Election 2011: The Final Week

Two things are certain this Saturday evening - LSU will be 8-0 and the two most bitterly contested races in Bossier will be settled.
Because we all know that LSU will beat Auburn.
And we know that the race for House District 8 and Senate District 37 will both have a winner.
There have been fireworks in both of these races, really revving up a little over a week ago in District 8 when Jeff Thompson sent out his now infamous flyer "Duke Lowrie, a record of deceit", in which he said that Lowrie was suspended from BCFD for 'lying'. 
Lowrie promptly responded with a lawsuit for defamation and violation of attorney/client privilege.
In the Senate race, long time Rep. Jane Smith zeroed in on opponent Barrow Peacock, accusing him of being soft on social issues.
Peacock responded by attacking Smith on her Achilles heel, tax increases.
Look for more fireworks in both of these races this week.
Meanwhile, not every race has been so contentious.  In the race for Bossier City Council District 5, candidates Tommy Harvey and former Council Member Larry Hanisee have conducted a clean, straightforward campaign.  These are both good, qualified candidates, and District 5 will be the winner in the end.
The Assessor's race between incumbent Bobby Edmiston and challenger Ryal Siem has also been free of personal attacks.  I have endorsed Bobby in this race, but tip my hat to Ryal Siem for a race well run.
In the police jury races, Mark Toloso seems to be giving incumbent Glenn Benton a run for his money in District 2.
In District 3, Martha Peace Reyenga and Lucy Cooper are both campaigning hard for the seat held by Wanda Bennett.
Incumbent Winfred Johnston has 5 challengers in District 4.  It isn't hard to predict a runoff in this one, but I have no idea who the final 2 will be.
I'll keep my ear to the ground and pass on anything I hear.

A Friend's perspective on Duke Lowrie

This is a guest blog by Mike Dooley, a retired fireman who worked with Duke Lowrie for a number of years.  Mike is very outspoken.
I can honestly say that Duke is the man to send to Baton Rouge. He is one of the most honest and hard working guys I know. He was one of the most educated firemen on the job and his work ethics showed it.
The deal that Jeff whats his name is stirring up is hog wash. Duke stood up to the establishment and won that fight because it was something he believed in.
He was the one that got the rules changed because it wasn't right. He will never back down from hard work or what is right.
I told him these attacks would come during his race, even though the whole thing is false. Jeff couldn't make a pimple on Dukes butt!! 
This burns me up that Jeff is being dishonest telling these lies on Duke. I know the truth and Jeff needs to get his facts straight!!!! Thats my take !!!!

Update on Thompson lawsuit

Jeff Thompson told Channel 3 today that he never established an attorney/client privilege with Duke Lowrie.
He didn't mention the lying flyer.
I promised to put up copies of the documents filed in the Lowrie-Thompson lawsuit yesterday. Forward Now has posted the entire lawsuit and the exhibits here.
Rex at Conservative Drink has his take on the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, And So it Goes in Shreveport has endorsed Barrow Peacock for the District 37 Senate seat.

Comment Moderation

The first time I used comment moderation was during the city marshal's race back in March.  This is what I published then:
I am instituting comment moderation on the blog, this means that I will have to read and approve any comments that are left before they go up.
I am doing this because a lot of unnecessary comments, some bordering on slander, some silly and some just outrageous, have been left lately.
You will still be able to fully express your view, support your candidates, and discuss your agreement/disagreement with any candidate or their platform. What you won't be able to do is make accusatory remarks that can't be substantiated.
Let's see if it improves the level of our discussions.
Now I am forced to do it again, and I hope we don't have to keep it up until the election.  I detest doing this to my regular readers, who comment all the time and are accustomed to seeing their comments go up immediately.  It is necessary, however.  I'll turn it off from time to time over the next couple of days and see if we can get back to normal.

Lowrie sues Thompson for Defamation and Breach of Attorney-Client privilege

Attorneys for Duke Lowrie filed a lawsuit in Bossier District Court today against Jeff Thompson for damages for defamation and breach of attorney-client privilege.  Lowrie and Thompson are both running for the District 8 House seat left open by Jane Smith.
The lawsuit is in reponse to a flyer that Thompson sent out a few days ago saying that Lowrie was ‘suspended for lying’. In short, Lowrie faced disciplinary action for ‘padding’ his time sheet with two hours for continuing education training. At the time, hours were ‘rounded up’, not only by Lowrie, but by all employees. Lowrie was the only one called to task.
The petition goes on to say that Lowrie

• "did in fact comply with the said rules of the Bossier City Fire Department Training Department. The said rules of the Bossier City Fire Department Training Department at the time of operation (2002) did, in fact, violate the Louisiana Bureau of EMS Education Policy. These rules did not comply with state or national standards in that they allowed for (1) rounding of the number of hours spent in training, and (2) duplication of video hours spent in training. Both of the policies resulted in EMT’S being credited with more training time than they may have actually acquired. These policies resulted in Plaintiff, Michael D Lowrie’s being inaccurately credited with two (2) hours of training."

As a result of this, the lawsuit contends that the campaign flyer sent out by Jeff Thompson made untrue and defamatory statements relative to Lowrie.
Here is the portion of the flyer that the lawsuit is referring to.

