The Shreveport City Council will have its next meetings Monday, Feb. 13, for its work session and Tuesday, Feb. 14, for its work session.

One agenda item will be to create a new position of director of council affairs.

The proposed salary is $100,000.

The job description lists the duties to include managing the affairs between the council and constituents, prepare council communications, act as liaison between the council and constituents, and coordinate a constituency newsletter.

Hmmm ... aren't those the duties of the elected council members?

Jackson complains about not having enough time to do his two-day jobs while being on the council. One wonders why he bothered to seek a full four-year term after serving for 11 months as an interim if he is just too busy at Grambling and peddling real estate.

Key supporter Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor has two years of council experience under her belt, so she was well familiar with the duties and time constraints when she sought election to a full four-year term. Seemingly, Taylor has plenty of free time since she shows up at most major crime scenes throughout the city.

James Green has many years of council experience, having served two full terms. Green is the media recluse on the council, never answering media inquiries. He pastors his own church, has a radio program and pushes beard butter in his spare time.

Both newbie council members Gary Brooks and Ursula Bowman voted for the resolution creating the position at the last council meeting. The upcoming vote is for an ordinance to fund the new hire.

Brooks and Bowman have not had time to really learn their jobs as council members, much less the time it should take. Why they jumped on this bandwagon is disappointing, to say the least. Disgusting is really a better word to describe their votes.

If this position is such a great idea now, then it will be six months down the road when all of the council will know what their lives as representatives are under the new mayor's administration.

The vote to spend more unbudgeted money runs counter to the professed concern of all five over crime, especially after the recent shooting in MLK. Taylor has pushed the administration to quickly install the remaining 30-odd crime cameras in high-crime areas.

But is 30 enough?

Why not spend money on more crime cameras, crime prevention and crime resolution rather than adding another administrative position?

Word on the street is that Council President Green has already selected former mayoral legal advisor Shennerika Flemings for the post. Fleming is the person who made the highly criticized and legally questionable decision to change the city's insurance carrier in the very early hours of the Adrian Perkins mayorship.

Green selected the new council clerk Kendra Joseph without any public input from council members, much less a job posting. Joseph's service to date has been poor, if not bad.

It stands to reason that Green, along with Taylor and Jackson, have combined for another coup.

Seemingly, one requirement for Green is an attractive African American female that he can constantly flirt with and/or that the person be a tithing member of his church.

At a minimum, this idea should be sent to a council committee to be aired in a public committee meeting.

Council members who vote to spend more money may be in for a surprise later if Mayor Arceneaux turns a deaf ear to requests for spending that will directly affect their districts. Green, Taylor and Jackson served with a weak mayor who let them run the show. They should not count on this with experienced people in leadership positions on the second floor.

Hopefully, reason will prevail with Brooks and Bowman. They can be contacted at gary.brooks@shreveportla.gov and ursula.bowman@shreveportla.gov. Their cell numbers are as follows: Brooks, 918-0898, and Bowman, (318) 734-7568.

Starting a new term with less than two months' experience should be a time of going slowly, being very conservative in votes and learning