Columns & Opinions

The life of Devin Meyers mattered. It mattered to his family, who loved him deeply. It mattered to his basketball family at Huntington High School, and it mattered to Shreveport. His death broke the collective hearts of all of us who grieve every time a young life is snuffed out senselessly. Many in Shreveport shed tears for Devin, and I was one of them. It is still fresh in our minds.

It had been a long time.

The candidates who have announced that they will seek the November 2022 Shreveport mayor’s job are no strangers to local politics. Incumbent Mayor Adrian Perkins has announced that he will seek a second term. Rumors abound about other potential candidates seeking the post.

It’s true: Words may have different meanings to different people.

Change is not good all the time, but it can be good some of the time, and change is in the air for City Council Districts B and G. That change could come in the form of two novice politicians who have decided to answer the call, and to respond to fellow citizens asking them to run. They are accomplished in their own rights and should be taken seriously.

I am a hopeless romantic when it comes to our country’s history. That condition does not prevent me from recognizing America’s many mistakes and failures. Being a romantic also does not shield me from the belief that if we ignore history, we will repeat many of those mistakes and failures.

The Shreveport sales tax hit another record high for the first two months of any year. The $27,061,953.66 January and February figure is 18.8% above 2021, itself a record at the time at $22,774,572.83. It did not hit $22,000,000 for any prior year.

There are rumors and rumblings around town about new candidates entering the race for mayor of Shreveport, and they should make the announced candidates a little apprehensive. Many of the people who are talking about entering the race have no chance of winning, but they certainly have the ability to keep other candidates from having a fighting chance. The word is that someone who ran for mayor four years ago, and lost badly, is considering another run for the position, and his name is Lee O. Savage. Mr. Savage was soundly beaten in his last foray into mayoral politics, coming in fourth. He has absolutely no chance of winning, but he can be a spoiler, which should be obvious to him and his supporters.