New Public Watchdog group forming

Before the news came out about the Tea Party Patriots lawsuit against Rob Gaudet, I had heard that Evodna Springer and Matt Sciba were resigning from the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party.
Evodna and Matt, you will recall, did the School Board candidate interviews for SBTP, and have been active in working to increase transparency in some local poltical bodies.
I had a good discussion with Evodna the other day and asked her about the resignations.  She told me that she would talk to Matt and send me a statement. 
Here is the statement I received by email.
I tendered my resignation and severed all ties with SBTP effective October 15, 2010, relative to matters completely unrelated to the TPP/Gaudet issue.
Matt Sciba had already resigned on October 5.
I was shocked to learn about the restraining order. If what is alleged in the sworn affidavit is true, it could have nationwide implications with regard to get out the vote efforts for the November 2 elections, particularly in tight races in other parts of the country. My hope is that both TPP and Rob will reach a resolution, doing everything within their power to resolve this quickly.
Evodna reported to me that a small group met the other day with the intention of forming a 'watchdog' group to continue the work that was started with SBTP in dealing with public disclosure, transparency and to work next year on candidate interviews for all local offices.
When the 'organizing' is done, we will report on the new group.

Bossier School Board: On the path to squandering surplus?

The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party has been taking a look at the proposed budget.  Go to their website and read the article, it is very informative.
So what does it all mean? It means the Bossier Parish School Board incumbents running for office have proposed a tax increase while sitting on a $20 million surplus, have proposed a budget with a $5 Million deficit, and plan on paying for that deficit with a portion of the surplus.
Tea Party coordinators have requested interviews with all of the candidates for school board.  I am very anxious to see the results.
Another question for the school system
I will be looking this week at the issue of parents transferring their kids to a school near their work.  Personally, I'm not opposed.
My question is simply why are some people allowed to do this while others are not?  The policy on this seems to be as clear as mud, and we are in the process of exploring some actual cases of people who have - and have not - been allowed to make these transfers.

Local media and public officials taking notice of Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party

The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party is getting some love from The Times this week. From an article on the spotlight that SB Tea Party is focusing on local government, to an editorial praising those actions, the Tea Party is enjoying some well deserved recognition. Personally, I am very pleased with the local thrust of the Shreveport-Bossier group. The Red River Tea Party takes more notice of state and national issues.
The Times addressed the questions raised by Evodna Springer to the Bossier City Council regarding the workshop meetings that were held about the sewer increase, and about the discovery that no minutes had been kept (you can see the video here).
A meeting with 26th JDC District Attorney Schuyler Marvin extracted a promise from the DA to instruct the Bossier City Attorney on the requirements of the Open Meetings Law.
City Council President David Jones is not waiting for the DA to write – he is moving to correct these oversights, and I do believe they were caused by lax behavior, not by any intent to deceive the public. I seriously doubt that the city had ever had a public records request for these minutes before.
They’re not off the hook, however.
Tea Party members intend to be at the council meeting Tuesday at 3PM to ask some questions about the proposed roll forward of property tax rates, which the city says won’t actually raise taxes.
They will also be questioning other expenditures, such as $1.4 million for renovations at the North Bossier Tennis Club and money being spent to put in the CNG fueling station.
Tea Party spokesman Matt Sciba questions some of the expenditures at a time when the city has had to layoff public safety workers. “It seems Bossier City Council has a constant flux between not having any money for the basics, and having plenty of money for the luxuries. Am I missing something?”
Be sure and check out the Times article and editorial if you haven’t read them yet.
You can become a member of a Tea Party organization by signing up on their websites.
Red River Tea Party
Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party

DA Schuyler Marvin meets with Tea Party Representatives regarding Open Meetings Law

We asked Evodna Springer and Matt Sciba to let us know the results of their meeting with DA Schuyler Marvin regarding the failure of the Bossier City Council to properly keep written minutes of their public Workshop Meetings.  Here is an update from Ms. Springer.
On Monday, July 26, 2010, members of the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party Coordinating Team met with J. Schuyler Marvin, District Attorney for the 26th Judicial District, asking Marvin to intervene in the issue of the Bossier City Council’s repeated failure to keep written minutes of their public Workshop Meetings, as required by the Louisiana Open Meetings Law,
LRS 42:7.1.A. The meeting with the District Attorney was coordinated as a response to the verbal acknowledgment of City Attorney Jimmy Hall that although the Louisiana Open Meetings Law requires written minutes of public meetings, the Council had no written minutes for the Workshop “presentation” on the sewerage issue. Hall’s acknowledgement was made at the 7/6/10 City Council Regular Meeting.
An additional purpose in meeting with District Attorney Marvin concerns a follow up to Hall’s revelation. This follow up consisted of the filing of a formal Public Records Request, which was filed with the Bossier City Council, seeking copies of minutes of all Workshop Meetings held from 1/1/08 through 7/7/10, as well as a titled list of all Workshops which had been held during that time period, the location, date, and time of these Workshops, and who was in attendance. Per this Public Records Request, the Council produced no minutes to any workshop meeting held during that 2 1/5 year time period, nor produced any documentation as to who was in attendance. The few Public Notices of Workshops produced per this Public Records Request concur with the 7/6/10 statements of the Council that the Workshops occurring during this time period were in fact public meetings.
Today, District Attorney Schuyler Marvin made a commitment to the SB Tea Party Coordinating Team to contact City Attorney Jimmy Hall for Hall’s explanation of the matter, with Marvin’s instruction to Hall on City Council compliance with the written minutes mandate of the Louisiana Open Meetings Law.
The Coordinating Team specifically requested from Marvin, written documentation from Marvin of his compliance instruction to the Bossier City Council regarding this issue. Additionally, the Team requested copies of the written response which Marvin receives from the City Attorney regarding this matter. Marvin stated that he would report back to the Team by the end of the week.
With guarded optimism that greater transparency in local government is slowly inching its way toward reality, we appreciate the many people who have encouraged us to stay on course. We will keep you updated.

