Saturday, August 23, 2014

They're Here! Candidates qualify for local offices

Candidates for the November 4th election qualified this week. Of course we have a Senate race between Mary Landrieu and Bill Cassidy. Along with several other filers, Rob Maness is getting some attention, but it doesn't look like enough to make a big difference. I wouldn't take bets on this one either way.
4th District Representative John Fleming has two opponents, Libertarian Randall Lord of Shreveport and Democrat Justin Ansley of Bossier City. I couldn't find much information on Ansley, but did find a Google+ page. From the content of this page, I'd be pretty certain that this is our guy. Randall Lord's website is here.
Fleming shouldn't break a sweat on this one.
Foster Campbell is running for re-election with one challenger. He should not have a problem getting re-elected, he is very popular in the rural parishes.
The two races that most people are focused on are for Bossier City Marshal, where Carl Wayne Richard (website) is challenging establishment candidate Jim Whitman (website). Richard ran a strong race against Lynn Austin in the special election to fill the spot that was vacated with the unfortunate death of Johnny Wyatt.
Probably the hottest race is for District Attorney, where Whit Graves (website) (Facebook) is challenging incumbent Schuyler Marvin (Facebook). This one is guaranteed to get nasty before it’s over.
Judges Craig, Cox, Nerren and Self are unopposed.  Two judges are retiring; Charles Jacobs will replace Judge John Robinson and Jeff Thompson will replace Judge Ford Stinson.
Tommy Wilson, the incumbent Bossier City Judge, is unopposed.
In Plain Dealing, incumbent Mayor Wiley Joe Robinson is being challenged by Donna Canales, while incumbent Marshal Ronnie Murray has two opponents, Tim Cannon and Chuck Spraggins.
I don’t even pretend to understand the Justice of the Peace districts. They number 1, 3, 4, 5 & 6. A couple of the districts have two judges.
In District 1, longtime incumbent Tom Carleton is stepping down. Bill Shelton has filed for the position. Linda Carter, Cliff Cannon and Homer Sullivan have all filed for District 3. Julia Budwah and Lorraine Ragsdale, the incumbents in Districts 4 & 5 respectively, are unopposed. In District 6 Ron Eastridge, Charles Gray, David Cook and James M Keith have all qualified.
In the races for Constable, Scooter Rushing and Brandon Oswalt have filed in District 1. District 3 has five candidates qualified. They are Jerry Jenkins, Stephen Smith, John Craft, Rick Blalock & Eddie Chandler. Ron Matlock is the sole candidate in District 4 as is Charles Sholz in District 5. Jeffrey Weems, Wayne Berry & Kenneth Stephens have all qualified in District 6.
Last, but certainly not least, are the races for School Board.  There will be some changes in the makeup of the board.
District 1: Incumbent Jack Raley is stepping down and being replaced by Billie Brotherton, the only candidate to qualify. Mrs. Brotherton retired from the school system as a vice-principal and should bring some good experience and perspective to the job.
District 2: Brad Bockhaus is the incumbent and is unopposed.
District 3: Frank Kelly (website), who was elected last year, is being challenged by incumbent Tammy Armer Smith from District 4. I’m assuming this is due to a change in the district’s boundaries. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong.
District 4: Richard Phipps II, Elizabeth Foster and William Lott have all qualified for this seat to replace Tammy Smith.
District 5: Mike Monsour, the incumbent, is unchallenged.
District 6: Incumbent Glen Bullard not challenged.
District 7: Incumbent J. W. Slack not challenged.
District 8: Incumbent Kenneth Wiggins has no challengers.
District 9: Incumbent Eddy Ray Presley is being challenged by Eric Newman. Presley was caught up in controversy last year when he referred to the ‘morons in South Bossier’ in reference to a petition to fire Parkway Principal Nichole Bourgeois. We’ll get into more detail about this one in a later post.
District 10: Samm Darby is unopposed for re-election.
District 11: Shane Cheatham is the sole candidate and will be the new Board member.
District 12: Likewise for Dennis Bamburg who is the only candidate in the district.
We’ll try to keep up with Districts 3, 4 & 9 and update you on those.
If you are a candidate for office and would like to address the voters with your platform for office, please send a few paragraphs to mybossier@gmail.com and we will publish it.  Attach a picture if you like and we’ll include it.

72 comments:

  1. Anyone think Cassidy can win? I don't know him but I can't stand Landrieu.

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  2. I'm a Democrat but I am considering voting for Foster Campbell's opponent. I remember reading something about Campbell making phone rates lower for inmates in jails and prisons. This change was strongly opposed by Sheriffs such as Steve Prator. I don't know, I'm still undecided about this race.

