Mayor Calls Emergency Meeting In Attempt To Confirm Appointment

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins has called an emergency meeting of the Shreveport City Council, with the sole purpose of voting on one of his recent appointments.

The Mayor's Office sent out the notice, just minutes before the 24-hour-deadline, indicating the Mayor's plan. The release read:

"NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Mayor Adrian Perkins has called a special meeting of the Shreveport City Council that will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at Government Plaza, 505 Travis Street, Shreveport, Louisiana. The purpose of the meeting is as follows:
To hold a special called meeting pursuant to R.S.42:4.1 to discuss matters relative to the following:

ORD 12
Adding and enact Section 26-25 of Chapter 26 Finance, Article I In General of the City of Shreveport Code of Ordinances relative to a Chief Financial Officer and to otherwise provide with respect thereto.

Confirmation and appointment:
Chief Financial Officer Sherricka Fields Jones"

The Mayor has been attempting to create a new financial position in the City, which would be the Chief Financial Officer position, while at the same time appointing a new Chief Administrative Officer. The moves have had some push-back from the public, and City Council members, to the point of explosive exchanges at a recent City Council Meeting.

One of the major issues surrounding the moves has been the Mayor's decision to bring the person who he would like to become CAO, Henry Whitehorn, onto his staff at $160k annual salary, prior to his confirmation vote. Some felt that the move was a dig at directly at the City Council.

Sources have told KEEL News that the decision by the Mayor to call this emergency session came after he learned that one member of the City Council, John Nickelson, would be unavailable to attend the meeting. Nickelson has been an outspoken critic of the Mayor's recent maneuvering with the CFO creation, and CAO appointment, though he has been supportive of Whitehorn as a perspective appointment. Onlookers believe that the Mayor's Office is making the move to create an emergency meeting tomorrow strictly to secure a vote without Nickelson present.