Evodna Springer
Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party Coordinating Team

Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party challenges Bossier City Council on sewer rate increase

From Matt Sciba, Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party Coordinating Team Member

The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party is calling upon the Bossier City Council to exercise fiscal responsibility and restraint in considering whether or not to raise water and sewerage rates at its upcoming meeting on July 6, 2010.
"Many Bossier citizens are struggling to provide even basic necessities for their families, and this will be the third taxpayer increase in as many months." explains Matt Sciba, SBTP Coordinating Team.
The SBTP is challenging Bossier City Councilmen to roll up their sleeves and be problem solvers. "They need to eliminate the mindset that they 'can't' solve a problem unless they further strain family budgets", added Sciba. "Instead, the City Council should adopt the mindset of 'Yes, we can, find another means of solving this problem, instead of resorting to new taxes and rate hikes.' "
Sciba further added, "A number of City Council members ran for election on platforms of fiscal conservatism. It is time for those members to prove that their campaign talk was not just rhetoric."
The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party is one of two area tea party groups.
Bossier City Council meets Tuesday, July 6 at 3pm at Municipal Complex, 620 Benton Road in Bossier City.

Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party opposes Sheriff on tax increase

The Shreveport Bossier Tea Party has come out with a statement opposing the sheriff's proposed increase in the property tax millage.
Every Bossier Parish resident appreciates the fine law enforcement afforded by the Sheriff’s Office. Local families are struggling and tightening their belts. It is time our governmental agencies did the same.
The newly-formed Shreveport Bossier Tea Party is strongly opposed to Sheriff Larry Deen’s tax increase. It’s time for Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office to start cutting the budget. With an annual budget of $35 million, there’s bound to be plenty of fat to trim off this piggy.
Last month, Bossier City raised taxes, this month Bossier Parish raises taxes. The Federal Government seems to raise taxes every month. Enough is enough. Our elected officials don’t feel our pain, and with tax increases during a recession and double-digit unemployment, they don’t care. It’s time to say no to higher taxes and say yes to less government spending.

Baton Rouge Tea Party responds to our comments

In my last post, I made reference to the Tea Party movement and some of my concerns about it. Since I published it, I was contacted by Jennifer Madsen, who is the Vice-President of the Baton Rouge Tea Party with the following comments. I thank her for sharing her experience.

I would argue about the "failure" of the Tea Party movement. If you define success as overthrowing the current government, yes we will fail because we are not trying. However we have great success in getting people active in the political process and questioning a candidate's stance instead of the letter behind their name. In order for our representative republic to work properly, the electorate must be involved. The Tea Party movement is doing that. We are helping people who are concerned about their government connect with each other outside of the traditional political parties and social clubs.
In Baton Rouge we have a great deal of success in defeating bad ballot and legislative issues. Our members testified before house and senate committees to repeal the Stelly tax. We organized phone call and letter writing campaigns to do the same. We spoke out against the Internet tax, bringing several hundred hand written notes into the committee chamber with us. We are actively fighting a local bond issue that would raise property tax and winning. See the cover story of Friday's paper.
It is easy to be cynical and hopeless, but it is much more difficult to fight. These are small victories, but they are a start. Our organization is barely six months old, but we are managing to derail a wildly popular mayor's plans. We must take an active role in restoring our government to the that outlined by our Constitution. This will not happen over night. People are waking up and becoming active and that is all we have ever wanted to do. You may consider that a failure, but I consider it success.
You have a great Tea Party group in your area. Red River Tea Party. The men and women are committed to their community. For years I sat behind my keyboard and complained about every thing that was wrong with the government. Now I am challenging them. In the council chambers, the committee rooms, on the Internet, on the steps of the capital and in the streets. You seem passionate and well read. I urge you to take it to the next level. Get active and help stop this growth of government.

