What would make a good Shreveport mayor? (New Orleans, Baton Rouge: lawyers, house)

[Magic Qwan]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

Do you have universities there?

We have LSUS and Centenary. The former is public and the latter is private.

[annie_himself]

Keeping graduates there is part of the problem. I'd assume Houston and Dallas have taken many of the graduates from the metro area.

[Magic Qwan]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Keeping graduates there is part of the problem. I'd assume Houston and Dallas have taken many of the graduates from the metro area.

I'd presume getting high-paying jobs here would be a start. In order to keep graduates here, there needs to be opportunity.

[Rooster0620]

Originally Posted by Magic Qwan

Does anybody have any ideas on how to better educate our workforce?

It starts at the grade school/high school level, and Louisiana/Shreveport public schools have always been putrid when compared to other states/cities (i.e. - competition for corporate relocations).

Most of a businesses employees are not college educated, so good high schools are important. In addition, people don't go to college/trade school, etc. if their high schools don't prepare them for it.

Again, this is not a problem easily solved, but its Shreveport's main problem when attracting jobs. If there was a simple solution, Shreveport would have surely done something about it in the last 30 years.

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by Magic Qwan

I'd presume getting high-paying jobs here would be a start. In order to keep graduates here, there needs to be opportunity.

Other than giving massive tax breaks, I don't see many companies moving to Shreveport, not with Texas right there. Shreveport needs to invest in it's poorest population and foster a successful population instead of the status quo, while all of the bright minds move away.
The same goes for the whole country really.

[Magic Qwan]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Other than giving massive tax breaks, I don't see many companies moving to Shreveport, not with Texas right there. Shreveport needs to invest in it's poorest population and foster a successful population instead of the status quo, while all of the bright minds move away.
The same goes for the whole country really.

Trade School grants might be just the trick. We could help those poorest amomg us get through a trade program, aiding both income levels and unemployment at the same time. It's interesting that Ollie Tyler ran on economic reform yet there hasn't been a reversal of fortune.

[annie_himself]

Trade schools for what industry? It would be nice to see a statewide or national public works project to rebuild our infrastructure and provide jobs but people look at that as socialism and anything like that would be shot down in Shreveport, I'd imagine. I'm not familiar with voting patterns up north.

[Magic Qwan]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

Trade schools for what industry? It would be nice to see a statewide or national public works project to rebuild our infrastructure and provide jobs but people look at that as socialism and anything like that would be shot down in Shreveport, I'd imagine. I'm not familiar with voting patterns up north.

I'm thinking plumbing, solar panel installation, medical technicians, and other semi-skilled jobs. I would like to do college, too, but I'm not sure if we could afford it and I may have a hard time selling that to the people here--as people tend to dislike "socialist" things, unless it clearly and explicitly creates more jobs immediately. I'd love to fix all of our cities problems, but I'm not smart enough to do it without lots of advisors. There are a lot of southern baptists here, and I am an atheist, so there would be that bit of stigma to overcome before I could even come near power of any kind, even if I'm just trying to help.

[RemyLebeau]

Originally Posted by Magic Qwan

I'm thinking plumbing, solar panel installation, medical technicians, and other semi-skilled jobs. I would like to do college, too, but I'm not sure if we could afford it and I may have a hard time selling that to the people here--as people tend to dislike "socialist" things, unless it clearly and explicitly creates more jobs immediately. I'd love to fix all of our cities problems, but I'm not smart enough to do it without lots of advisors. There are a lot of southern baptists here, and I am an atheist, so there would be that bit of stigma to overcome before I could even come near power of any kind, even if I'm just trying to help.

This is very correct. As much as politicians talk about bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, the problem is we don't have the trained workforce. There is way too much effort in putting everyone into college that we forgot not every wants to go, does well in a classroom setting and would be better off learning a trade. I tried looking it up on google maps and it seems to be a medical type school.

I graduated back in 92 and on the advice of a friend, I was able to attend Caddo Career Center for half a day my Jr year. So, I went to CCC in the morning then went to Southwood after lunch to continue my traditional education. You had to "apply and be accepted" but anyone could go during their Jr and Sr year. After their Sr year, if they received a job, that counted as school credit.

My older friends attended CCC for machine shop (learning to be a machinist) and electrician. All 4 had jobs before graduating making over 2 times the minimum wage. Back then minimum wage was like $4.25 or $4.35, my friend that went for machine shop got a job at LA Gear (no, not the shoe company) half way through his Sr year making $10.50 and hour. Big money for an 18 year old right still in high school.

He went to Southwood until 11am, went to work at LA Gear from 1pm-7pm Mon-Fri and worked on Saturday because he liked money. After graduation he went from LA Gear to JL Industries to eventually moving to Dallas after I did.

My buddy that graduated the electrician program? Well he moved to Florida, then south Texas. Since moving to south Texas, he's worked for the same plant for just over 20 years and supervises a team of just under 100 men. Him, his wife and kids live in a nice custom home and 2 years ago bought a 200 acre ranch to retire on...something he plans on doing right around his 55th birthday (he's 45 now).

