It’s an unprecedented event in the history of Shreveport and Caddo Parish government. At the same time, there are vacancies on both governing bodies of both the city and the parish.
Caddo Commissioner Lynn Cawthorne pleaded guilty to federal felony offenses on Friday, Nov. 5. The Caddo Home Rule Charter dictates that his seat is now vacant.
On that same date, Shreveport City Councilman James Flurry moved his residence out of his district, which disqualified him from holding that office.
The 11 remaining members of the Caddo Commission will select an interim commissioner for District 6. The voter profile for this district is 86% African-American with 70% Democrat party affiliation.
The remaining commissioners are composed of five African-American Democrats and six white Republicans. Thus, the Republicans can collectively name the interim commissioner without regard to race or party affiliation.
The only requirement for selection is that the person must have been a registered voter in the district for at least one year prior to selection.
The Caddo Commission has historically been split between white Republicans and black Democrats. This division could be changed by the selection of the interim commissioner.
Currently, there is only one female Caddo commissioner. This number could increase if a female is selected as Cawthorne’s interim replacement.
The Shreveport City Council now has six council representatives. Before Flurry’s resignation, the council consisted of three white Republicans and four African-American Democrats. Currently, there are two female council members.
When he ran for re-election, Flurry’s District E had a slim white majority of voters. The recent census shows that the district is now 50% African-American, 41% white and 9% other.
The four African-American Democrats will decide Flurry’s replacement. It is not anticipated that a white candidate will be named by the majority of the council.
The terms of Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins and all council members end Dec. 31 of next year. The general primary election for these offices is in November with any needed runoff elections in December 2022.
It is anticipated that the commission will set the election for the unexpired term for Cawthorne’s seat to be the November 2022 general primary.
The council is expected to allow Flurry’s replacement to complete his term, which ends Dec. 31, 2022.
By law, each body has 20 days for selection of any interim appointee; with a default, the governor makes the selection. The Secretary of State has set a Dec. 2 deadline for replacement of Cawthorne. If the commission fails to make a timely appointment, then Gov. John Bel Edwards will make the selection and set the date for the election of a permanent replacement.
Flurry’s initial resignation letter was not notarized, and, thus, the Secretary of State has not declared his seat vacant. He sent a notarized resignation to Baton Rouge on Tuesday, Nov. 9. As of the press deadline (Thursday noon), no deadline for his replacement had been set by the Secretary of State.
Between the selection of an interim commission and council person and the anticipated November elections, each appointee will have several key votes. Although these are often not critical in the process of election for unexpired terms, they should be foreground to the remaining elected representatives who vote on the interim appointee.
With the Caddo Commission, the 2022 budget must be adopted on or before Dec. 27. It is expected to be adopted on Dec. 1.
The city’s 2022 budget adoption deadline is Dec. 15.
Both budgets have been reviewed by the respective bodies and subject to some minor tinkering. Not much real input can be expected or really needed from the new kid on the block.
The commission is required to reapportion its 12 districts on the basis of the 2020 census. The new district lines should be adopted by spring 2022.
Another major decision facing the commission is what body, if any, is to regulate its Unified Development Code (UDC). As of Jan. 1, 2022, the Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) will no longer be in existence. Thus, the parish must create its own planning agency or contract with another planning agency for UDC enforcement and planning for next year.
The parish always has funding requests that require votes along with appointment of persons to boards, etc. These votes will not be as critical as the ones on reapportionment and parish UDC enforcement/ planning.
The new interim Shreveport City Council representative will face several major issues in the first few months of service.
Leaving aside adoption of the 2022 budget, the proposed five-part bond package vote on Dec. 13 is a critical one for future Shreveport government. What position an interim appointee will take on each of the propositions, how active that person will be in campaigning either for or against these, and the election outcomes will certainly be markers in an election bid in March.
The new council member will also be thrown into the political fire on the votes for reapportionment, both as to the geographic district lines and, more importantly, as to the racial composition for each. Currently, the city has four predominantly African-American districts, and the major question to be decided is if it will have five majority African-American districts for the next 10 years starting with the 2022 fall elections.
Two other key council votes will most likely occur by the spring of 2022. These will be on Mayor Adrian Perkins’ nomination for permanent Shreveport police chief and permanent Shreveport fire chief.
Currently, Wayne Smith holds the top spot with the Shreveport police, and he is expected to seek the permanent position. The city’s crime rate, especially violent crime and potential record-breaking murder rate, will no doubt be a big factor in Perkins’ selection and the council vote. Most believe the position is Smith’s to lose.
The selection for the next permanent Shreveport fire chief is wide open. Perkins named J.P. Perkins to head up the department, saying that he would not be a candidate for the permanent position. The fire chief selection process generally does not engender the public debate as much as police chief, although the race of each selection will no doubt be a factor. Thus, the vote of an interim appointee on both positions will have potential election consequences.
The interim commissioner and council member will be faced with a tremendous work load, which is always underestimated by candidates if that person fully discharges their job responsibilities. Just reading the agenda and attachments, taking the time to fully understand the upcoming votes and the significance of each, and decisions on what alliances to make while at the horseshoe are big challenges with election consequences. And, of course, learning the ropes on dealing with constituents, whom to call for what, and how to interact with fellow elected officials will be a big learning curve.
The only requirement for the interim commissioner and council member is that he/she be domiciled in the district for a year prior to selection. This means registered to vote in that district for the year preceding selection.
There are many other factors that good government dictates should be considered for selection. These include:
a. voting record for the past five years;
b. misdemeanor convictions/pleas with the last five years;
c. unpaid judgments and tax liens in past ten years,
d. number of years resided in the district:
e. prior involvement in the district;
f. reputation for attendance, preparation and conduct in meetings of other organizations;
g. reputation for responsiveness to phone calls, texts and emails.
In reality, the decision-making process for selecting an interim replacement is often dictated by other factors, which is unfortunate. The dynamics of the commission will probably not be changed that much by the interim appointment. The same cannot be said for the new council person.
How the replacement process plays out for both the commission and the council will be an indication of how each body will govern next year, and, for that matter, the next several years.
Like it or not, the interim appointees will have a leg up if they seek to be elected for the permanent position. Thus, the appointment by the remaining commission and council members will undoubtedly favor this person over other potential candidates. Thus, the significance of each appointment, especially on the seven-person council, cannot be understated.