Jennifer Madsen

Local Tea Party organization makes puzzling changes

The Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party is in the midst of some puzzling changes. They have changed their name to Red River Tea Party and put up a new website. The new website has a forum linked, but it is not the old SB Tea Party forum. The old forum was on a Ning format, which is very user-friendly; the new forum is awkward to say the least.
The SB Tea Party site is still up, but I don’t know for how long.
In the past I have offered some praise to Rob Gaudet for keeping the local tea party non-partisan. I wrote in July “My concern was that the local movement not turn into a cheering squad for one party over the other, that it truly remain non-partisan, and that it not turn into a forum for local politicians to gain votes. Gaudet has done a great job of keeping it party-neutral and has a policy of not inviting elected officials to speak. A lot of local Tea Party organizations have marginalized themselves by having politicians speak at their events. Gaudet has not made this mistake, and that is to his credit.’
Unfortunately, Gaudet seems to be removed from the new organization and from what I can tell, although nothing is posted yet, Royal Alexander seems to be stepping to the forefront. The Times noted today that “A health care forum sponsored by the conservative Red River Tea Party organization Thursday night in Bossier City served more as a platform for reaffirming the group's views than a discussion of reform proposals.” The forum was emceed by Royal Alexander.
Alexander, a Republican, ran against current Attorney General “Buddy” Caldwell last year and lost. He is an attorney and was a congressional staffer for Rodney Alexander.
SB Tea Party is one of the only local organizations in the state that has taken a non-partisan stance. Other groups in the state have seriously limited themselves by having elected Republican officials speak at their events. Apparently they just don’t get it.
Statements like this on the new website don’t sound non-partisan: “If we are to meet the aggressive, forward momentum of this Administration, we must have in place a bold plan that will allow room for growth as we begin work to shape the outcome of the 2010 election.”
In Louisiana there are 1,513,644 registered Democrats, 742,032 registered Republicans and 647,670 people are registered as ‘other party’ (read independent). Although Louisiana has voted Republican in the last three national elections, that is only because they saw the Republican Party, rightly or wrongly, as the more conservative.
I hope the tea party people keep in mind that a full three-quarters of the voting population deliberately did not register as Republican, and will be turned away if the local events become a pep rally for the Republican Party.
Gaudet, a Republican himself, got it. I just hope Alexander and company do the same.

Bigfoot, Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party and The Huffington Post

Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party organizer Rob Gaudet received some attention from The Huffington Post this week in an article by Jason Linkins. Mr. Linkins seems to be upset that Mr. Gaudet apparently has a hobby – Sasquatch, or, in our part of the world, Bigfoot. He also is ‘outing’ Mr. Gaudet for being opposed to Cap and Trade legislation.
Linkins says: But this is where it gets more interesting. According to his registered address, he lists his business as "Discover Bigfoot." It seems that Mr. Gaudet is also an active member of a community of people searching for the whereabouts of Bigfoot (aka, the Sasquatch). Yes folks. THAT Bigfoot.
Okay, aha! He is interested in Bigfoot, so he’s a nut. He opposes Cap and Trade so that makes anyone who opposes Cap and Trade a nut. AND – he organized the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party, so that make the Tea Party people nuts.
So Bigfoot is a hobby of his? So what. I went to his YouTube channel and found it entertaining.
Big woop. I had my concerns about the local Tea Party movement and expressed them here, along with my endorsement of what they are doing. My concern was that the local movement not turn into a cheering squad for one party over the other, that it truly remain non-partisan, and that it not turn into a forum for local politicians to gain votes. Gaudet has done a great job of keeping it party-neutral and has a policy of not inviting elected officials to speak. A lot of local Tea Party organizations have marginalized themselves by having politicians speak at their events. Gaudet has not made this mistake, and that is to his credit.
True, at the Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party website you can find some blogs containing some pretty extreme views. Again, so what? It is an open forum and members are free to post their views and opinions, and yes, even write blogs. I expressed my thoughts on the forum, as others have. The important point is that the direction of the local Tea Party events has been, so far, exemplary.
You will continue to find a link to Shreveport-Bossier Tea Party in my sidebar.
Sorry Mr. Linkins, to use a great southern expression, that dog don’t hunt.

Shreveport Bossier Tea Party online

If you haven't done it yet, check out the Shreveport Bossier Tea Party online. They have a great website, well organized. I am all for organized protest - vigorous protest. Our founding fathers were the ultimate protestors.

I am particularly impressed that Rob Gaudet is making the effort to keep it non-partisan. Although I personally believe both parties are evil, Republicans naturally gravitate to the site, but there are a lot of Democrats out there who are unhappy and this site is trying to reach them.

Too often during the initial movement it seemed like a cheering squad for the Republican Party. If they can succeed in keeping it neutral, it will have a great effect.

Go sign up today - it's free!

You can also find the link on our right sidebar.

Shreveport Bossier Tea Party