Jeffrey D. Sadow is an associate professor of political science at Louisiana State University Shreveport. If you're an elected official, political operative or anyone else upset at his views, don't go bothering LSUS or LSU System officials about that because these are his own views solely. This publishes five days weekly with the exception of 7 holidays. Also check out his Louisiana Legislature Log especially during legislative sessions (in "Louisiana Politics Blog Roll" below).
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25.4.17
NW LA elections feature clash between old, new
Upcoming
elections in Caddo and Bossier Parishes revive the ongoing struggle between
the old ways of politics and modernization.
This Saturday, Caddo voters face five ballot
propositions, although Shreveporters don’t participate in a sales tax maneuver
that combines two existing millages for general parish operations worth 1.5
percent on sales for approval into perpetuity. The other four renew property
taxes, but in controversial ways.
These take propositions to fund generally
facilities, the health unit, the juvenile court and detention center, and
courthouse operations, and attempt to extend their terms early, anywhere from
over one to four years prior to expiration. That tactic may stem from the humiliating
2013 defeat of a bond issue for capital improvements, repeated
in 2014, which would have had the effect of taking the 1.55 mill rate at
the time and elevating it to the full 1.75 mill rate allowed for general
obligation debt.
The same dynamic comes into play with this batch.
While all together the four started out with a combined 6.54 mill rate, over
the years the Commission did not vote to roll these forward, so these
automatically declined by 2015 to a rate of 6.08. But the renewals ask for
6.31, and the approval of any would allow for a tax increase. Thus, the
Commission may fear electoral resistance to these tax hikes and believe it will
need multiple attempts to force these through, hence the early start.
As has developed as the major issue ever since the
Haynesville Shale boom flushed parish coffers – with unrestricted cash-equivalent
reserves ballooning from $17.2 million in 2005
to $63.8 million by 2015
and cash tied to ongoing capital projects rising over this decade by more than
half to greater than $92 million – why would the parish want to increase taxes
when the population has remained stable and so many dollars lie fallow? Voters
again may rebel against the old notion that government must continue to expand
regardless of genuine constituent needs.
In Bossier, a showdown of different sets of elites
will occur in the House District 8 runoff to succeed Republican Rep. Mike Johnson. The general election had
Republican Raymond Crews gain 41
percent to lead Republican Robbie Gatti
by four percent.
Gatti represents the old Bossier political
establishment, those who get along and go along with expanding local government
of whom many started out political life affiliated with Democrats, and the
reduced numbers of Democrats in one of the most conservative districts in
Louisiana. Crews comes from the reformist wing of the local GOP that supports
smaller government, like his ally Johnson not part of the good old boy network.
Who aids each campaign reflects the divide. Crews
has attracted money from a number of prominent area Republicans plus business-oriented
political action committees, while Gatti
has obtained donations from those who typically support Democrats and has union
PAC money behind him. GOP Bossier City Mayor Lo Walker is
Gatti’s only prominent endorser, while Crews has lined up endorsements from Republicans
Johnson, Sen. John
Kennedy, Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry,
two-time populist conservative Senate candidate Rob Maness, and one of the two
Republicans vanquished in the runoff.
The race has become defined by Gatti’s
past and present foibles. He fumbled his explanation as to why he wore blackface
to a party in a way more obfuscating than providing clarity, and has said nothing
about his reported incuriosity about renting property to a massage parlor that
likely engaged in illegal activities. Gatti has served as such an imperfect
candidate that a theory
surfaced in The Hayride website arguing he ran only to supplement the
ability of his brother state Sen. Ryan
Gatti to work out a pardon for their brother Regan, currently jailed for life.
As a result, while Crew’s advertising since the first
election has stuck to various issues, Robbie Gatti’s has taken on an “us-against-the-world”
tone that echoes Ryan Gatti’s successful 2015 bid, emphasizing social
conservatism, framing reform in the direction of school choice as an attack on local
schools, and generally railing against “special interests,” in this case allegedly
“dishonestly” attacking him, interests that he ties to the “puppet” Crews.
The 22 percent not choosing either candidate previously
appear more likely to vote for Crews than Gatti, so the former is the favorite.
If Crews does win, this will deal another blow to the Bossier regulars, who
worked against Johnson’s election.
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