Seven candidates discuss leadership and economic plans ahead of November election
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - All seven candidates running for Shreveport mayor took part in one of their first public forums Saturday, August 22 hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce.
Candidates were asked what makes them best equipped to lead the city for the next four years.
Candidates address leadership qualifications
Mayor Tom Arceneaux said, “I believe we have deserved the opportunity and earned the opportunity to serve another four years to carry out the projects and programs we have initiated in the first four years.”
All seven candidates running for Shreveport mayor took part in one of their first public forums Saturday, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce.(KSLA)
Rep. Tammy Phelps said, “Having grown up in the Cedar Grove community and part of still the inner city and an underserved community, it’s still the same. I bring a bird’s-eye view personally with the underserved community that have been so long, because I still live there.”
Chaunta Mero said, “I am the only candidate other than the incumbent that has actually worked in the mayor’s office, where I learned everything, I need to know to run the city. I kind of joke sometimes by saying I was a mayor in training.”
Michael Williams said, “I believe my years of experience at the Caddo Commission have prepared me for the challenge. We face our city is dirty, people are broke, they are in poverty, high economy, they can’t pay their water, their gas, their electric bills, their floods, you need Noah’s Ark, are broke.”
All seven candidates running for Shreveport mayor took part in one of their first public forums Saturday, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce.(KSLA)
Sia Ravari said, “I improved the city of Houston. I worked with five mayors and a whole bunch of city council, and as a volunteer for the police department for Houston, we cleaned up the city of Houston.”
John-Paul Young said, “I live in Highland. That’s giving me a front row seat into the dramatic level of neglect that is damaging our city right now. In the last four years, we lost 7 percent of our population, and I’m running for mayor because I want to be able to stay here for the next 30 years.”
All seven candidates running for Shreveport mayor took part in one of their first public forums Saturday, hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce.(KSLA)
Stormy Gage Watts said, “I have been leading for over a decade here in Caddo Parish. I served as the immediate past president of the Caddo Parish Commission, and I’m known for bringing solutions people can see and feel.”
Candidates share economic vision
Candidates were also asked what their vision for Shreveport’s economy would look like
Arceneaux said, “Most jobs are created by small business, so our priorities are to concentrate on small business and grow those businesses, which produce most of the jobs in our economy.”
Phelps said, “The basics first: water, blight and public safety. For development to even come to our city, the first thing I would like to address is redefining Shreveport. We used to be a manufacturing city.”
Mero said, “My top three priorities would be business recruitment and retention, small business growth, and access to capital and workforce development.”
Watts said, “I plan on doing that by public and private funding going toward that riverfront, and it doesn’t stop there. It goes to every district, to every neighborhood in the city of Shreveport.”
Williams said, “We need economic inclusion to make sure the minority are contracted, DBE. We could be a city of inclusion by making sure contracted for disadvantaged neighborhood. We need to change the policy, how we license and fee.”
Ravari said, “We need to create good-paying jobs, blue collar jobs. One or two jobs are not going to do it. We need major manufacturing jobs.”
Young said, “I believe the government is supposed to create conditions in which private businesses feel confident and comfortable investing and operating.”
Election dates
The election is Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 20.