    I'm not a big fan of Mary Landrieu but I do agree with her on some issues, which is something I cannot say about Bill Cassidy. That said, I think Cassidy is a very strong challenger and could give her a run for her money. It wouldn't surprise me if he is elected. No, I'd be more surprised if Senator Landrieu won.

    I don't know much about Charles Jacobs. Jeff Thompson is an accomplished lawyer. Also, he is a big defender of our second amendment rights, which is a good thing.

    In the DA's race, I like Whit Graves. I read the inquisitor and am not impressed with Schuyler Marvin's record.

    For a lot of these offices, I will need to do more research before I can decide. If I can't find info on the web, hell, I'll call the candidates themselves. :P

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  3. Wow...Anyone who uses the Inquisitor as a basis for making any decision is not impressive. I am sure they also use the National Enquirer to make decisions concerning national elections.

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    1. But has the inquisitor really been false at anything they've stated about Schuyler or cases concerning Schuyler? If you dig deep enough, you can find just about anything you find in the inquisitor, they just make it more conveniently located in a simple publication.

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  4. Only thing about Danny Lawler is if Marvin was using his auction company to get rid of seized property then he would make Marvin look like a saint.
    I've never been a fan of Marvin. He's been cutting deals since day one and it's finally catching up with him. Whit Graves would make an excellent D.A. but he is his own worst enemy. He can come across as too arrogant. That being said though I don't really ever have to talk to either one that often. I want a D.A. That's going to put criminals in jail. Marvin has shown he would rather cut deals and set them free.

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  5. Y'all heard whether Thompson intends to resign his office immediately? If he stays in, he's collecting a paycheck for a job he's not doing any longer, jeopardizing representation for his district, and costing the taxpayers more money by not having the special election held on the same day as other large elections (such as Nov 4).

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  6. The quiet is deafening. Or is this the quiet before the storm. I think he is walking with his tail tucked. Will take a huge amount of toxin to kill this snake.

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  7. Ha, ha, ha! You could only be speaking of OUR Illustrious DA/// He has receipts I bet from his sign hanging crimnal. He is much too sly for his crimes.

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  8. Marvin fundraiser last night attended by virtually all of the Who's Who of Bossier Parish. Who are the major campaign donors and/or supporters of Whit Grave's, if any?

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  9. Sorry not all who's who.....I wasn't there. Am glad you are impressed with the paymeback attendes. I support Whit because of his integrity and great qualifications..

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  10. Largest turnout and fundraiser in Bossier in memory.

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  11. I went to the restaurant to eat. I saw all the people there just wanting to feel important. I assume there was such a large turnout due to the fact Whit has everyone worried. When Whit wins all those people will then turn and start kissing his ass.

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  12. Anybody else notice all the typos on Marvin's mailer?

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  13. One thing I do know about Mr. Graves is he will be just as fair to his opponents as he will be to any hard working supporters. That my friends is called following the law as he swore to do. That my friends is called integrity. And no one who supports him would expect any less from him. He is by far the better man, win or lose this election.

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  14. Marvin 63.5%
    Graves 36.5%

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    1. Based on what? Heard Marvin has a poll done. Seems a bit weird no one has heard anything out of that.

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  15. Whit made a huge miscalculation running for this office at this time. Marvin is respected by his peers and the community he serves. The community is safer with Marvin as DA.

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  16. Crime is on the rise in Bossier. The only people who respect him were the ass kissers at his fund raiser. Most of them were just there to be seen.

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  17. Whit has broke ass kissin supporters while Marvin has broke ass kissin supporters and rich ass kissin supporters !! A fat wallet usually wins in America.

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    1. Really? Maybe you forgot about the election in Mississippi a few months ago when the underdog had only 1 tenth of the money the other guy had and still beat him soundly. People are tired of King Marvin and his sweetheart deals to the attorneys who give him the maximum amount allowed. Money can't buy happiness but it can sure buy a get out of jail free card in Bossier. At least for now. Can't wait for Whit to take office and start passing out Go To Jail cards.

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    1. Wow. Everyone see the Danny Lawler divorce case in Caddo Monday morning. He and his wife ran into court, made a secret deal with Miciotto as Danny Lawlers lawyer and scurried out before anyone knew what happened. Details coming...... Whit and Lawler seen every week at Nicky's and other spots. They deserve each other. Wonder which one has longer fangs?

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  19. I tend to agree with you about Lawler...but funny how the fanged Marvin was pards with him not so long ago....lolol... you gotta do better than that Sherlock!

