Seemingly its always the case. Bring a group of people together for a planning meeting and someone tries to show his ignorance by speaking out on frivolous issues. And the first meeting of Shreveport Mayor Arceneaux’s Capital Improvement Committee proved no different.
The committee has 19 members. Five were appointed by the mayor and each of the seven council members named two people to represent their district. The mayor named former LSUS Chancellor Larry Clark as the chairman.
The first meeting was Thurs. Aug 31 in the mayor's conference room. The next meeting will be on Thurs. Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. at the same place. It is an open meeting for the public.
Ronald Robinson was appointed to the committee by District A council member Tabatha Taylor who has repeatedly voted against the Arceneaux administration. It’s no surprise that Robinson is her surrogate on the committee, Robinson served on the 2011 bond committee. He is known to be a misguided, outspoken citizen who believes like Taylor that the world should revolve around District A, and particularly the MLK area.
At the meeting, Robinson first complained about the mayor's appointment of the chairman, saying he felt this should be a committee decision. Seemingly he thinks that 19 total strangers should nominate one of their own to chair the meetings. And he ignored the fact that the mayor has the prerogative to determine the composition of the committee, its chair and even the projects it reviews.
He also expressed his concerns that the community be represented equally and that it should not be the puppet of the administration. Evidently, he did not bother to look at the committee’s composition or listen to the mayor who stated that the wanted the committee to be at the forefront developing the priorities for the capital project.
Lastly, Robinson either does not know or has forgotten that the council has the final word on whether to call a bond election and the composition of any bond package. Robinsons' three minutes of fame did not endear himself to most of the committee members.
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.