THE GREYING OF SHREVEPORT CITY HALL LEADERS IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE

Two recent retirements of Shreveport department heads is a harbinger of more major losses of leadership experience at Shreveport City Hall.

Bonnie Moore, the former head of Shreveport's Community Development Department, retired last month after twenty years working in that department. Moore worked for five different mayors, city administrations and city councils as a certified specialist in affordable housing development. Moore secured more than $13 million in loan guarantee funds and $34 million in grants. Currently an interim director has been named, pending further action by Mayor Arceneaux who has not determined his process for naming Moore's permanent replacement.

This month Gary Norman, head of Shreveport's Public Works Department, is retiring. Norman worked for the city for 19 years, and like Moore, served under five different administrations and councils. Norman is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge on the city's public works, the departments equipment and his personnel after serving his last six years as the Public Works Director. Like with Community Development, the mayor has named an interim director and has not decided the course of action in naming a permanent replacement for Norman.

Both Moore and Norman will be hard to replace. In reality, probably impossible considering that the second in command in both departments have limited experience in their positions. There will be a substantial learning curve for both of their successors, be that an in-house promotion or a third party outsider assuming the reins of these two departments.
Their retirements bring up the question of who is next?

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith has been with the police department since 1980. He was appointed chief of police in Jan. 2022 after serving five months as substitute chief of police. There is talk that he will retire once the new Shreveport Police Headquarters building is reconstructed at 1234 Texas Street, if not sooner. Smith will be 66 years old in May.

William Daniel, the head of the Department of Water and Sewage (DOWAS), is 70 years old. He has been in this position since being appointed by Mayor Adrian Perkins. Prior to coming to Shreveport, he served four years as Baton Rouge's chief administrative officer and then served as the Infrastructure Division Director in Ascension Parish. Daniel has endured snowmageddon, the summer of manganese , water quality issues and apartment complex
water cutoffs as he heads a department that seemingly is in crisis mode more often than it is not.

Terrence Green, head of the Property Standards Division, has worked for the city for 26 years. Green, who is 54, has seen the responsibilities of his department grow and grow in recent years as he has dealt with manpower and funding issues. How much long he will stay with the city before retirement is an open question.

Shelly Ragle heads up the Shreveport Public Assembly & Recreation Department, which is known as SPAR. Ragle has been with SPAR for many years going back to the days that the Captains were playing at Fairgrounds Field. Eagle reportedly lives in Texas and commutes daily to her job.

Although not a city department, the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) Director Alan Clarke , has worked at the MPC since Mar. 1994. Prior to the MPC he worked for the City of Shreveport Department of Economic Development for 14 years. Clarke was slated to retire in 2023, and the unexpected death of his wife delayed his plans. Clarke is over 70 years old.

Tom Dark is the Chief Administrative Officer of the city. He worked for the city 33 years before retiring as the CAO for then Mayor Cedric Glover in 2008. Dark came back as Mayor Tom Arceneaux’s CAO in Jan. 2023. Dark, who is over 70 years old, has stated that he will not return as CAO if Arceneaux is elected for a second term.

With the exception of Daniel, this group not only knows where the bodies are buried but also the department histories of successes and failures. This on the job training is important for their department leadership and for guidance to whomever is the mayor as well as council members. A major question that should be asked now is what in-house department training is taking place to cultivate the next generation of department heads.