Giving credit where it's due

Remember about a week ago when I pointed out some potential issues with Shreveport City Hall not offering information they should? Your local government came through this week.

I got a list of 337 individuals or couples who reserve Mardi Gras parade spots by the Duck Pond. Most are Shreveporters, but there are some from Greenwood, Blanchard, Frierson, the Dallas area, and several towns between here and there. At least one city councilman (Bryan Wooley) is included. The group is complete with addresses (for most – not Wooley, though). Not sure we'll post all of that information, but you'll likely get a look at some of it.

So I want to give props for the mayor's office – via SPAR Director Shelly Ragle – for doing the right thing. Look for more off-season Carnival coverage soon.

Videos for your viewing pleasure -- or at least to ponder

Here are two videos from YouTube to hold you over until we start having some debates for the Shreveport mayor's race. (Of course there is always a chance we can catch a few precursors to the real thing during City Council meetings.)

The more recent one is from Councilman Bryan Wooley's April 22 campaign kick off event.

This video is from Mayor Cedric Glover's 2006 campaign.

Wooley's vid is more than three minutes long. Here are some folks I spotted in it: Lou Burnett, Bruce Roberts, Sheva Sims, Charlie Caldwell, Harold Coates, Deanna Candler, Robert "SuperMann" Blount, Michael Corbin and Archie Hall.

Glover's is only about a minute, so I didn't see as many people that I recognized: Jeff Everson, Elizabeth Glover, Veronic Glover and Winzer Andrews.

Check out both, and tell me what you think. I haven't seen anything from state Rep. Roy Burrell, who said he will announce his plans to seek the mayor's seat soon.

What could a Continental-United merger mean for Shreveport Regional?

With Shreveport's specilized airport task force at work now, today's news about a planned merger between United and Continental Airlines got me to wondering about what that could mean for local flights.

Do you think it would be worth tracking flyer costs since Delta and Northwest got together? Has anyone who flies out of Shreveport Regional Airport noticed much difference? Could Shreveport get a flight to another hub with United service?

The United-Continental deal is worth about $3 billion. Seabury Airport Planning Group, which seeks a $35,000 contract for two studies with the city, said Shreveport has the highest ticket prices in the United States for an airport with the size of its passenger load.  The group said average ticket prices at SHV is $214. It's been a while since I flew for that cheap.

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.