Something happened yesterday in Bossier City.
Despite encouragement from some quarters to send the mayor and council a message by voting no on the Police & Fire tax renewal, the voters of Bossier City gave the proposition a landslide vote of ‘yes’.
In 2000, when the city was not having financial problems, the tax was approved by 73% of the voters. This year, when the city is having budgetary problems, 80% of the people who voted said yes.
This sends a message to the mayor and council, but it’s not one of approval of anything that they have done. Rather, the people are saying ‘we support our Firemen and Police officers and you’d better not mess with them’.
New police chief Shane McWilliams has stated that boosting morale was his first and most important job. The people of Bossier City just stepped up and gave him a big assist.
Sometimes the mayor and council just don’t appear to get it. When you lay off firemen and policemen and cut the budgets of those departments, people are alarmed. When you then give the mayor a raise, people start to get angry.
When you institute a hiring freeze people understand.
When you immediately break the freeze to hire someone in the mayor’s office, people get a little bit angrier.
They don’t seem to get it. The people of Bossier City, however, do get it.
The firemen and policemen get it too; they understand fully the message that the citizens were sending.
From one of the policemen who barely escaped the ax last fall, ‘Thank you Bossier City’.
From another police officer: ‘To all 3700 of the people who voted "yes" for the millage tax renewal today in order to save our police, firemen, and EMTs.... Thank you. To all of the 911 people who voted no, we're still gonna be there to help you out when you need it.’
Sunday, May 2, 2010
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Amazing jim that you can state that the electorate is unhappy with the leadership and get these kinds of numbers in support. The truth is - the last contested mayor's election was won by mr walker by 92 percent and the city council has gone in with little opposition and have won with commanding votes. Bossier citizens are happy and have good leaders - the leaders asked for their support and they got it
ReplyDeleteWell stated Jim!
ReplyDeleteAnon at 10:57 - you're joking, right?
ReplyDeleteWhen you only socialize with disgruntled laidoff police officers - you might think people are not pleased with the leadership of bossier city - I will bet you that in 4 years - the same mayor will be in place - and all the councilmembers that choose to run again - will be re-elected with overwhelming numbers - all these of bs predictions
ReplyDeletewere made after - the sale of the hospital, the building of the century tel - the allowing and support of riverboats - the building of the boardwalk parking garage - etc etc - fact is - only a handful of people are disatisfied - the rest love bossier city and what has happened and where it is going
wonder what city council member wrote that blog at 10:57 a.m
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:55,
ReplyDeleteI will have to disagree with you. First of all the people of Bossier City, or the ones who don't have their head stuck in the sand, are not happy with the current leadership of the city.
A year and a half ago the mayor won almost unopposed, except the person who ran against him was some crackpot. The only seat that was contested was Dr. Rogers', and that was because he was retiring.So, your assessment in the races for city leadership positions were won by current "leaders" unopposed.
But! That was before the peel was pulled back, and the rotten banana was exposed.
Most people I talk to lately are livid, and these people aren't "disgruntled laid off police officers. These people are pissed off taxpayers. People are angry that over $50 million dollars were spent on facility to lure the cyber industry to Bossier City was built before commitments to come were made. People are angry that a developer got a parking garage (numbers I heard were $21 million) built for his shopping venue (not to mention his own little police department) at taxpayer expense.
North Bossier got a multi-million dollar tennis complex that's staffed with tennis pro (don't know if the tennis pro was finally approved, but the complex was).
And the list goes on and on, and quite frankly my fingers are getting tired, but I don't have four or five hours to continue talking about the wasted money.
I will concede this, there is a possibility that the current leadership may win by huge margins, but not if I can help it.
And no I'm not associated with the police of fire department. The only association I have with Bossier City is I live here and pulled my head out of the sand and started listening closer to what is going on. I which I had listened sooner.
P.S.
ReplyDeleteI also forgot to add that when the next election comes around, the mayor and city council member will have opponents that will use this debacle as ammo against them. The ammo wasn't there the last time.
"When you only socialize with disgruntled laidoff police officers "
ReplyDeleteI have never met a police officer who was laid off. I do know some police officers, and they happen to have very good attitudes.
The people with whom I do come into contact on a daily basis are from a broad spectrum of the population, and I have yet to talk to one person (or have them talk to me), who is currently happy with the administration.
Yes, these are the people who voted them in.
If people in the administration and on the council are not aware that the majority of people are unhappy with them, they need a reality check.
If the tax had been defeated - you would have a point. But the facts are - the community supports bc leadership as borne out by this and every other election - no other way to spin it
ReplyDeleteI happen to know of several people that plan on running for city council. A few of them were former police officers, and a couple of former firemen. If you don't think that the citizens are upset with the current leadership you are sadly mistaken. I am willing to bet that most, if not all of the city council will be opposed if they choose to run again.