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  20. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2014 at 12:24 PM - I removed your comment because Eric Johnson isn't a candidate in this race.

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  21. Marvin raised 160k in one night. Graves hasn't raised 160k if his four elections. Nuff said !!!

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  22. You have just proven that the office of DA has been bought and paid for by folks who have had personal favors granted by the DA. Lord only help the hard working middle class!!! and only weep for the poor!!! nuff said

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  23. Money don't buy you love. I know some of his biggest donors, and they couldn't give three farts about him. Just use him with their money to get what they want.

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  24. I totally agree with you! In fact, the big donors are in fear that some of their family members might need Marvin's unscrupulous actions in the future. What a sad note!

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  25. I sure am seeing many more CARL RICHARD signs out there these days. Go Carl !!!! They are very scared you may win this thing and clean up around that place. Keep on plugging away because it will get down and dirty real soon if they think their man will lose.

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  26. I find it funny is how they can only talk about how much money they raised. They can never talk about what a good job any of them do.

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  27. Marvin has done a great job including putting away wife killers, mother killers, baby killers, etc. For every 1000 cases that comes through the DA's office you feeble minded folks find one case to use as your poster case. How about get a life and join the good ole boys network !!!

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  28. I had rather hold my head high!!!! Can't take the smell,

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  29. What is Carl, as City Marshal, going to clean up? His reputation? Nobody cares about Carl. He will lose anyway because he will turn the office into a branch of Shreveport's.

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  30. Well if they aren't scared why is it so important they get one of their own in that office? Lynn Austin now Jim Whitman. They made Lynn quit as CAO to run. Go Carl. I see all the signs. Your doing well.

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  31. Bankrupt , threatening voters in Caddo. Boy he is a real price of work.

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  32. Sounds like what goes on now. Only difference is Carl isn't their hand picked guy. I believe Lynn Austin went so far as to make the deputy Marshals do a commercial supporting him or be fired.

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  33. ^^^

    You can not be serious in your beliefs

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    1. There are only two types of people who would believe what @ 7:13 said: The people who don't know or want to pay attention to what's going on in Bossier politics, or the ones involved in Bossier politics. Yes, he's quite serious because it's the truth.
      What's funny is watching the people who are on the outer edges of the "inner circle" thinking they're on the inside. They will screw over someone on behalf Jimmy Hall and his circle of clowns thinking they will get a foot in the door to be in the inner circle. Once their usefulness is no longer necessary they too will get screwed over by the next useful idiot trying to make a name for himself and so on. It's pretty damned funny really, except for those who were innocently screwed over.

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    2. meant to say, 'people who wouldn't believe..."

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  34. Cry baby. Sorry you got screwed over, idiot. Thank you for your service.

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  35. Don't have a ring, don't need one. Just laugh at some of my friends who do. They put on their little skirts and go to their "secret" meeting and bow to the jimmy hall and his minions. Lol

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  36. "cash for court favors". woops, did I spill the beans too soon?

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  37. Has anyone noticed besides me how the marshall's race has been set up from the beginning? Johnny Wyatt did not like having anyone who lived inside the city limits of Bossier unless he was absolutely sure they would never run against him. Thats why Carl Richard had to leave and go to Shreveport. When Johnny died, Jim Whitman lived outside the city by about 200 yards so he didn't qualify to run. So then came Lyn Austin to the rescue to save the day. Shortly thereafter Jimmy Hall moved the city limits north and took in the house Whitman lives in. Been grooming Whitman ever since.

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  38. Well what about Graves and Marvin? A lot of people say that Schuyler didn't win the DA's race 12 years ago, his father Corky did. But people forget he didn't win Bossier Parish but won Webster by such a large amount that it washed out Bossier's close loss. Shortly after the election he switched to Republican and started a course of collecting more money than any local politician from people who expect a return on their investments when needed.
    I see a lot on this site complaining about the good ole boys. Everyone can decide for themselves whether this "ring" of insiders really exists or not or whether its just a circle of sharks feeding on each other. What I really don't understand is why aren't you doing something about it instead of just crying foul all the time. Whitman is not the actualy incumbent but may as well be being annointed by Austin. Marvin is the incumbent and from what I see on this site, not well liked, respected or trusted. Vote them both out. When Richard and Graves come up for re-election, if you feel the same way about them as you feel about Whitman and Marvin now, vote them out. Go to Richard's and Graves' web sites. Ask for a yard sign, volunteer to help their campaigns, get out from in front of your computer and do something about it!

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  39. How do you know we aren't out doing just that?

