Pay Raises for City Officials & Gun Bill a No for One Shreveport Councilwoman

Shreveport Councilwoman LeVette Fuller talks about the possibility of pay raises for some city leaders and her thoughts on the John Nickelson proposal concerning guns in unlocked vehicles.

The council is looking at the possibility of a raise for both its seven members and an increase for the mayor. These pay boosts, if passed, would not go into effect until the after the next council and mayoral elections.

But Fuller seems less than enthusiastic about the idea. "I just hope this goes away. I think we need to drop this piece of legislation for the time being," she says, but also points out that the current $15,000 per annum salary and time demands might limit prospective candidates. "(The current members) are people who set their own hours, who work for themselves, or have an employer who will let them have the flexibility to do the job.

"I think they should pull the legislation for salaries so we can do right by public safety. I think that's what it comes down to and the best way it can be handled. And I've gotten quite a few emails that back that."

The District B rep then talks about the Nickelson gun theft idea. "I've talked to police, off the record, who ask, 'How we're going to enforce this? Why don't you give us the resources we need to actually go after the bad guy?' I think that's really what it needs to be.

"I think that trying to emotionally manipulate us by using certain data...it's not working for me," Fuller says, suggesting that the city look at a marketing campaign focusing on gun safety. "That campaign worked in Lafayette to decrease the numbers (of gun thefts). We should be looking at that, not trying to legislate people. It strikes me as nanny state."