Shreveport's 2014 Mayoral Candidates (Grambling, Many, Sunset: appointed, rent, employment)

[annie_himself]

Dude your keyboard is tired.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Too much Red Bull in the fridge.

[Chance and Change]

Conversations can and often will expand to include many dimensions, as well as, its scope and outreach.

It is just a matter of who among the participants care to indulge the variables. Writing is not a chore when one has interest to engage these elements of expansiveness within how discussions flow and grow.

[BeenThereDunThat]

While I applaud your efforts to share information, I'm afraid that many folks won't take the time to carefully read & process your lengthy postings. It's been said before in this forum that the Shreveport-Bossier section on City-data gets very little participation. Some have cited a low(er) higher education attainment level. I've been guilty in the past of getting a little too wordy and I've since pared down my comments. In the age of "Tweets & Twits" ...tis 'folly to be too lengthy.

Might be great for academics and some forums where the civic IQ is a tad higher. But I've found here that it's kind of lost on the bandwidth. Good luck but remember: "Blessed are the brief for they shall be more memorable and welcomed back".

respectfully submitted!

[Chance and Change]

Yes, I've gathered those points long ago, I've participated in many many blogs over the years. I still don't care for brevity. I'm just not motivated to shrink my thinking because others don't want to expand theirs. I do understand the groomed attention deficit which exist. Much of it was referenced in the other posting, which talked about the nature of the 140 character mentality, as well as how it exist in the jobs as well. people want everything brief, and then wonder why they are tripped up when details present themselves in the mix.

I hear what you are saying and its appreciated the grace in which you used in expressing it.

But I'm just not interested in the short slap stick and pun and punt type of thing. Life has many elements and the more of them we neglect the more the conditions which we as a society complain about, result to diminish our society, city, state and nation.

[Chance and Change]

Is there any posted or published speeches of any of the Current Candidate whom pursue the Mayor's Office ?

what do they stand for, and how do they propose to go about achieving those goals?

Do we know what they aim for beside the Office? What are their strong points in achieving their aims?

It is evident the Local New Paper is not going to Print this nature of Info. Therefore a citizen board such as this may well be a good place to present this information.

[Chance and Change]

What is the most current information available for the Candidates For Mayor?

I would like to know why anyone who is seeking this office, would not scan through CITI-DATA to see what people are thinking and what they are talking about. Is a good tool to get a pulse check on the community. What do people in the area think, what do people outside of the area think.

I wonder how much outreach are they really doing?

Remember the Group " MoveOn" - what are they doing at this stage of the organizations? Are they concerned or active in the "Mayor's Race for election?"

Is there any student groups organized related to the Mayor's Race? I think it would be great to see a combination of black, white and other ethnic groups of students working together to push a Youth Agenda and make sure these Candidate pay attention and listen to their voice.

[Chance and Change]

What really next for Shreveport? does anyone see a current Candidate with any major plans which will uplift Shreveport in the over-all? Do we think some of our deteriorated areas will be lead to a pathway of improvements, or would you think that some areas will continue to fall even lower in abandoned and deteriorated homes?
Do you perceive any upgrades in Business being more wide spread, or will it continue with its centralized gravitation to Youree or will it simply move even further, by going out into the Southern Loop Area?

Do you think we will see any progress made to bridge and unify the ethnicity and culture divides? If so, which Canididate do you think will be the stronger leader in terms of building a better cohesion among the current state of racial and cultural segregation which seems to be either stagnated or not moving at a pace to truly unify the people of within the city as a whole?

What role do you think leadership can play in building better bridges and inspiring more unity?

[BeenThereDunThat]

There's no one really on deck who has anything new to bring to the mix. Of all those who were previously mentioned, only Sam Jenkins would've been a good choice as far as fairness and leadership is concerned. It's unfortunate that the tax liens against his law firm made him decide to not run (it's questionable as he may reconsider given that some black preachers and business owners want him to reconsider). But in all honesty there's nothing new that anyone will bring to the table. It's just that they see it as "their turn" to be considered for mayor and bolster their ego and political and social careers.

[Chance and Change]

I would hope the remaining Candidate will look to the future. That future is contained in the younger group, 18 - 40, 40-66, (these are often very separate groups in how they focus and deal with things) whom ever has the foresight to involve these groups will be a stronger candidate. I think if they confine their vote chasing to only the church groups, we will get much of the same as we have now. I don't mean to be negative toward any group, but many of these churches being headed by very much older leaders, are not going to promote broad and sweeping changes which encompass the younger people. If they were, they'd already be doing it in their church organizations. I think a strong candidate would be interested in reaching the Senior Class Students in our High School, whom many become of voting age at or near graduation. A PRO-ACTIVE Student Voter Registration Drive should be underway at this very moment. We need this group to feel inclusive within what is the city they have either grown up in or live here at the time of their graduation. This is a connection which is a life long bond in the stages of ones life.

We collectively, I'm sure, have some with good ideas, but if we don't build resource bases which can turn and return into broad investment, then our future suffers as a result. Some within community and church organizations, push the want to do things, but among those, if you look at the unimproved condition of some of their current holdings, it is not likely they will be expanding with the quality and character of development which is needed. Some may need to do more ground work within and upon their organizations, before seeking to expand the capabilities they seek to include.



It's very hard to envision one building better facilities, when their existing facilities are in need of much work and serious investment in external facility image and upgrades. When one has acquired many acres of additional land space and that space remains undeveloped. Then how can they continue to add more things with an ability to improve them and maintain it. I think these are very valid concerns.



Only a very few have been able to build and invest to build modern quality upgrades.
Even with the Old Mall, it sits there with that massive amount of land and structure occupation, and unable to truly fill that parking lot for any occasion. I honestly think it was a very bad decision by whom ever made it to take that large facility and turn it into a church. The area suffers greatly from the loss of revenue based usage of that facility.

Back to the Mayor's Race:

We know what the target areas are which need the greatest rebuilding and re-tasking, we also know the communities that need strong leadership so they don't continue to decline beyond where they are now. To address this will involve much more than a Mayor, it will need a new crop of Council Members as well, and this is without question a truth for some districts.
When people vote, they need to think in terms of Alignments.
If the council members are not aligned to a "growth mentality", and result to become "bicker masters" and "talking heads" who grid lock process for their own grandstanding, then we can look to see stagnation.
It may be a good thing some are term limited and meeting the fate of removal. But the question is, who will be the next to fill the seats and will they be pro growth, and think beyond their own self elation's. This might sound a bit "crass" , but when we look at some areas, which have seen "0" IMPROVEMENTS, then it is not so "crass" it is simply identifying a lack of progress and development.
What we can't have is anything that resembles the School Board. some of the people have been there too long, and why people keep re-electing them is itself a demonstration of non progressive voter placement of individuals who do not think in progress and change mindsets.
Most members of these Councils and Boards, have no idea and seemingly no concern nor do they even think in terms of "Maintenance Management Investments" This provide a conceptual idea of the benefits of Maintenance Management.

Our system, both in the schools and the city, cut short the requirements for staffing, equipment and become lacking in selecting truly pro-active supervision. But this also has to become a concerns of directors in both Schools and City Systems. "The utterance of "WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY", continues to result into mass deterioration's; to the point it become extremely cost to refurbish/rebuild, and this results to decommissions, closures and abandonment of valuable structures as well as neglect to fall upon valuable infrastructure. By the time it is recognized as being of concern, is only at the point of abject failure, which cannot be ignored any longer.
This is an areas of concern which is rarely discussed in any of the campaign pursuits. But it become critical in the big picture of what and how things will evolve.