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:23 said, "The community supports bc leadership as borne out by this and every other election - no other way to spin it."
ReplyDeleteIf you had read the response to some of the blogs and read some of the editorials, you would have read that the people are angry at the city leaders, they were voting for the proposal because they want to support the police and fire departments. Now how is that supporting city leadership, and Jim spinning it other wise?
Money talks - bs walks - just like every other issue - people are generally uninvolved and will not take action - elections are many months away - just look at your own church, civic groups and the like - 10 percent of the people do 90 percent of the work - I bet all this vigor falls flat when its time to sign up - pay the money - get an organization and run for elective office - all talk
ReplyDelete"just like every other issue - people are generally uninvolved and will not take action - elections are many months away"
ReplyDeleteThat's where you're making your mistake. People WERE generally uninvolved because they preceived that the city was well-managed. Now they perceive that the city is not well-managed.
Jim - fewer than 9 percent of the population even voted this time with the perceived mismanagment - people don't care - they won't turn out - and nothing is going to change over this issue - only people that care come to this blog - and even those folks won't get off their butts and run when it comes time - how long have you been following politics - rock throwers in general will do nothing more than that - guarantee no significant leadership change in bossier city
ReplyDeleteYou might be right, three years is a long time. However, I have no doubt that this was a vote FOR the police and fire departments and not for the mayor and council.
ReplyDeleteI'll go even further, if things smooth out and the revenue flow improves, a lot of people probably will forget. It's human nature.
Let the firemen and policemen take this one, it's a morale booster that they badly need.
throw some names out there that should run for city council.
ReplyDeleteI may not be able to tell you who should run for city council in 2013. That should be left up to the individual. But I sure can tell you who shouldn't run:
ReplyDelete- Timothy Larkin
- David Montgomery
- Scott Irwin
- Jeffery Darby
- Don "Bubba" Williams -
- David Jones
James "Chubby" Knight,who wasn't on the city council when all the mismanagement was taking place probably deserves another term.
I do know this, that crazy black guy who wanders in and out of traffic at Barksdale and Airline probably could do a hell of a lot better job running this city than those who have for the past several years. At least he couldn't have screwed it up and worse.
David Jones said last year at election time that this would be his last term.
ReplyDeleteBobby Brannon
ReplyDeleteIt's a little earlier to be throwing out names for an election that far down the road.
ReplyDeletePeople should concentrate on attending the council meetings and communicating with their councilman at this point.
I think the you all might be mistaken as the municipal elections I believe are in 2012, april I think.
ReplyDeleteIf the mayor and council think that this was a show of support for them why did they have the fire and police get out and hustle to pass it?
Oh and there will be candidates for most all elected positions, the mayors office being the first!
The municipal election was last year at this time, so it is 3 more years, not 2.
ReplyDelete@notlowalker
ReplyDeleteWe should go to the meetings, but I don't think the Councilmen and Mayor listen very well.
They go to the meetings to make a sales pitch, not to listen. Once the pitch is over, they don't care what the people say because they think we'll forget the bad stuff come election time.
You will forget - it will be the same then that it is now
ReplyDeleteAnon at 5:01 pm. "...that crazy black guy who wanders in and out of traffic at Barksdale and Airline..." is "Brick."
ReplyDeleteHe's a neighbor of mine. I'll see if I can convince him to run.
Thank you to everyone who voted "yes". My husband is a former full-time Bossier City Police officer and a current reserve officer. I can't tell you how grateful we are that those he left behind are a little more secure today. Thank you Bossier City citizens.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePlay nice kids, no name calling.
ReplyDeleteYou're a pee-pot, grunt-head!!!
ReplyDeleteNyuk!
Bonehead!
ReplyDeleteI know you are! But what am I?
ReplyDeleteNyuk...
Jim, you Schulyer Marvin you!
ReplyDeleteBRICK FOR MAYOR!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on Brick, Anon at 5:01. I'm a'durrin' my best. Once he finishes listening to his radio (that has no batteries, and the headphones aren't connected to), I'm gonna try to convince him.
ReplyDeleteHey Andy,
ReplyDeleteI got the campaign slogan.
"We'll rebuild Bossier City, One Brick at a time!"
Heh! Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!
ReplyDeleteThe only person worse I can think of than bobby brannon is Brick - so if they run against each other - I guess I will have to take the air conditioner repair man - that certainly makes him qualified to handle 100 million annually - perhaps he could recruit some of his breakfast buddies and combine their iq's to exceed 50 - maybe get b garrett to help him
ReplyDeletehello my beautiful world
ReplyDeletehello everyone on this place!
i am Kate