BY: Prentiss Smith

Chief Henry Whitehorn is a good man, and his good name should not be dragged through the political mud and muck that is Shreveport politics. He is well qualified, having been the head of several large organizations, which included being the Chief of Police for the City of Shreveport, along with being the head of the Public Safety Department of the State of Louisiana, which included being the head of the State Police. And finally, he was appointed U. S. Marshal for the Western District by President Barack Obama, which included a thorough vetting by the FBI and all the appropriate agencies of the Federal government. In other words, his character and integrity are above reproach, and he should not be caught in the middle of petty political fights between the mayor and his political foes. The Mayor could have handled this whole thing better. Arrogance clouds thinking sometimes.

The Mayor, who knows that the long knives are out for him by a couple of partisans on the council, should have handled this better. He continues to show that his inexperience in leading a large organization like the City of Shreveport is still a work in progress. His on the job training is ongoing and calls for the type of leadership skills that Mr. Whitehorn brings to the table. Yes, the mayor is a very bright and capable individual, but he needs someone who can help him steer the ship that is Shreveport in the right direction. He has a lot to learn, which starts with the acknowledging that he doesn’t know everything, which would show that he has some humility and is willing to accept constructive criticism. That is what good leaders do. That is what effective leaders do, and that is why Chief Whitehorn’s maturity and experience might be just what the Doctor ordered. He will be the grownup in the room, and the Mayor should allow him to do his job and bring some stability to this city administration.

The mayor appears to be someone who wants to do things his way, regardless of how things have been done in the past, starting with the garbage fee debacle, and continuing with the insurance fiasco that the city is still dealing with. Then there was the selection of a new Police Chief that was made more complicated than it should have been because of the appointment of a citizen’s committee, whose recommendation he didn’t even accept in the end. It was his appointment to make, which he did make. Ultimately, he made the right decision to choose Chief Ben Raymond, who had scored the highest on the Civil Service exam and who was already doing the job effectively.

The mayor of Shreveport has a lot of power. The key for him or her is to be patient and be willing to follow the processes that have been followed by past mayors. It is understandable that a new mayor wants to bring his or her ideas to the forefront, but there is a way to do that, which involves building consensus and a willingness to compromise. The mayor certainly has the right to appoint whoever he wants to whatever position he chooses. The magic number for him is four, and as long as he has those four votes on the city council, he will be able to move the city forward in the way that he sees fit. But there are processes in place, and they need to be adhered to for good order and discipline to take place. There is nothing wrong with trying to make changes in the city, because change is what is needed in Shreveport. That is why he was elected, but it has to be effective change—change that is going to be broadly beneficial to the public at large.

The question is, what was the pressing need to have Chief Whitehorn in place immediately. It is not like there was not a capable person in Ms. Fields, who had been doing the job for the past year, and who could have continued to do the job until Chief Whitehorn was confirmed by the council. It is understandable for the mayor to want his people in place, but there is a process, which clearly states that the Mayor appoints and the council confirms with four votes. The idea of circumventing the process by appointing Chief Whitehorn to be Chief of Staff, did not sit well with some of the councilmen. It just seemed to be an unnecessary move that was bound to upset some council members who were already looking for something to be upset about. That is the nature of the political beast. Partisans on both sides are going to be partisans. Democrats do it and Republicans do. It’s nothing new.

There has not been a whole lot of bridge building done between the mayor and some of the councilmen, which is unfortunate. Shreveport has far too many problems for these kinds of partisan eruptions to occur. The fact that some councilmen felt the need to walk out of the Council meeting recently, shows that the divisions are real and need to addressed. Chief Whitehorn should not have to deal with these types of childish and petulant antics.

Chief Henry Whitehorn has served in many capacities over the last twenty years and has an impeccable record of service to this nation, to the city of Shreveport, and to the state of Louisiana. His journey from being in the military, to being a patrolman in St. Louis, Missouri, to being one of the top Law Enforcement officers in this country is impressive. Everywhere he has served, he has done it with distinction, integrity, and a sense of duty. The hope is that the new CAO designate will be able to bridge the partisan divide that exists between the mayor and some of the city council members. It won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, Chief Whitehorn has shown that he is capable. Hopefully, he will get the chance. And that’s my take. smithpren@aol.com