In his acceptance
speech, the 33-year-old Democrat taking over the helm of Shreveport gave
some details about his priorities. General platitudes he expressed during the
campaign focused on seemingly eternal agenda items of crime reduction and
increased economic development, but in a way utilizing more technology.
His statement elaborated marginally. He said more
police officers would blanket higher-crime areas of town and downtown, with a
greater emphasis on interactive community policing. As part of that, he told of
increasing efforts to uphold property standards. Employing federal tax
incentives, cutting red tape, and promoting greater online access and information
provision he promised to kickstart business opportunity. He pledged to pursue
an international airport designation for Shreveport Regional, and to appoint a
full-time official to find and employ technological solutions to attract
business, which especially included accurate billing for water and sewerage
which had eluded his predecessor Ollie Tyler. Accentuating that the city had to
appeal to a new generation, he stated initiatives such as city-wide broadband provision
and downtown/riverfront revitalization would attract young talent.