A group of Shreveport City Council members was apparently not interested in voters' opinion of the bond package.
Columnist John Settle is not happy about this. His question: Did three council members belittle their constituents?
Do they think their constituents can not read?
Cannot listen?
Cannot process?
Should we not have a voice in their city's future?
Should we not decide how tax dollars are spent?
Should we not be able to vote on tax questions?
Do they only make decisions on input from those that contact them?
Do they assume the others in their districts, 15,000 or so, have no voice?
Do they assume the silent majority should not be respected?
Evidently, they do.Levette Fuller, John Nickelson, and Grayson Boucher (the new 3) are rookies on the Shreveport city council...less than 8 months in their seats. They voted against placing a bond package on the Nov. ballot.
Jerry Bowman Jr., Willie Bradford, and James Flurry are in their second term. James Green has previously served on the council. These four voted to place the bond proposals before the voters.
Did the voters in council districts B, C, and D elect dictators last year to make all decisions for them?
By electing Fuller, Nicholson or Boucher did those voters, who were, in reality, a small minority of the total district population, turn over the keys to what is supposedly a democratic system of government to that council member?
I voted in District B for a council representative. I did not vote for a guardian to make all governmental decisions for me during a four-year term.
I seriously doubt all other voters in districts B, C, and D voted for one either.
The new 3 have over three years left in their Council terms. Hopefully, their future council votes will not be disrespectful of their constituents and their rights to participate in the democratic process.
Thankfully, all Shreveport voters can decide the bond propositions. This is especially true for those in districts B, C, and D despite the votes of their council representatives.
