For those that follow the Shreveport City Council, its old news that councilwoman Tabatha Taylor tries to run the show at the Council. She had her way being the kingmaker during the Adrian Perkins administration. She engineered the hiring of her long-time romantic interest Ron Lattier as city attorney. She also pushed through a 13% pay raise that benefited Lattier.

Taylor's power position waned significantly when Tom Arceneaux beat her choice Greg Tarver for mayor. She still had some clout for the first six months or so this year with two new members on the council--Ursula Bowman and Gary Brooks. Taylor, her minister James Green and her waterboy Alan Jackson formed a powerful block that only needed Bowman or Brooks to have a majority on the Council.

Reportedly Green's selection of Shanerika Fleming to be the council clerk was engineered by Taylor.

Both Green and Taylor had harassed the two prior clerks after the retirement of Art Thompson, and both ultimately resigned their positions. Although not the legal counsel for the council (the charter names the city attorney), Fleming leaked information to Taylor and often gave her legal advice.

Fleming's termination by votes of Bowman and Brooks along with Grayson Boucher and Jim Taliaferro was a defining moment for the council power structure, with Taylor losing the first significant vote of her three plus year council tenure. After losing her council credibility Taylor has pushed on with her private efforts to assist Fleming and restore her as clerk.

Taylor hosted a Taco Party for Fleming inviting 50 or so of her closest friends to rally around Fleming to encourage her to take legal action against the city. The day after the event Fleming had a Baton Rouge attorney send a faulty demand letter to the city encouraging an amicable settlement.

Some big names attended the party, including the following: Markey Pierre who is a member of Green's church and who holds a high-ranking position at LSUHSC; Gloria "Tankey" Washington who is the HR director at the Port; SPAR employee Latisha Richardson; Marquet Sennet the former public information officer (PIO)for the City and now PIO for the Caddo School Board; and Daphne Thibeaux the head of the radiology program at SUSLA.

Now Taylor has, in effect, publicly "conflicted" herself out of any council votes on any Fleming matters.

She joins Brooks, who has been accused of wrongdoing, and Bowman who reportedly witnessed a key event as being sideline spectators on Fleming matters coming before the council.

Taylor is very active in the Henry Whitehorn campaign for Sheriff. No doubt she hopes to have Lafitte named chief civil deputy to handle the internal legal affairs for the Sheriff. Reportedly she is pushing Whitehorn to hire Fleming as his PIO. No doubt Taylor will continue in her efforts on the council, and otherwise, to undermine the Arceneaux administration and build her power position in Shreveport politics.