A little public information push for Shreveport City Hall

Some days just get interesting when you start asking a few questions of City Hall staffers.

As you soon will read, Shreveport's City Council public safety committee wants the full panel to decide whether to raise the price of rented Mardi Gras parade spots from $10 or $20 to $75. Naturally, I want to know how those yearly renters feel about that.

So what do I do? Ask for the list. What's the answer? They're not sure they can give me that.

Well, I think they can and should. State and federal public records laws exempt some personal information – and the city attorney now is trying to decide whether this is – but I really don’t see how at least the names of people doing business with the city are private. Unlisted phone numbers maybe (even though telemarketing companies still seem to get them). We'll see what they decide.

Then I hear Mayor Cedric Glover's airport task force plans to meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. I request a copy of that new board's membership and of the letter sent to them about the meeting. No public notice was given. Glover's staff's initial response is this is not a public body per se, though anyone can attend their meeting. (It's in the mayor's large conference room at Government Plaza, by the way.) I'm still awaiting a city attorney opinion on that, too.

Just a little more insight for you into how we operate around here. I'll keep you posted.

Glover and others welcome direct flights to Branson, Mo. last November.

Looks like Burrell is in for the Shreveport mayor's race

Burrell

An e-mail from state Rep. Roy Burrell's office this evening said the Shreveport legislator plans to formally announce his candidacy for mayor in the coming weeks. That comes more than a week after he publicly floated the idea.

When he makes it official, we'll publish the official brief we do for political candidates. Until then, check here for updates. A Facebook supporter group also should appear soon, the e-mail said.

“There is a growing concern among many citizens, businesses,and clergy regarding the lack of easy access to,and open communication and timely responses from City Hall. I will work to restore the confidence of the people that the mayor’s office should still be the people’s office," Burrell said. “I will continue to work with the city’s leaders to strengthen and revitalize the entire community from the inside out, making Shreveport a safer and more attractive place to live. To be great, Shreveport must become more than just another city … it must become a new destination.”

So far, Mayor Cedric Glover has indicated he will run for re-election, and City Councilman Bryan Wooley announced last week that he will seek the seat.

Shreveport's Multicultural Center story continues

If you remember from a few weeks back, the Shreveport City Council's committee on the Multicultural Center of the South decided to offer the organization the full $200,000 it has given yearly since 1996. (That totals $2.8 million, by the way.)

On April 14, the mayor's office said that wouldn't take an additional vote from the council. Apparently since then, the story has changed. That led to a proposed resolution on this week's council agenda directing the city administrator to cut the organization a $50,000 check. (That would cover the first-quarter amount it should receive.)

The center has had money troubles during the past few years. City and organization leaders point to big utility expenses to the tune of $6,400 monthly bills when it was housed in the city's 53,000-square-foot building at 401 Texas St. The center since has moved to an 8,100-square-foot structure at 520 Spring St.

But today, a little more about the center's money troubles came out. Mayor Cedric Glover continually has asked for proof that the center is serving a community need. City money should not simply be covering administrative expenses, he said.

Council Chair Joyce Bowman told the mayor she didn't like "playing games" and to say what really was on his mind. Instead, council Clerk Arthur Thompson offered information he had gotten from the mayor's office. The organization apparently owes some back taxes. More than $700 to be exact.

To add to the confusion: The Multicultural Center is a nonprofit. No one seemed to have a clear answer about how to handle the latest situation, but the mayor and Councilman Monty Walford said that shouldn't necessarily stop the council from directing city money to the organization.

So we'll see what comes out of the discussion Tuesday.

Roy Jackson, left, and Timothy Borner move items into the new Multicultural Center on Jan. 13.

More from the Glover 'Mardi Gras' reception/campaign fundraiser

Peterson at Glover's fundraiser on Tuesday.

Here's what didn't make the article about Mayor Cedric Glover's soft launch Tuesday of his re-election campaign. I hear some in attendance received invitations that stated the event was a fundraiser. (Glover later told me it was.) But the one I saw never mentioned that. It said only that Glover would make a "major announcement" about Mardi Gras.

Former City Councilman Dee Peterson and chair of Glover's transition committee introduced the mayor. Peterson said he didn’t vote for Glover in 2006 but that he will this year. "He makes sure the trains run on time, and he has great vision," Peterson said.

Glover later returned the compliment, saying a former and long-time City Hall staffer credits Peterson as being Shreveport's best councilman. Glover – who was on the council before his time in the state Legislature and on the second floor at Government – is No. 2 to her. "I'm glad to have you on my side this time," Glover said to Peterson.

The mayor called his wife and "warrior princess" Veronica to his side for his speech. The accomplishments he noted include:

• Refinancing city debt that had fluctuating interest rates.

• Improving quality of life (Peterson mentioned Glover's property standards push, T.B.O.N.E., earlier).

And the promises:

• Mardi Gras parades will stay in Shreveport and in the Broadmoor and Captain Shreve neighborhoods along East Kings Highway.

• Shreveport will have a dog park.

Nude Badu video raises filming questions for Shreveport

Actor Josh Brolin, right, filming "W" in 2008.

Singer Erykah Badu stripped down to her birthday suit in March for a music video filmed in Dallas. Apparently the city didn’t find out until after she got naked.

Dallas has a permitting process that it may beef up to punish folks who don’t follow city regulations for filming. Of course that made me wonder about Shreveport’s permitting process.

