Shreveport city councilman Alan Jackson was on KEEL Radio this morning (Fri.) talking about the sudden resignation of council clerk Kendra Joseph and the upcoming interviews for the newly created position of Director of Council Affairs.

These comments were an embarrassment for many reasons.

1. JACKSON: Joseph's selection by council president James Green was authorized by the Shreveport City Charter.

SETTLE: The charter provides that "The Council may employ and fix the salaries of employees..." The council chair does NOT have the authority to unilaterally pick the council clerk.

2. JACKSON: I talked to all the other council members about my proposed selection process for the Director of Council Affairs using three panels of council members/clerks staff for secret interviews.

SETTLE: Discussions by one council member to other council members about proposed actions violates the Open Meetings Law. Such actions constitute a walking forum and are clearly forbidden.

3. JACKSON: The secret committee/panels I proposed were needed to ask hard questions to the candidates.

SETTLE: The Caddo Commission had special public meetings to interview numerous candidates to hire as the Commission Clerk. The Commission did the same to select the Registrar of Voters. The Open Meetings Law dictates that these interviews be in a public, duly noticed public meeting.

4. JACKSON: I will not recuse myself for voting for two of the six candidates: RJ Johnson or Shanerika Fleming. My vote(s) would NOT be a conflict of interest.

SETTLE: Jackson purchased campaign signs from Johnson. As a member of the Caddo Democratic Executive Committee (DPEC), Johnson nominated and then voted for the DPEC to endorse Jackson for the council in last year's election.

Fleming donated funds to Jackson's campaign fund last year.

Jackson has a clear ethical violation if he does NOT recuse himself from voting for either of these candidates. I have advised Jackson by text I will file an ethics complaint with the Louisiana Ethics Administration if he does not recuse himself.

Jackson has previously violated the ethics code for elected officials by listing on campaign material that the address of his election campaign was the council clerk's office and using his councilman city of Shreveport email address on the same. Jackson also posted campaign signs that exceeded the maximum size of political signs as set by ordinance. He corrected these actions after SETTLETALK columns.

5. JACKSON: The Director of Council Affairs interviews will be at the Mon. Feb. 27 council work session and the vote will be at the Tues. Feb. 28 regular council meeting. He did not explain the voting procedure.

SETTLE: The candidate interviews and the voting procedure have NOT been discussed much less voted upon in an open meeting. The council can NOT at a Monday work session legally have these interviews without approval at a regular council meeting duly noticed. Additionally in a prior email from then council clerk Joseph she advised that the voting procedure would be set after consultation with interim city council attorney Zelda Tucker.

6. JACKSON: The council is like a big new family. There will be family disagreements. This was part of the drama that resulted in Joseph’s resignation plus negative media.

SETTLE: If that was a problem with the council clerk, how will it not be with the Director of Council Affairs? How will this new person divide their time and energy between the seven council members, and if the members disagree on a proposal, then how does Director deal with it?

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Louisiana Constitution mandate freedom of the press, which includes negative comments by yours truly in SETTLETALK. Public officials and employees are subject to media reporting on the performance of their jobs.

7. JACKSON: The council needs to hire the Director of Council Affairs now even though the position of council clerk is open. This position is needed now.

SETTLE: The council has managed quite well since the implementation of the mayor-council form of government in 1978 WITHOUT this position. What's the immediate rush?

Furthermore, the city charter states that the council clerk supervises the employees of the council's office.

Filling a new, highly paid position in the clerk's office without a council clerk makes no rational sense.

IN MY RESPONSE ON KEEL I MADE ADDITIONAL POINTS:

A. Jackson obviously does not understand or believe he should comply with the Open Meetings Law, the city charter or ethical guidelines for elected positions. This despite his service on the council for over a year and his doctorate degree.

B. Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor obviously does not understand or believe she should comply with the Open Meetings Law, the city charter or ethical guidelines. This despite her prior service for two years plus on the council plus her master's degree.

C. Councilman James Green does not obviously does not understand or believe he should comply with the Open Meetings Law, the city charter or ethical guidelines. This despite his combined service of over 8 years on the council.

The threat of litigation by yours truly over the proposed secret council committee/panel interviews of candidates for the new position resulted in cancellation of the same. Litigation may be forthcoming on the selection process and the position of Director of Council Affairs.

And if one is looking for the cherry on the top two rumors are circulating about the new Director and the open council clerk seat.

The first is that Fleming was offered the clerk's job last fall. She declined thinking her then boss mayor Adrian Perkins was a shoo-in for re-election--much like Green, Taylor and Jackson who endorsed Perkins.

Now she could be appointed the Director of Council Affairs, and Taylor's BFF Ron Lattier could be hired as council clerk. Taylor was unsuccessful in lobbying run-off candidates Greg Tarver and Tom Arceneaux in keeping Lattier as city attorney.

The second rumor is that Fleming will withdraw her name from the Director of Council Affairs position because she has been now promised the clerk's position.

With the behind the door machinations of Green, Taylor and Jackson both of these rumors have legs.

New council members Ursula Bowman, Gary Brooks, and Jim Taliaferro should distance themselves from the patently illegal, illogical and bad government actions of Jackson, Green and Taylor.