By: Graham Walker • Contributing Columnist
John Nickelson is the best candidate for sheriff of Caddo Parish. Here’s why he has my vote on Nov. 18.
For 20 years, John has been a close friend. We have worshipped in the same church, shared meals with our families and friends, and duck hunted together. John is our only son's godfather, and being a father of four himself has taught John selflessness.
We shared optimism over a past Shreveport mayor, and when Perkins derailed his brief political career from the get-go with an insurance scandal, John demonstrated character when others would have kept the scandal in the closet.
Of those I know well, John is the steadiest of heads. Strong in his convictions and fiercely focused on doing what’s right, John has never taken the easiest path. He fights if something is worth fighting over. He puts in the work to understand the issues, gathers a diverse set of perspectives and acts with clarity.
Nickelson is not a man plagued by indecision. And he is a man with a profound concern for fairness and justice. He has never and will never treat people differently because of their skin color. John Nickelson sees the world in right and wrong, not black and white.
In the 2023 sheriff’s race, the two candidates represent stark alternatives for the future of Caddo Parish. We only have to look to their most recent service in Shreveport government, Nickelson as a city councilman and Whitehorn as the point man of the Perkins administration.
In 2020, John Nickelson voted against Henry Whitehorn as Perkins’ chief administrative officer. Whitehorn was confirmed and for three years demonstrated why John opposed him.
While Perkins ran for Senate to escape his Shreveport problems, Henry Whitehorn kept running Shreveport into the ground. Mr. Whitehorn points to his law enforcement career as his qualification, but as CAO and the police chief’s direct supervisor, Whitehorn ran the city during its most murderous year ever in 2021.
Whitehorn tried to fast track a $10 million recycling contract to someone with no prior experience or financial backing to execute the contract. John Nickelson protected the public’s money, requiring the contractor to provide a performance bond. When the contractor couldn’t, John was predictably called a racist. If that’s how Whitehorn treats Shreveport, the parish should expect the same from him as sheriff.
Steve Prator has run the parish true to his saying: "Tough on Crime. Careful with your Money." During his three years as Shreveport’s highest-paid employee, Mr. Whitehorn was neither. Sheriff Prator is a principled man focused on results. It is no surprise he endorses John Nickelson. So has the Fraternal Order of Police and former District Attorney Paul Carmouche.
We need a sheriff who builds upon Prator’s service, not condemns it. The sheriff’s office is Caddo Parish’s most trusted institution today, and to ensure a smooth transition, Nickelson will work alongsidePrator for eight months until taking office in July 2024.
Caddo Parish can find early signs of good news today. New jobs, new projects, new opportunities. John Nickelson is the best man for sheriff, and his election on Nov. 18 would be more good news for Caddo Parish.