A clumsy maneuver by a veteran member of the Shreveport City Council with the support of two others may have altered the dynamics of city politics, in favor of Republican Mayor Tom Arceneaux.
In his first two-thirds of a year on the job, Arceneaux hasn’t been very visible. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, as previous Democrat Mayor Adrian Perkins put himself much more in the public eye on a routine basis, but for the wrong reasons: either in floating dreamy, unrealistic, if not irrelevant, policies and priorities, or by committing some political, if not legal, folly.
Drummed out of office for those tendencies, nevertheless Perkins council supporters Democrats James Green, Tabatha Taylor, and Alan Jackson returned to office. They hoped to form a working majority including the two other Democrats elected, Ursula Bowman who succeeded her husband Jerry, and newcomer Gary Brooks, to continue an agenda that didn’t focus on spending reductions in the light of public safety shortages contributing to dismal crime numbers and looming huge capital expenditures on water and sewerage, if not unwise new commitments such as across-the-board salary increase for city employees.
This meant Arceneaux wouldn’t have much leeway to throttle back spending as he prepared his first budget. But then came the misstep, triggered by Green.
Without Council authority, Green authorized ten percent pay raises for the body’s staff of five – on top of a 13 percent hike last year. Raises typically are given every few years, but always by Council resolution.
His action became public knowledge, whereupon he claimed ignorance about the illegality of his move – even though he first began service on the Council in 1994 and is now into his fifth term. Chastened, the raises were rescinded but Republican Councilors Grayson Boucher and Jim Taliaferro called for an investigation. Originally defeated in a special meeting that none of Green, Jackson, or Taylor attended, the measure passed at the next regular meeting when the two Democrats who did attend the special meeting changed their votes in favor.
The incident the Republicans argued needed investigation because of conflicting stories of the impetus for the raises and the decision-making involved in the process, including Green’s claim of ignorance. And, according to public statements given by Bowman, coming about at some apparent personal cost to her.
She said that the other three Council black Democrats – Brooks is white – lobbied her hard not to authorize the investigation, through Jackson even threatening noncooperation with her legislative goals if she voted for the probe, which she also thought necessary because of conflicting information released about the incident from other councilors. Brooks has made no public mention of councilor pressure not to reverse his vote, but said constituents asked him to change his vote.
Bowman further became alienated from the bullying three when Taylor in particular accused the desire for an investigation stemmed from “systemic racism.” Besides the obvious that clearly the law was contravened in the incident and governance would improve by trying to understand how it happened. such a charge especially is laughable to lodge against city government that has had black mayors from 2006-22 and black majorities on the city council since 2018. Far more arguable, Taylor may want to avoid an investigation that may blow back negatively on her and her Council allies.
This incident could cause a permanent rupture between Bowman and the other black Democrat councilors. As the new mayor and Council took their offices, as long as Council Democrats stuck together they could call the policy-making tune as Arceneaux could not veto without being overridden any of their measures. If the most moderate of the bunch, Brooks, did join Council Republicans with vetoes, that could forestall measures from black Democrats, but would not allow Arceneaux to promote a policy agenda.
But with Green, Jackson, and Taylor having alienated Bowman, she may be wary of supporting their initiatives and perhaps more open to alliances with the white councilors on select issues backed by Arceneaux, as well as having support for at least some of her initiatives. It’s leverage that he should explore, and provides an enhanced opportunity to induce more fiscal responsibility into governing a city that needs it badly.
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