The Caddo Commission will vote today on a resolution introduced by Commission president Roy Burrell to recommend one of his acquaintances to Governor John Bel Edwards for appointment to the Red River Waterway Commission (Waterway Commission).

Currently, Ron Lafitte and Versa Clark are the Caddo representatives on the Waterway Commission. Lafitte's term ends in July 2027 and Clark's on Jan. 18 of next year. The Caddo Commission can only make recommendations to the Governor if a vacancy occurs, or a term expires.

At the last Commission meeting Burrell indicated that he wanted Lattier replaced. Burrell indicated his unhappiness that the Waterway Commission had not responded to a request for a representative to appear before the Caddo Commission to answer questions. It is not the responsibility of a Waterway Commissioner to respond to this request--that is the responsibility of the Waterway Commission executive director.

Minutes of the Waterway Commission meetings and committee meetings evidence the active attendance and participation of both Lafitte and Clark in the discharge of their duties.

Burrell’s proposal has other major problems.

To begin with, he did not seek input from the other Commissioners.

In his position as president, he does not have the unilateral power to select persons for appointments to boards and commissions.
Additionally, the other Caddo Commissioners were not given the opportunity to vet Burrell's selection much less nominate other candidates.

The major flaw with the resolution is that Clark's term ends when Jeff Landry is the new Governor. Landry will be sworn into office on Jan. 8. Any request to replace Clark should go to Landry not John Bel.

Burrell served on the Waterway Commission, and he was forced to resign once he was sworn in as a Caddo Commissioner. And guess who filled his seat? Clark.

Burrell is known to harbor political grudges for years. He constantly grinds axes on past actions and infuses national politics into his Commission comments. Without a doubt he has proven to be the most prejudicial, hardheaded, and stubborn of the 12 Commissioners.

Burrell's resolution is another example of his lack of judgment as a Commissioner, much less as the president. The most recent examples is his statements In a podcast after the general election.

Burrell stated that he wanted future food giveaway recipients to have proof of early voting or voter registration.

That's another story and it is not before the Caddo Commission today. Thankfully Burrell's term as president ends at the Commission's first meeting in Jan. of next year.

Hopefully, the nomination resolution is sounded defeated at today's commission meeting.