Our city does permit videos and movies. The intent, however, does not appear to be regulating the industry. It’s more for tracking and logistical purposes. Keeping tabs means crews working at the same time won’t book the same venues. And knowing budget sizes and the reach of some media can help Shreveport-Bossier City sell itself as a place to do business.

At the moment, according to the city film office, there are four productions in town:

• “Drive Angry”
• “L.A. Art Show”
• “The Gates”
• “Butter”

Expect to learn more about those next month in a few articles from me and fellow Times reporter Christine Bradley. Got anything in particular you're wondering about? Let us know.

State Rep. Roy Burrell, of Shreveport, considering a run for mayor

State Rep. Roy Burrell, D-Shreveport.

 

Late last week journalists and politicos circulated a press release from state Rep. Roy Burrell, D-Shreveport, that said he is thinking about running for mayor. It was not quite an announcement, hence the lack of play in a news article.

Burrell is testing the waters to see whether more businesses and residents will back him. Here's an excerpt:

"Whether you are the first or the last mayor, black notwithstanding, you must keep this city moving and progressing," Burrell said about Mayor Cedric Glover. "Shreveport already has the basic infrastructure in place to be more advanced, but the momentum has been delayed in the last four years. Many people in the city are of the same opinion, it is time to get someone in city hall who can move Shreveport to the next level, and effectuate visible and productive impact and change."

A decision will come soon, Burrell said. We already know City Councilman Bryan Wooley, a Republic who represents southeast Shreveport, also may challenge Glover. Word on Wooley's decision is expected this month. And unless he tells me otherwise, I think we can safely say Glover, a Democrat, plans to seek a second term.

The election is in October. We'll know who the real contenders are come July, when candidates must qualify, or officially sign up to run.

Weekend reading: potential bond projects

Here are some extras from my most recent article about the Shreveport citizens bond committee. City department heads gave presentations on projects they would like to build or maintain using bond money.

• Sewer
• Streets
• Drainage
• Water
• SPAR
• Fire and police training academy
• Fire stations
• Fire engines
• All fire projects
• Police
• Finance

Double disruptions at Shreveport's bond committee meeting

I was a pesky reporter tonight.

But I was annoying just for you, dear readers.

The Shreveport citizens bond committee met to hear presentations from city department managers on their capital needs. While SPAR Director Shelly Ragle spoke, I chatted (in a whisper) with City Engineer Ron Norwood. Ragle cut her eyes once. And then Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Rick Seaton actually shushed us – and Norwood by name. I was just getting the heads up because I didn't know if I'd get to sit in for all of Norwood's presentation. It was enough to get a few chuckles out of the rest of the group. (But no disrespect meant, Shelly!)

Shortly after I asked Police Chief Henry Whitehorn if he could step outside the meeting to chat with me. An editor got word to me that President Obama had nominated Whitehorn (the second of four steps to confirmation) for U.S. Marshal for Louisiana's Western District, which includes Shreveport. When Whitehorn gave his presentation an hour or so later, he called me out by name, saying I was the catalyst for his distracting evening. (And that he heard it first from me.) He had not heard most of the other presentations.

And so it goes in the life of a reporter.

(That's my best pesky reporter photo for now.)

Shreveport needs a boost in unofficial Google poll

We're not sure this informal sampling will make a difference in which city receives the coveted Google Fiber network, but it's no question that Shreveport could use more votes in the unofficial poll.

As of today, according to site organizers, the Port City had received only 13 of more than 500,000 clicks. Greenville, S.C., was in the lead.

Googlefiber.com administrators said they picked the 21 most active communities. Other cities must be typed in – like a write-in candidate on an election ballot.

"As the challenge moved further, we kept getting public requests for further addition of cities and we honored mass requests," the Googlefiber.com folks said. Shreveport didn't make the cut.

So has anybody out there voted here? What do you think of the site?

Here's Greenville's video application:

Shreveport leaders welcome Bossier City chief

We'll cross the Red River for this blog. That's just to pass along some shout outs to the new police chief from his Shreveport counterparts.

Shreveport PD Chief Henry Whitehorn and City Councilman Bryan Wooley attended Thursday's press conference welcoming Patrick "Shane" McWilliams as Bossier City's top cop.

There may have been other Shreveport officials over there, but these are documented. Wooley said he was there to show support for "our sister city" and to support law enforcement. He's worked for a pro-police reputation in Shreveport, including a political battle against Mayor Cedric Glover for officer pay raises.

And here's a photo of Whitehorn and McWilliams:

More from Shreveport's salvinia meeting

While Shreveporters raised concerns Tuesday about herbicide that has been used (and might be again) to kill salvinia on Cross Lake, they drank water bottled from the same source. Port City water re-emerged in coolers packed with ice.

But chemicals were just one issue. If you missed it, here are the documents the city and residents distributed:

• Meeting agenda.
• Shreveport's Power Point presentation.
• News-Star editorial.
• Times-Picayune editorial.

I also found this city hydrilla report, that mentions SePRO, the same company the city may use to combat salvinia.

More Google Fiber reading

Shreveport now is playing the waiting game with potentially hundreds of other communities that want the promise of easily available, high speed Internet via Google Fiber.

Just thought I would offer a little more reading for those of you who are interested:

• Shreveport's paper application (which was a guide for the YouTube video).
• Google's explanation packet.
• Blog and video from Google calling for applications from cities throughout the United States.

Let me know if you find anything else related to this project out there in the tech world.