I bring all that up because they received their future because of a free program offered in high school that doesn't seem to exist anymore. They didn't stay in Shreveport because of city mismanagement, corruption, poverty, lack of advancing jobs and the stranglehold the church has on the city.

For me, while I wasn't good at being a machinist (I'm glad I went because it was an awesome experience), I literally ran as fast I as I could from Shreveport a week after graduation. I can't tell you how many times I went on job interviews in Shreveport to see my "competition" being people just laid off from GM and trying to get anything to keep their family going. I didn't want to be one of those people.

To the OP, to turn Shreveport around is going to take a long time because it's been neglected for a long time. Last time I was there was in 2002 for a funeral. I took my wife and daughter, who had never been to Shreveport. It was sad to see what happened to the nice city where I grew up. Hell, the mall I spent most of my teenage years, South Park Mall, was a poorly maintained, horrible shell of an once lively building owned by a church. My wife told me she could see why I refused to take her "home". Why I left my friends and family at the age of 18. Why so many of my friends would tell stories about sleeping on my couch after finally leaving Shreveport to move to Dallas for a better life.

If I was you, I would fight to bring back a program like CCC. Once you build up a future of talented labor, you will be surprised the number of companies willing to relocate the Shreveport. Companies that need machinists, electricians, woodworkers, carpenters, etc.

Even if you can do that, you will still need help with the community. You need to rebuild pride. People that want to be better. Build a bridge between the police force and the people they police. Encourage neighborhood night out parties sponsored by the city and the police. Push city pride.

It's possible to do but it will take time. Good luck.

[Magic Qwan]

Originally Posted by RemyLebeau

This is very correct. As much as politicians talk about bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, the problem is we don't have the trained workforce. There is way too much effort in putting everyone into college that we forgot not every wants to go, does well in a classroom setting and would be better off learning a trade. I tried looking it up on google maps and it seems to be a medical type school.

I graduated back in 92 and on the advice of a friend, I was able to attend Caddo Career Center for half a day my Jr year. So, I went to CCC in the morning then went to Southwood after lunch to continue my traditional education. You had to "apply and be accepted" but anyone could go during their Jr and Sr year. After their Sr year, if they received a job, that counted as school credit.

My older friends attended CCC for machine shop (learning to be a machinist) and electrician. All 4 had jobs before graduating making over 2 times the minimum wage. Back then minimum wage was like $4.25 or $4.35, my friend that went for machine shop got a job at LA Gear (no, not the shoe company) half way through his Sr year making $10.50 and hour. Big money for an 18 year old right still in high school.

He went to Southwood until 11am, went to work at LA Gear from 1pm-7pm Mon-Fri and worked on Saturday because he liked money. After graduation he went from LA Gear to JL Industries to eventually moving to Dallas after I did.

My buddy that graduated the electrician program? Well he moved to Florida, then south Texas. Since moving to south Texas, he's worked for the same plant for just over 20 years and supervises a team of just under 100 men. Him, his wife and kids live in a nice custom home and 2 years ago bought a 200 acre ranch to retire on...something he plans on doing right around his 55th birthday (he's 45 now).

I bring all that up because they received their future because of a free program offered in high school that doesn't seem to exist anymore. They didn't stay in Shreveport because of city mismanagement, corruption, poverty, lack of advancing jobs and the stranglehold the church has on the city.

For me, while I wasn't good at being a machinist (I'm glad I went because it was an awesome experience), I literally ran as fast I as I could from Shreveport a week after graduation. I can't tell you how many times I went on job interviews in Shreveport to see my "competition" being people just laid off from GM and trying to get anything to keep their family going. I didn't want to be one of those people.

To the OP, to turn Shreveport around is going to take a long time because it's been neglected for a long time. Last time I was there was in 2002 for a funeral. I took my wife and daughter, who had never been to Shreveport. It was sad to see what happened to the nice city where I grew up. Hell, the mall I spent most of my teenage years, South Park Mall, was a poorly maintained, horrible shell of an once lively building owned by a church. My wife told me she could see why I refused to take her "home". Why I left my friends and family at the age of 18. Why so many of my friends would tell stories about sleeping on my couch after finally leaving Shreveport to move to Dallas for a better life.

If I was you, I would fight to bring back a program like CCC. Once you build up a future of talented labor, you will be surprised the number of companies willing to relocate the Shreveport. Companies that need machinists, electricians, woodworkers, carpenters, etc.

Even if you can do that, you will still need help with the community. You need to rebuild pride. People that want to be better. Build a bridge between the police force and the people they police. Encourage neighborhood night out parties sponsored by the city and the police. Push city pride.

It's possible to do but it will take time. Good luck.

The CCC still exists, but it is losing more and more funding every year. It was the CCC that got me to become a pharmacy technician, but I wasin the last class before that was discontinued. Ollie Tyler is our current mayor, and I have only been paying attention to politics a couple of years, but first and foremost, my goal would be to bring in the jobs and stave off the inevitable automation that is about to happen.