James Jefferson is the new Shreveport City Marshal
Jefferson took the oath of office last Mon. (June 27) after the untimely and unfortunate death of then city marshal Charlie Caldwell.
Jefferson was Caldwell's chief deputy.
Last week was one of mourning for Caldwell's with the return of his body to Shreveport, the visitation and the funeral.
For all practical purposes, today marks the real beginning of Jefferson's tenure as Shreveport City Marshal.
Qualifying dates are Jan. 25 - 27. The primary lection is Mar. 25 and the general election (if needed) is April 29.
Jefferson has indicated that he will seek election to Caldwell's unexpired term.
In the upcoming months Jefferson’s performance will serve as a report card for his election bid next year.
To ensure that he is graded on his merits, Jefferson should have an audit conducted of the Marshal's office conducted ASAP.
Such action does not cast any aspersion on Caldwell's many years of service as Marshal. It does, however, comply with good government practices.
To go a step forward, Jefferson hire an independent CPA firm that has not conducted recent audits of the Marshal's office.