn, Derrick Henderson and Antonio Washington. All of these are black Democrats.
Ursula is the wife of councilman Bowman.
Shreveport citizens, no matter where they live, should take an interest in the contested races and Consider assisting candidates.
If the goal is to have a good city, then having a good city council is imperative. Just because a citizen cannot vote in a district does not mean that the candidates in
Just because a citizen cannot vote in a district does not mean that the candidates in other districts should not be vetted.
Concerned citizens are encouraged to support good government candidates in all districts..