Monday's meeting of the Caddo Commission will no doubt be historic--in a bad way. And it will likely be a bad media circus.
Seven Caddo Commissioners, all Democrats, signed a resolution recognizing Bernie Sanders before his Shreveport visit last Saturday. Presumably the Seven Schemers only supported this contrivance because Sanders is a big time Trump blaster. Or maybe they are now socialists?
Commission president Stormy Gage-Watts presented Sanders a framed resolution from the Caddo Commission, gold seal and all. Her picture handing the framed resolution has gone viral on social media.
The resolution NEVER appeared on a Commission agenda.
The resolution was NEVER discussed at a meeting of the Commission.
The resolution was NEVER approved by five Commission members, all of whom are Republicans.
The resolution was NEVER voted upon by the Commission.
On its face, the execution by a majority of the Commission members represents a blatant violation of the Louisiana Open Meetings Law. After receiving complaints, the Louisiana Attorney General has opened an investigation on the circumstances surrounding this event.
The "penalty" for violation of the Open Meetings Law (OML) is, in this case, de minimis:
a. the OML violation does NOT require the return of the resolution;
b. the OML violation does NOT fine the commissioners who signed the resolution;
c. the OML violation does NOT punish the commissioner, presumably president, who directed the commission clerk to prepare the resolution, get it signed and then framed;
d. the OML violation does NOT require reimbursement of the Commission for the wages expended in preparation of the resolution, obtaining execution, framing etc.;
e. the OML violation does NOT require the complicit commissioners to resign their positions;
f. the OML violation does NOT prevent the involved commissioners from running for another term on the Commission (only the commission president is termed out);
g. the OML violation does NOT prevent a commissioner from seeking election to another elected body (the president is currently rumored to be a city council candidate next year);
h. the OML violation does NOT require the Commission to pass a new resolution rescinding the Sanders resolution.
By law any action(s) taken that violated the Open Meetings Law are deemed null and void. Nothing else punitive is contained in this statute.
Some could say this is just another Commission folly--just much ado about nothing. After all, the Commission approves resolutions by the dozen every month, and often twice a month.
The resolution preparation and presentation represents a well-planned, covert plot to provide a photo-op for the commission president. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for the Secret Seven to boast of their anti-Trump actions on social media and in their reelection campaigns.
What does this incident say about the Secret Seven and compliance with Louisiana law?
What does it say about the likelihood of any future nefarious actions by the Secret Seven?
What does this say about the integrity of the Caddo Commission as a whole? And lastly, what does it say about the public image of not only the Commission, but Caddo Parish as a whole?
The Commission meeting Monday at 3:30 p.m. should be interesting, and not in a good way. If observers are expecting apologies and requests for forgiveness they will likely be disappointed. But as they say, miracles do (sometimes) happen. Good government advocates may want to stay home and not stream the meeting.