Three incumbent Shreveport council members will be returning for four-year terms
after this year's election.
Republican Grayson Boucher (District D), Democrat James Green (District F) and
Democrat Tabatha Taylor (District A) are unopposed on the November ballot.
The early predictions of council winners in the four contested races do not show any
Green/Taylor allies being elected.
Since the resignation of James Flurry last year, Green with his church member/loyal
follower Taylor have controlled the votes of interim councilman Alan Jackson.
After Flurry's departure, Jerry Bowman Jr. abandoned his usual reasonable approach
to issues and started drinking the Green/Taylor Kool-Aid. Bowman is termed
out this year.
The net result has been a block of four votes that controlled key council votes. Mayor
Adrian Perkins has enjoyed this majority block that assisted in pushing through his
council agenda this year.
The next mayor of Shreveport, whomever that may be, probably may not have a
majority following of council members.
The District B council seat opened up when Councilwoman LeVette Fuller decided to
run for mayor. This race has two major candidates: Democrat Gary Brooks and Mavice
Hughes Thigpen.
Both Brooks and Thigpen are business people and independent thinkers. One can
expect the winner of this contest to decline any invitation to join the Green/Taylor alliance.
District C is also an open seat; John Nickelson is not seeking a second term. Republican
Jim Taliaferro is the overwhelming favorite in this race. It’s a sure bet Taliaferro will
not be wearing a Green/Taylor T-shirt.
District E is a three-person horse race.
Interim council member Democrat Jackson has not exercised any independent judgment
apart from the Green/Taylor coupling since his appointment last December. If
elected, his voting pattern is not expected to change.
Republican Tony Nations and Democrat Alvin Oliver round out the District E race.
These candidates will no doubt distance themselves from the old line racial perspective
of Green and Taylor.
The District E race has four Democrat candidates: Ursula Bowman, Carla Buntyn,
Derrick Henderson and Antonio Washington. Green and Taylor will not get any warm
fuzzies from Bowman (Ursula), Buntyn or Henderson. Washington may be a toss-up on
the council, although his election success is doubtful.
Council action approval requires a majority vote of those in attendance. With the
exception of the recycling contract bond requirement, almost every critical council vote
this year has had all seven members present and voting.
Thus, four is the magic number to have success on ordinance approval by the council.
If an ordinance is vetoed by the mayor, which is very rare, a vote of five council members
is required to override the veto.
Thus, the new mayor will hope to have four votes in his pocket, and in the best of all
worlds, five.
No matter how the council races shake out, Green and Taylor will no doubt lose
considerable clout on the council.
It is not expected that the major mayoral candidates (Tom Arceneaux, Mario Chavez, LeVette Fuller or Greg Tarver) will give Green or Taylor more than a cursory handshake. Even if Perkins survives his legal challenges, his chances of re-election are not very good, to say the least.
Green had shown very little leadership since election four years ago, much less as council president this year.
Taylor started out as a bright star when she was appointed to the council and then elected in 1998. Her alliance with Green and her lover relationship with city attorney Ron Lattier have altered her political persona to the detriment. Known to be a camera hog at press events and the primary water carrier for Perkins has not played well to many.
All Shreveport voters should take interest in all the council races. As the history of this council has shown, the votes by these seven greatly affect the lives of all Shreveporters, no matter where they reside.
(Note: This author has contributed $500 to Taylor for her election campaign. A contribution check to Green was returned by him.)
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.