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  40. Carl Richard, 2014 National Deputy Marshall of the year. Jim Whitman has 12 years experience. What makes him more qualified than Carl. Jim looks older so what did he do before becoming a marshal?

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  41. Please provide one example of where Marvin has failed to perform his duties as District Attorney? A bunch of wannabees who didn't stay in school long enough are simply jealous. Too bad you can't support your candidate when you earn barely over minimum wage.

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    1. Whether or not someone makes $400 a week or $4,000 a week is of little consequence in regards to one's support of a candidate. Those of us that are supporting Whit Graves support him because he is the by far the best candidate. Those who support Marvin fall into a few different categories. One, keeping their family members out of jail. Two, keeping their clients out of jail. Three, in need of future political favors. And four, well you just can't fix stupid.

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  42. I believe the inquisitor has provided plenty of examples. Not to mention the fact he hires a criminal who does illegal things with seized vehicles.

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  43. In response to 9/15/14 @9:47 PM and only for the record, I have several degrees, and I am here to tell you that my salary and education have little to do with who or what I am. My dad only had a high school education, but was one of the smartest and humblest persons I have known. And if I remember right, our Jesus had no education, rode a donkey, and remains the most praised. I hope that you are not typical of the Marvin supporters.

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  44. Wow !!! Anyone who uses the Inquisitor as a source would use sandpaper to wipe their petunia. 95 percent of readers of Inquisitor aren't even registered to vote.

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  45. The inquisitor has the largest weekly distribution of any other state newspaper. Even if what you say is true, which it is not, 5% of An astronomical unit is still a very large number.

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  46. The feeble comments by the Marvin camp make it crystal clear why they have so many plea bargains, sweetheart deals, and nol prossed items. They are incapable of making any arguments with validity. Could it be that there are too many Southern University law school grads!!!

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  47. Anon 9-16-14: Why wouldn't someone use the Inquisitor as a source? The people who declare it is a rag magazine akin to the National Inquirer, I feel, are just trying to get people not to buy it to learn about what they may be doing. So far it has been responsible for revealing the antics of several judges who have been criminally charged or otherwise run out of office, just to look at one area of government. Danny Lawler is held to the same ethics and legal obligations as any other publication and I haven't seen any lawsuits against him in the Times for false accusations. What I do see is sold out editions becoming more common in Bossier when Marvin is on the front page. Makes you think more and more people are concerned about his actions or lack of actions. I don't know Lawler personally but from what I've seen in his papers he'll have Graves on the front page just as fast as Marvin if Graves starts doing the same things and then we'll vote him out six years from now.

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    1. I love it! Exactly what I've been saying!

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  48. You hit the nail on the head buddy!

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  49. Whit should be worried. The people that comment on this site consistently support the loser.

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  50. Well you and others are on here commenting and supporting Schylur so does that mean he may lose? Idiot. Think before you speak.

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  51. Marvin's supporters do not consistently comment on this site. Graves' supporters do. Kudo's to Marvin for his cooperation with the Feds in the Deen case.

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  52. What does Marvin have to do with Deen selling vehicles to Blakey? That makes no sense. But if Marvin cooperated with the Feds it was because he had to do so or go to federal prison himself. Idiot

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  53. This guy that uses the word "idiot" all the time has the same feel as the funny bone guy. Does funny bone guy have a brother?

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  54. I wish someone would run against Jeff Cox, he sure screwed me over in the past.

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  55. He's actually a good judge. Sorry something didn't go your way.

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  56. This probably comes as no surprise but the Blakey's are big supporters of Schuyler Marvin.

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  57. This probably comes as no surprise but most of the time big supporters want to support winners of elections not losers of elections. That is how politics have worked for say, oh, 238 years in America. It is the crux of our capitalistic society. Anyone want to wager a straight up bet who wins the DA's election? I hear the book makes have Marvin as the odds on favorite. Just a matter of time before Whit starts the negative smear campaign because that is the only way he can win. Should get interesting in about 4 weeks. Signing off-- Dr. Scoop

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  58. Well put. Losers can whine all they want, but there is only one winner.

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  59. When Whit wins then all of Schylur's supporters will begin kissing Whit's ass and start donating money to him for favors.

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  60. As I predicted Mr. Graves has resorted to negative campaigning less than 48 hours after i predicted such. Stay tuned for much more. --Dr. Scoop

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    1. What are you scooping exactly? A load of crap?

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    2. What is Dr. Scoop referring to?

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  61. Scoop is referring to newpaper, television, editorials. He just got mixed up on who was responsible for his own downfall--Marvin himself. I will give the present DA a little free PR....run as fast as you can from the tv cameras...they do not help you.

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