The lawsuit also says that:

• "In 2003, Plaintiff, Michael D. Lowrie, went to Defendant, Jeff R. Thompson, an attorney and neighbor, for a second opinion as to what his rights and remedies may have been. In so doing, he established client/attorney confidentiality or privilege. This confidentiality/privilege was violated by Defendant, Jeff R. Thompson when he mailed out his said campaign flyer, wherein he wrongfully and maliciously accused the Plaintiff, Michael D. Lowrie, of lying."

I will get into a more detailed account of the events laid out in the case in the next day or so, and will provide a link to copies of backup documents filed as exhibits in the case.

The Police Jury Races

I haven't spent a lot of time on the Police Jury races.  The following candidates have sent us information to publish:
District 1: Troy Ogletree
District 2: Mark Toloso
District 3:
Martha Peace Reyenga
Lucy Cooper

Marty Carlson has talked to the candidates in all of the contested races.  Here are links to her columns in the Bossier Press Tribune about the races:
Districts 1 & 2

District 1

District 3

District 4 (Part 1)

District 4 (Part 2)

District 5

District 8

District 9

If you are unsure what district you live in, here is a map of the districts.

On the Light Side

Go ahead and take 5 minutes and listen to it.  This is funny stuff.

Endorsement: Julian Whittington for Sheriff

My Bossier is endorsing Julian Whittington for Sheriff of Bossier Parish.

Julian grew up in Benton, has an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from BPCC and a Bachelors in Criminal Justice from Northeast Louisiana University (now UL Monroe).

Julian served Bossier City as a reserve officer for 4 years, from 1983-1987, then worked as a Detention Coordinator for Rutherford house before becoming a probation officer for the Caddo Parish Juvenile Probation Office.

In 1988 he started on patrol with the Bossier Sheriff’s Department and was P.O.S.T. certified in 1989.

In his years with the Sheriff’s Office, he has served as Supervisor for the Bossier City Substation, Supervisor/Manager of the Special Services Division, Public Information Officer, and Supervisor of the Tax and Civil Division.

He was one of the department’s first D.A.R.E officers, organizing the D.A.R.E Summer Camp at Barksdale.  He also trained other D.A.R.E. officers from around the country.  He was elected President of the Louisiana D.A.R.E. Officer’s Association.

In 2005 Julian attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, which involves intense physical training and law enforcement education.  On his return home he was promoted to Chief Criminal Deputy and served in that capacity for over 5 years, supervising and administering all of the departments in the office.  He also served as Inspector General, overseeing all legal issues.

He is also a Boy Scout Leader, has been active in 4-H all of his life, and belongs to the Bossier Noon Exchange Club, Bossier City Lions Club, and the Bossier Chamber of Commerce.

He has been married to his wife, Melissa, for 28 years and has two children.  Julian and Melissa are members of Cypress Baptist Church.

In considering the candidates and their experience, I considered several things.

First of all, the character of the candidates.  On this test, all three pass with flying colors.

Then experience in law enforcement.  The other candidates may have more patrol and detective experience, but with four years as a Bossier City reserve officer, two years on patrol and five years as Chief Criminal Deputy, Julian is well qualified in this area.

The policing that the sheriff does is somewhat unique, in that he offers direct policing and patrol to less than half of the population of the parish, but that is spread out over 843 square miles.  Of course, the sheriff always stands ready to assist the local police departments.

The Sheriff is also in charge of courthouse security.

You also have to consider that the sheriff is the executive officer of the Bossier Parish District Court system, and as such has to serve citations, summons, subpoenas, notices, and other process, and shall execute writs, mandates, orders, and judgments directed to him by the district courts, the courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court.

The Sheriff executes service on almost 20,000 papers per year.

Upon the execution of a writ of attachment, sequestration, fieri facias or seizure and sale under executory process, the sheriff is directed by the court to seize the subject property. And, in some cases, these seizures may lead to the public auction of the seized property.

The sheriff is also the ex-officio tax collector for the parish, and as such collects all property taxes and disburses them to the proper taxing authorities.

In addition to that, the Sheriff operates three prisons, and must have first hand knowledge of daily operations and of the laws governing that operation.

Julian Whittington is the only candidate who has experience not only in working in all of these departments, but in supervising them.  The new sheriff must not only have experience on the streets and roads enforcing the law (which Julian has), but must first and foremost be a good manager.

Julian Whittington is the clear choice for Sheriff of Bossier Parish.

Candidate Forum: Troy Ogletree for Police Jury District 1

My name is Troy Ogletree
I was born and raised in Bossier Parish.
I live in Elm Grove and am a graduate of Airline High School.
I have been married for 33 years to Barbara Ogletree and we have 2 daughters
and 4 grandchildren.
I am currently employed in management with New World International and have been very successful there for the last twenty years. My management and team building skills will make me an outstanding contributor on the Jury.
I would appreciate the opportunity to represent the voters in District 1
And to make a positive impact on the Bossier Parish Police Jury.

If you have any questions, please EMAIL me. 
Here is a link for a map of the districts.

Candidate Forum: Julian Whittington for Sheriff Commercial