5 Bossier City Councilmembers reject citizens' petition; Lawsuit expected.
Plus — Benton puts two new fire engines into service. Bossier City free time calendar.
Beyond Bossier
5 Bossier City Councilmembers reject citizens' petition; Lawsuit expected.
As expected, Bossier City Council members, in an audacious display of conflict of interest, once again voted Tuesday to reject a citizens' petition to bring local term limits before voters.
Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler brought the matter back before the council with a first-and-final vote on a resolution to put term limits on the December 7, 2024 ballot.
District 2 councilmember Jeffery Darby spoke against putting term limits before the voters.
"I am not in favor of the language in this petition, and I will not support it ever, because it's not that I feel it necessary to be eligible to run. As a law-abiding citizen, as a taxpayer, I don't think 3,000 people should determine whether I should run for office or not," Darby said. "I mean, I'm not saying that we should not have good government, but this is not a representation of good government. People have honorably served and sacrificed to serve, and that's what we've done."
Then Darby added:
"And I believe this petition targets only certain people in the first place. It doesn't address government at all. It targets certain people."
David Crockett, spokesperson for the Bossier Term Limits Coalition, said the 3,000 people who signed the petition would not decide on term limits. Bossier City voters would.
"We're not trying to denigrate what you've done in the past. I may disagree personally on past decisions by the council. But I appreciate your honor and your dignity and all of those things. But this is not just 3,000 people. Those kind of comments, that does denigrate the people that signed the petition,” Crockett said.
"This is for the people. This isn't for yourself. If you vote this down, you're inviting a lawsuit because you're in violation of your charter," Crockett added.
Lee A. Jeter, Sr., Executive Director at Fuller Center for Housing, spoke for the resolution.
"I think we appreciate all the work that this council has done for the city of Bossier City. But I think for the people, the issue is that the charter allowed the people to make a petition to this government body, and that petition is made legally to the government body to act upon a certain issue regardless of what that issue is," Jeter said.
“The government body at least has to take that issue before a majority of people vote.”
"The government body at least has to take that issue before a majority of people vote. No one is preconceiving that the citizens are going to vote for term limits because of the retroactive. They could vote it down," Jeter added.
Comments were closed, and a vote was taken.
Voting against the resolution were Jeffery Darby, Jeff Free, Vince Maggio, David Montgomery, Jr., and Don Williams.
Two council members voted to put term limits before the voters: Brian Hammons and Chris Smith.
The council rejected the Mayor's proposal to disband the Charter Commission by an identical vote.
The Bossier Term Limits Coalition says the next step is to sue the City.
“Yes, that is the plan,” Crockett told BossierNow. “We will pull the trigger closer to the end of the month when we have cause. We already have our attorney on retainer.”
Council honors fallen BCPD officer
In other business, the City Council approved honoring a fallen Bossier City Police Officer.
"This past Sunday, August the 11th, was the 20-year mark of Officer Trey Hutchinson that was killed in the line of duty in Bossier City," said BCPD Chief Daniel Haugen. "We did a memorial service at the police station. I appreciate the ones that were able to make it. It presented a lot of different things to the family, but one of which was changing City Hall Drive over to Hutchinson Drive."
Officer Trey Hutchison was shot and killed by ambush in 2004 when he responded to a 911 hang-up call from a woman who said her husband had pulled a gun on her. He was 27.
Benton Fire District #4 puts two new fire engines into service
Residents in Benton are safer today. Benton Fire District #4 recently placed two new fire engines into service.
Benton’s Fire Chief J.T. Wallace says the fire trucks are named Swan Lake and Cypress for the stations they will work instead of engine numbers. Wallace said they named the trucks with the community in mind, and residents would easily recognize the trucks.
The trucks were purchased with the two-mill tax increase voters approved in 2021, which was dedicated to fund new equipment.
Wallace believes the fire engines will meet the needs of the fastest-growing area of Bossier Parish.
“You have to rotate fire trucks after 20 years. They need to go into reserve status. And the trucks that we have in service today, two of them are over that age limit,” Wallace said.
The Fire District was able to purchase the vehicles two years ago. Wallace believes the district got more bang for the buck after acquiring the trucks.
“The trucks were about $600,000 a piece, roughly, and in today’s dollars, they would be close to three-quarters of a million dollars apiece,” Wallace said.
Bossier City free time calendar
Live music in Bossier City and other notable events in the area for your free time consideration. If you would like to add an event to the Bossier City free time calendar, send the details to email@bossiernow.com.
August 16-25: The BPCC Theatre and The Cavalier Players will stage a production of Murder at The Howard Johnson's, a light-hearted suspense comedy by Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick. The show will run from August 16 to August 25, 2024, in the Stephen W. Slaughter Theatre in Building C on the BPCC campus.
August 31: Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Elle King at the Paradise Theatre in the Margaritaville Casino.
August 31: William Lee Martin brings his "King of Cowtown" comedy tour to the Louisiana Grandstand.
September 7: The Cleverlys, a one-of-a-kind, unique comedy and music experience at the Louisiana Grandstand. "If Dolly Parton, Earl Scruggs, and Spinal Tap spawned a litter of puppies, it would be The Cleverlys," says the New York Times.
September 12: Pony Bradshaw makes a rare Louisiana stop at the legendary listening room of Louisiana Grandstand. Catch Pony Bradshaw as he fuses Americana, rock, folk and many other styles.
September 13: Comedian Rodney Carrington at the Paradise Theatre in the Margaritaville Casino.
September 14: Cody Johnson, The Leather Tour at the BGA.
October 18: Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Darrell Scott at the Louisiana Grandstand.
October 20: Jelly Roll, The Beautifully Broken Tour, with Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay at the BGA.
October 26: Daughtry at the Paradise Theatre in the Margaritaville Casino.
November 1-3: Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto at the BGA.
November 16: Creed, Are You Ready? Tour at the BGA with 3 Doors Down and Mammoth WVH.
November 23: William Clark Green brings his "Whole Lotta Lubbock" tour to his debut appearance at the Louisiana Grandstand. Green is tearing up Texas dance halls and filling venues nationwide with his hits like "She Likes The Beatles" and "West Texas in My Eye."
December 13: Creed Fisher at the Louisiana Grandstand.
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